Author: Jeff Fox

By: Jeff Fox | December 14, 2019 Jun 23, 2018; Singapore, Singapore; Jessica Eye (blue gloves) celebrates beating Jessica-Rose Clark (red gloves) during UFC Fight Night Singapore at Singapore Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Paul Miller-USA TODAY Sports Jessica Eye Career Earnings Stream live sports and ESPN originals on ESPN+ for only $4.99 a month. Start your 7-day free trial today! UFC fights & partial Bellator only, * denotes an estimated purse, doesn’t include PPV and/or “locker room” bonuses Click on event name for full payout for all fighters for that event Bellator 66 – Apr 20/12 – W (Rodriguez) –...

By: Jeff Fox | December 13, 2019 The Nevada State Athletic Commission has released the fighter purses in advance of tomorrow night’s UFC 245 fight card (reported by MMA Fighting). Headliner Kamaru Usman is the top earner. Attendance:   TBAGate:   TBA (click on a fighter’s name for their career earnings) Kamaru Usman:   $540,000 ($500,000 to show, $40,000 fight week incentive pay) Colby Covington:   $530,000 ($500,000 to show, $30,000 fight week incentive pay) Max Holloway:   $390,000 ($350,000 to show, $40,000 fight week incentive pay) Alexander Volkanovski:   $280,000 ($250,000 to show, $30,000 fight week incentive pay) Amanda Nunes:   ($350,000 to show, $100,000...

By: Jeff Fox | December 13, 2019 Oct 6, 2018; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Aspen Ladd (red gloves) celebrates beating Tonya Evinger (blue gloves) during UFC 229 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports There is constant debate about the “official” UFC fighter rankings, which are based on voting from a panel of journalists.  Such is the case with something as subjective as voting – it’s totally based on voter’s opinion, and biases are bound to seep through, whether intentional or no.  So to try to put a fresh, objective, data-driven spin on rankings, The MMA...

By: Jeff Fox | December 12, 2019 May 11, 2019; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Jose Aldo (red gloves) fights Alexander Volkanovski (blue gloves) during UFC 237 at Jeunesse Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Silva-USA TODAY Sports Alexander Volkanovski Career Earnings (UFC pay only, not including PPV or locker room bonuses) * denotes an estimated purse Click on event name for full payout for all fighters for that event UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs Brunson – Nov 12/16 – W (Kasuya) – $22,500 ($10,000 to show, $10,000 win bonus, $2,500 Reebok sponsorship)* UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Hunt – Jun 11/17...

By: Jeff Fox | December 11, 2019 Jul 27, 2019; Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Cris Cyborg (red gloves) is introduced before fighting Felicia Spencer (blue gloves) during UFC 240 at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports There is constant debate about fighter rankings, which are normally based on voting from a panel of journalists.  Such is the case with something as subjective as voting – it’s totally based on voter’s opinion, and biases are bound to seep through, whether intentional or no.  So to try to put a fresh, objective, data-driven spin on rankings, The MMA Manifesto has...

By: Jeff Fox | December 10, 2019 Oct 6, 2018; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Khabib Nurmagomedov (red gloves) reacts after his fight against Conor McGregor (blue gloves) during UFC 229 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports As Ferris Bueller said: “Life in the MMA world moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.”  Or something like that.   But fight announcements do come fast and furious these days, so it’s easy to miss them.  But don’t worry, The MMA Manifesto has got you covered.  Our  MMA  Fight Announcement Roundup will let...

By: Jeff Fox | December 9, 2019 So you think you know your MMA? You think you can predict who is going to win a fight and how?  Time to prove it. We present to you The MMA Manifesto Pick ‘Em contest. This week’s winner wins a prize from our sponsor – Engage! Engage is a premium brand offering a wide range of products that are custom designed for those who have an interest in Combat Sports. From fightwear to high-quality fight gear, apparel and activewear, there are options for everyone through the engageind.com online store. The thorough research and development...

By: Jeff Fox | December 9, 2019 Jun 29, 2019; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Jussier Formiga (red gloves) fights Joseph Benavidez (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: David Berding-USA TODAY Sports There is constant debate about the “official” UFC fighter rankings, which are based on voting from a panel of journalists.  Such is the case with something as subjective as voting – it’s totally based on voter’s opinion, and biases are bound to seep through, whether intentional or no.  So to try to put a fresh, objective, data-driven spin on rankings, The MMA Manifesto has...

By: Jeff Fox | December 9, 2019 (Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports) Matt Brown Scouting Report Vitals 6’0″ 170 lb (Welterweight)76″ reach, OrthodoxJanuary 10, 1981 Record 21-16 (UFC: 14-10) Current Streak 1 straight win Training Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-JitsuBrown belt in JudoGreen belt in Jujutsu Championships Held ISCF East Coast Welterweight Champion: 2007 (no title defenses) Strengths – as tough & scrappy as they come– great chin – very hard to KO– knockout machine – 13 of his wins via (T)KO– above average reach both for his height & weight class– really pushes the pace & brings the fight to...

By: Jeff Fox | December 9, 2019 Urijah Faber Scouting Report Vitals 5’6″ 135 lbs (Bantamweight)69″ reach, OrthodoxMay 14, 1979 Record 35-10 (UFC: 11-6) Current Streak 2 straight wins Training NCAA D1 wrestlerBrown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships Held King of the Cage Bantamweight Champion: 2004-2006 (four successful title defenses)WEC Featherweight Champion: 2006-2008 (six successful title defenses) Strengths – as experienced as they come – 19 title fights– incredibly tough – fought with two broken hands one fight– excellent submission skills– finishes fights– great chin (no pun intended)– amazing cardio – always pushing the pace– strong wrestler– solid in...

By: Jeff Fox | December 9, 2019 Jose Aldo Scouting Report Vitals 5’7″ 135 lbs (Bantamweight)70″ reach, OrthodoxSeptember 9, 1986 Record 28-5 (UFC: 10-4) Current Streak 1 straight loss Training Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-JitsuBlack belt in Luta Livre Esportiva Championships Held WEC Featherweight Champion: 2009-2010 (two successful title defenses)UFC Featherweight Champion: 2010-2015 (seven successful title defenses)UFC Featherweight Champion: 2016-2017 (no successful title defenses) Strengths – dynamic, explosive, extremely dangerous striker– very powerful hitter (hands, knees, feet)– crippling leg kicks– unorthodox strikes– very quick with his striking– swarms opponent when senses an opening– very athletic– extremely experienced– very well...

By: Jeff Fox | December 9, 2019 Max Holloway Scouting Report Vitals 5’11” 155 lb (Lightweight)70″ reach, OrthodoxDecember 4, 1991 Record 21-4 (UFC: 17-4) Current Streak 1 straight win Training Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships Held X-1 Lightweight Championship: 2011 (no title defenses)Interim UFC Featherweight Championship: 2016-17 (no title defenses)UFC Featherweight Championship: 2017-present (three title defenses) Strengths – tall for a featherweight– very young but very experienced– been in the UFC since he was 20– has fought at lightweight before– dangerous striker– has knockout power in all his limbs– pulls off dynamic & unorthodox strikes– very active striker– very difficult...

By: Jeff Fox | December 8, 2019 UFC 245: Usman vs CovingtonNov 14, 2019T-Mobile ArenaLas Vegas, Nevada UFC 244: Usman vs Covington Fight Card Fight Card Ranking (strength of card on paper based on our exclusive Pound for Pound fighter rankings) UFC PPV cards range between 13,300-4,700 points, with an average card ranking 10,300 (click on fighter’s name for detailed scouting report) (fighter ranking based on our exclusive Performance Based Ranking system – click fighter’s rank to check out the list) Stream live sports and ESPN originals on ESPN+ for only $4.99 a month. Start your 7-day free trial...

By: Jeff Fox | December 8, 2019 Congratulations to Cameron Walsh for winning our UFC DC  Pick ‘Em Contest!  Next Pick ‘Em action will be for UFC 245 on Dec 14th. Thanks for playing! Stream live sports and ESPN originals on ESPN+ for only $4.99 a month. Start your 7-day free trial today! Consensus Picks Jairzinho Rozenstruik – 57%Aspen Ladd – 81%Ricky Simon – 57% Consensus Overall Record in 2019: 98-59 (62%) UFC DC Pick ‘Em Results 1 Cameron Walsh 7 2 Michael J. 6 2 Nathan H. 6 4 Brandon Kaplan 5 4 MMAinVA 5 4 Rodney Miceli 5...

By: Jeff Fox | December 8, 2019 Dec 7, 2019; Washington, DC, USA; Billy Quarantillo (red gloves) fights Jacob Kilburn (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports Mixed martial arts may not have reached its statistical revolution stage like other sports (and perhaps it never will given its primordial nature), but there is still plenty of good data out there.  So, following each UFC event, The MMA Manifesto will parse the numbers provided by FightMetric and target which pugilist enjoyed the best statistical night. Stream live sports and ESPN originals on...

It probably will hurt to smile for a long while, but at least Alistair Overeem’s bank account is happy. Before we go any further, we should note that the DC athletic  commission doesn’t release fighter pay info, so none of the following salary data for the event is official.  However, you can get a fairly accurate picture of a fighter’s pay based on official purse info released from past fights.  So, based on that info, here is the estimated pay breakdown for the 24 fighters that traded blows at the event.  But please remember – this is only an...

NEWARK, NJ – JANUARY 30: Ben Rothwell of the United States celebrates his second round submission win by guillotine choke against Josh Barnett (not pictured) of the United States in their heavyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at the Prudential Center on January 30, 2016 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) Ben Rothwell Career Earnings (UFC pay only, not including PPV or locker room bonuses, Athletic commissions didn’t start releasing fighter purse info until 2004, so the info below only reflects money earned from UFC 46 and onward, Reebok sponsorship money started at UFC 189)...

By: Jeff Fox | December 8, 2019 Oct 6, 2018; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Aspen Ladd (red gloves) celebrates beating Tonya Evinger (blue gloves) during UFC 229 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports Aspen Ladd Career Earnings Stream live sports and ESPN originals on ESPN+ for only $4.99 a month. Start your 7-day free trial today! Canadians – get a free trial of the home of Bellator, NFL & more, DAZN, right here! Americans, click here. Invicta & UFC fights only, * denotes an estimated purse, doesn’t include PPV and/or “locker room” bonuses Click on...

PHOENIX, AZ – DECEMBER 13: Alistair Overeem reacts after his ko victory over Stefan Struve (not pictured) in their heavyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at the at U.S. Airways Center on December 13, 2014 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) Alistair Overeem Career Earnings   denotes an estimated purse, UFC fights only (other than one for Pride and one for Strikeforce) Click on event name for full payout for all fighters for that event   Pride 33 – Feb 24/07 – L (Ma. Rua) – $10,000 Strikeforce: Four Men Enter, One Man Survives – Nov...

By: Jeff Fox | December 6, 2019 Feb 2, 2019; Fortaleza, CE, Brazil; Jose Aldo (red gloves) vs. Renato Moicano (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Arena CFO. Mandatory Credit: Jason Silva-USA TODAY Sports There is constant debate about the “official” UFC fighter rankings, which are based on voting from a panel of journalists.  Such is the case with something as subjective as voting – it’s totally based on voter’s opinion, and biases are bound to seep through, whether intentional or not.  So to try to put a fresh, objective, data-driven spin on rankings, The MMA Manifesto has...