Author: Jeff Fox

By: Jeff Fox | February 20, 2019 Oct 6, 2017; Thackerville, OK, USA; Darrion Caldwell (blue gloves) fights Eduardo Dantas (red gloves) during Bellator 184 at Winstar World Casino. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-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 come up...

By: Jeff Fox | February 19, 2019 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 come up with a performance based ranking system, solely based on how a fighter has performed in the cage, this time for Invicta FC.  We’ll roll out a new weight...

By: Jeff Fox | February 19, 2019 UFC Fight Night: Blachowicz vs SantosFeb 23, 2019O2 ArenaPrague, Czech Republic UFC Fight Night: Blachowicz vs Santos Fight Card Stream live sports and ESPN originals on ESPN+ for only $4.99 a month. Start your 7-day free trial today! Fight Card Ranking (strength of card on paper based on our exclusive Pound for Pound fighter rankings) UFC Fight Night’s range between 9,900-3,200 points, with an average UFC Fight Night ranking 6,000 (click on fighter’s name for detailed scouting report) (fighter ranking based on our exclusive Performance Based Ranking system – click fighter’s rank...

By: Jeff Fox | February 18, 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 UFC Fight Pass subscription! Plus, the top point earner each month will win a SISU mouthguard! SISU Mouthguards are the best lightweight option on the market; they’re safe, effective, and breathable. Backed by a $35k dental warranty. Click the image to check out their website. Next up: UFC Fight Night: Blachowicz vs...

By: Jeff Fox | February 18, 2019 Congratulations to Dave K  for winning our UFC Fight Night: Ngannou vs Velasquez  Pick ‘Em Contest via a tie-breaker.  Next Pick ‘Em action will be for UFC Fight Night: Blachowicz vs Santos  on Feb 23rd. 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 Cain Velasquez – 60%Paul Felder – 60%Cynthia Calvillo – 83%Kron Gracie – 73%Vicente Luque – 77% Consensus Overall Record in 2019: 17-5 (77%) UFC Fight Night: Ngannou vs Velasquez Pick ‘Em Results 1 Dave K. 11 2...

By: Jeff Fox | February 18, 2019 Feb 9, 2019; Melbourne, Australia; Israel Adesanya (red gloves) and Anderson Silva (blue gloves) during UFC 234 at Rod Laver Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasmin Frank-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 come...

By: Jeff Fox | February 18, 2019 Feb 17, 2019; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Aljamain Sterling (blue gloves) reacts after defeating Jimmie Rivera (not pictured) during their bantamweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Sterling won via unanimous decision. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-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...

By: Jeff Fox | February 18, 2019 Cain Velasquez’s body may have betrayed him again last night, but at least he got a good paycheck Before we go any further, we should note that the Arizona state   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...

By: Jeff Fox | February 17, 2019 Stream live sports and ESPN originals on ESPN+ for only $4.99 a month. Start your 7-day free trial today! ET U.S. Canada U.K. Brazil Latin America Main Card 9:00 PM ESPN TSN5 BT Sport 2 Combate Fox Sports Prelims 7:00 PM ESPN TSN5 BT Sport 2 Combat Fox Sports Early Prelims 5:30 PM ESPN+ UFC Fight Pass UFC Fight Pass UFC Fight Pass UFC Fight Pass France Australia Germany Italy New Zealand Main Card 9:00 PM Kombat ESPN DAZN DAZN ESPN Prelims 7:00 PM Kombat ESPN ESPN Early Prelims 5:30 PM UFC...

By: Jeff Fox | February 16, 2019 Bellator 216: MVP vs DaleyFeb 16, 2019Mohegan Sun ArenaUncasville, Connecticut Bellator 216: MVP vs Daley Fight Card Stream live sports and ESPN originals on ESPN+ for only $4.99 a month. Start your 7-day free trial today! (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) Main Card (DAZN – 10:00 pm Eastern) Welterweight World Grand Prix Quarter-Final:Michael Page  (13-0,  #4 ranked welterweight) vs Paul Daley  (40-16-2,  #8 ranked welterweight) Heavyweights:Cheick Kongo  (29-10-2,  #3 ranked heavyweight) vs Vitaly Minakov   (21-0,...

By: Jeff Fox | February 16, 2019 The English grudge match to end all grudge matches goes down tonight at Bellator 216 from…..Uncasville, Connecticut?!  Here’s how you can watch it. Stream live sports and ESPN originals on ESPN+ for only $4.99 a month. Start your 7-day free trial today! EDT U.S. Canada U.K. Brazil Main Card 10:00 PM DAZN DAZN Sky Sports Fox Sports Prelims 7:00 PM DAZN DAZN Bellator.com Bellator.com Bellator.com Bellator.com Australia Germany Italy New Zealand Main Card 10:00 PM Spike DAZN DAZN Sky Sports Prelims 7:00 PM Bellator.com DAZN DAZN Bellator.com Bellator.com Bellator.com Japan Southeast Asia...

By: Jeff Fox | February 16, 2019 Stream live sports and ESPN originals on ESPN+ for only $4.99 a month. Start your 7-day free trial today! [embedded content] Shop all things MMA at Amazon! (The MMA Manifesto is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com) MMA Manifesto View the original article on MMA Manifesto: Invicta FC 34 Event...

By: Jeff Fox | February 16, 2019 Stream live sports and ESPN originals on ESPN+ for only $4.99 a month. Start your 7-day free trial today! Shop all things MMA at Amazon! (The MMA Manifesto is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com) MMA Manifesto View the original article on MMA Manifesto: LFA 60 Video...

By: Jeff Fox | February 16, 2019 Stream live sports and ESPN originals on ESPN+ for only $4.99 a month. Start your 7-day free trial today! [embedded content] Shop all things MMA at Amazon! (The MMA Manifesto is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com) MMA Manifesto View the original article on MMA Manifesto: Bellator 215 Video...

By: Jeff Fox | February 15, 2019 Dec 1, 2018; Adelaide, Australia; Jim Crute (red gloves) defeats Paul Craig (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. Mandatory Credit: James Elsby-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...

By: Jeff Fox | February 15, 2019 Bellator 215 goes down tonight from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.  Here’s how you can watch it. Stream live sports and ESPN originals on ESPN+ for only $4.99 a month. Start your 7-day free trial today! EDT U.S. Canada U.K. Brazil Main Card 9:00 PM Paramount Paramount ?? Fox Sports Dazn Dazn Prelims 6:30 PM Bellator app Bellator app Bellator app Bellator.com Australia Germany Italy New Zealand Main Card 9:00 PM Spike DAZN DAZN Sky Sports Prelims 6:30 PM Bellator.com DAZN DAZN Bellator.com Japan Southeast Asia Sweden Latin America Main...

By: Jeff Fox | February 14, 2019 UNCASVILLE, CT – APRIL 22: Patricio Freire walks to the cage for his bout against Henry Corrales (not shown) at Mohegan Sun Arena on April 22, 2016 in Uncasville, Connecticut. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Getty Images) Bellator has itself another superfight coming down the pipes.  ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reports that Bellator Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler will next defend his title against current featherweight champ Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire. The fight is set to go down at Bellator 221 on May 11th from Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.   The two fighters have been at each other’s...

By: Jeff Fox | February 13, 2019 Jan 26, 2019; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Henry Corrales (blue gloves) defeats Aaron Pico (red gloves) during Bellator 214 at The Forum. Mandatory Credit: Dave Mandel-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 come up...

By: Jeff Fox | February 12, 2019 Oct 6, 2017; Thackerville, OK, USA; Darrion Caldwell (blue gloves) fights Eduardo Dantas (red gloves) during Bellator 184 at Winstar World Casino. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-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 you know what fights have...

By: Jeff Fox | February 12, 2019 UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs VelasquezFeb 17, 2018 Talking Stick ResortPhoenix, Arizona UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs Velasquez Fight Card Stream live sports and ESPN originals on ESPN+ for only $4.99 a month. Start your 7-day free trial today! Fight Card Ranking (strength of card on paper based on our exclusive Pound for Pound fighter rankings) UFC on FOX/ESPN card’s range between 8,400-6,400 points, with an average UFC on FOX card ranking 7,500 (click on fighter’s name for detailed scouting report) (fighter ranking based on our exclusive Performance Based Ranking system – click...