Author: Jeff Fox

Feb 8, 2020; Houston, Texas, USA; Derrick Lewis (red gloves) fights Ilir Latifi (blue gloves) during UFC 247 at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-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 a while, 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 been announced recently.  You’re welcome....

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 a 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 class every Tuesday. Next up: Atomweights....

UFC Fight Night: Santos vs WalkerOct 2, 2021UFC APEX Las Vegas, Nevada   UFC Fight Night: Santos vs Walker Fight Card   Fight Card Ranking (strength of card on paper based on our exclusive Pound for Pound fighter rankings) 7,186 – surprisingly solid UFC Fight Night cards range between 9,900-3,200 points, with an average card ranking 6,200 (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 (ESPN+  7:00 pm Eastern) Light Heavyweights (five rounds):Thiago Santos   (21-9, #16 ranked light...

Feb 8, 2020; Houston, Texas, USA; Valentina Shevchenko (red gloves) after her win against Katlyn Chookagian (not pictured) during UFC 247 at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-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 a 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 come up with a...

Congratulations to Sen for winning our UFC Vegas 37 Pick ‘Em Contest!  Next Pick ‘Em action will be for UFC 266 on Sept 25th. Thanks for playing! Consensus Picks Alexander Volkanovski – 78% Valentina Shevchenko – 97% Nate Diaz – 61% Curtis Blaydes – 72% Jessica Andrade – 88% Consensus Overall Record in 2021: 76-54 (58%) UFC 266 Pick ‘Em Results 1 Sam Keary 12 2 Fellstar 11 3 Jesse Murray 10 3 Michael V. 10 3 Sam D 10 6 Birney Lindsay 9 6 Daniel Preston 9 6 David Minnich 9 6 Elimi uluikadavu 9 6 John Rong 9...

He took a beating in his long-awaited return to the cage, but at least Nick Diaz was well paid. Before we go any further, we should note that the  Nevada 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 26 fighters that traded blows at the event.  But please remember – this is only an...

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 – W (Hirota) – $26,500 ($12,000 to...

Dec 7, 2018; Toronto, ON, Canada; Max Holloway poses next to Brian Ortega as they weigh in during weigh-ins for UFC 231 at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports   Brian Ortega Career Earnings   UFC fights 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   UFC on Fox: Lawler vs Brown – Jul 26/14 – NC (De La Torre) – $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 win bonus) UFC Fight Night: Boetsch vs Henderson – Jun 6/15 – W (Tavares) – $70,000...

Robbie Lawler Career Earnings (purses started being disclosed at UFC 46, some smaller promotion info not available, doesn’t include any PPV bonuses or other bonuses, Reebok sponsorship pay came in to effect at UFC 189)   denotes an estimated purse Click on event name for full payout for all fighters for that event   UFC 47 – Apr 2/04 – L (Ni. Diaz) – $8,000 UFC 50 – Oct 22/04 – L (Tanner) – $8,000* EliteXC: Unfinished Business – Jul 26/08 – W (Smith) – $90,000 ($45,000 to show, $45,000 win bonus) Strikeforce: Lawler vs Shields – Jun 6/09 – L (Shields)...

Marlon Moraes Career Earnings (WSOF (partial) & UFC fights only, doesn’t include undisclosed bonuses, Reebok sponsorship/fight week incentive pay started July 2015) denotes an estimated purse Click on event name for full payout for all fighters for that event WSOF 1 – Nov 12/12 – W (Torres) – $12,000 ($6,000 to show, $6,000 win bonus) WSOF 2 – Mar 23/13 – W (Nam) – $18,000 ($9,000 to show, $9,000 win bonus)* WSOF 4 – Aug 10/13 – W (Hempleman) – $24,000 ($12,000 to show, $12,000 win bonus) WSOF 6 – Oct 26/13 – W (Beebe) – $30,000 ($15,000 to show, $15,000 win bonus)* WSOF 9 – Mar 29/14...

Jul 7, 2018; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Dan Hooker (red gloves) fights Gilbert Burns (blue gloves) during UFC 226 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports   Dan Hooker Career Earnings UFC fights only, *denotes an estimated purse Click on event name for full payout for all fighters for that event   UFC Fight Night: Te-Huna vs Marquardt – Jun 28/14 – W (Entwistle) – $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 win bonus)* UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs Nelson – Sept 20/14 – L (Blanco) – $10,000* UFC Fight Night: Miocic vs Hunt – May 10/15 – W (Hioki) –...

Jun 9, 2018; Chicago, IL, USA; Alistair Overeem (red gloves) fights Curtis Blaydes (blue gloves) during UFC 225 at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports Curtis Blaydes Career Earnings   (UFC earnings only – doesn’t include any undisclosed PPV bonuses or any other bonuses; Reebok sponsorship started at UFC 189) denotes an estimated purse   Click on event name for full payout for all fighters for that event UFC Fight Night: Rothwell vs dos Santos – Apr 10/16 – L (Ngannou) – $12,500 ($10,000 to show, $2,500 Reebok sponsorship)* UFC Fight Night: Lineker vs Dodson – Oct 1/16...

Dec 30, 2017; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Carla Esparza lands a hit against Cynthia Calvillo during UFC 219 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports denotes an estimated purse – UFC fights only – doesn’t include undisclosed and/or PPV bonuses   Click on event name for full payout for all fighters for that event UFC 209 – Mar 4/17 – W (Cooper) – $22,500 ($10,000 to show, $10,000 win bonus, $2,500 Reebok sponsorship) UFC 210 – Apr 8/17 – W (Gonzalez) – $26,500 ($12,000 to show, $12,000 win bonus, $2,500 Reebok sponsorship)* UFC Fight Night: Nelson...

Dec 8, 2018; Toronto, ON, Canada; Valentina Shevchenko (red gloves) celebrates after beating Joanna Jedrzejczyk (blue gloves) during UFC 231 at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports   Valentina Shevchenko Career Earnings (UFC only – doesn’t including undisclosed bonuses of PPV earnings) denotes an estimated purse Click on event name for full payout for all fighters for that event UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs Cerrone 2 – Dec 19/15 – W (Kaufman) – $26,500 ($12,000 to show, $12,000 win bonus, $2,500 Reebok sponsorship) UFC 196 – Mar 5/16 – L (Nunes) – $16,500 ($14,000 to show, $2,500...

  Nick Diaz Career Earnings   (UFC, PRIDE, and partial EliteXC & Strikeforce fights only, starting in 2004, doesn’t include undisclosed PPV bonuses or other bonuses, Reebok sponsorship came in to effect UFC 189) denotes an estimated purse Click on event name for full payout for all fighters for that event UFC 47 – Apr 2/04 – W (Lawler) – $6,000 ($3,000 to show, $3,000 win bonus) UFC 49 – Aug 21/04 – L (Parisyan) – $6,000 UFC 51 – Feb 5/05 – W (Fickett) – $11,000 ($6,000 to show, $5,000 win bonus) UFC 53 – Jun 4/05 – W (Oishi) – $15,000 ($8,000...

Sep 8, 2018; Dallas, TX, USA; Jessica Andrade (red gloves) reacts after defeating Karolina Kowalkiewicz (not pictured) during UFC 228 at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports Jessica Andrade Career Earnings   UFC fights 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 UFC on Fox: Johnson vs Moraga – July 27/13 – L (Carmouche) – $8,000 UFC Fight Night: Machida vs Munoz – Oct 26/13 – W (Sexton) – $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 win bonus)* UFC 171...

Dec 21, 2019; Busan, SOUTH KOREA; Amanda Lemos (blue gloves) defeats Miranda Granger (red gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Sajik 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 a 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...

Robbie Lawler Scouting Report Vitals 5’11” 185 lbs (Middleweight) 74″ reach, Southpaw Mar 20, 1982 Record 28-15 (1 NC) (UFC: 13-9) Current Streak 4 straight losses Training Black belt in Karate Blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships Held Superbrawl Middleweight Champion: 2005 (no title defenses) Icon Sport Middleweight Champion: 2006 (no successful title defenses), 2007 (no title defenses) EliteXC Middleweight Champion: 2007-2008 (two successful title defenses) UFC Welterweight Champion: 2014-16 (two successful title defenses) Strengths – elite striker – heavy hands, knees, feet – explosive striker – versatile with his striking – mixes in kicks, knees, flying moves, etc....

d Sep 7, 2019; Abu Dhabi, UAE; Khabib Nurmagomedov (red gloves) fights Dustin Poirier (blue gloves) during UFC 242 at The Arena. Mandatory Credit: Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports Which fighter has earned the most money over the course of their UFC career?  We’ve crunched the numbers and have the answer for you.  And the names at the top of the list probably won’t surprise many. But, before we reveal the list, first some ground rules.  Athletic commissions didn’t start releasing fighter purse info until 2004, so the info below only reflects money earned from UFC 46 and onward.  Also, these...

Dec 14, 2019; Las Vegas, NV, USA; (Editors Notes: Caption Correction) Jose Aldo (blue gloves) reacts after his bout against Marlon Moraes (not pictured) during UFC 245 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 a 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...