MMA Ratings

Fantastic Four: Four Things That Make Rose Namajunas Elite

2021-11-28T12:53:00.002-05:00

By Schwan Humes

Rose Namajunas, the UFC Strawweight Champion, has long been seen as a mixed martial arts prodigy, someone who had been tapped as part of the future of women’s mixed martial arts, and one of the faces of the sport as a whole. But unlike many other fighters marked as potential stars or future champions,

BJB Breakdown: Seven Things You Need To Know About Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Peña

2021-11-26T15:37:00.004-05:00

By Schwan Humes

On December 11 in the UFC 269 co-main event, we have a UFC Bantamweight Championship fight between two-division champ Amanda Nunes and the former TUF winner and top-five-ranked 135-pounder Julianna Peña. This isn't a fight anyone has demanded, or even asked for,

Jake Paul for Dummies: Three Things You Need to Know About Jake Paul

2021-08-28T17:57:00.001-04:00

By Schwan Humes

Jake Paul started out as a social media influencer, a YouTuber who, although he possessed an impactful and far-reaching presence, was still better known as Logan Paul’s younger brother. Jake was a celebrity in the loosest sense of the word, but nonetheless he was still a celebrity, making money and gaining fans as his presence on social media expanded. But how he was seen and how he was received changed when Jake immersed himself in the world of combat sports.

BJB Breakdown: The Biggest Roadblock To Better Fighter Pay Is the Fighters

2021-08-22T14:41:00.002-04:00

By Schwan Humes

The issue of UFC fighter pay isn’t unique to that combat sports organization; any entity that has found a way to make money for the athletes, the owners, the sponsors, and other employees in various levels and capacities has to deal with issues of fair compensation. But since mixed martial arts has been manicured to the point of making money and being considered a legitimate professional sport, the issues of what a fighter's value is, how much of the pie they should get, the fairness of the contracts they sign, and so on have abounded. But there are at least five reasons that fighters have a hard time leveling the playing field, getting more money for their performances, and gaining leverage over their opportunities to dabble in ownership:

BJB Breakdown: Black Lightning Edition - Profiling Thunder

2021-05-24T00:41:00.002-04:00

By Schwan Humes

After 56 episodes on the CW network, the Black Lightning series reaches its series finale this week. And although we may yet see these characters again in the spinoff series for Painkiller (who was the focal point of the first Black Lightning breakdown), it’s important to note the end of the Pierce Family saga at the heart of the show. This was a story about intergenerational superheroics, and thus, for as much as the series was about Jefferson Pierce, aka Black Lightning, his two daughters -- Anissa and Jennifer -- and their respective heroic journeys were just as important.

Talking Points: Was It the Right Move For Billy Joe Saunders' Corner To Throw In the Towel?

2021-05-10T20:37:00.002-04:00

#MMARatings Talking Points: Was It the Right Move For Billy Joe Saunders' Corner To Throw In the Towel?
— MMA Ratings (@MMARatingsNet) May 11, 2021

Talking Points: After His Bellator 258 Bantamweight Championship Win, Is Sergio Pettis the Better Pettis Brother Right Now?

2021-05-09T18:06:00.001-04:00

#MMARatings Talking Points: After His #Bellator258 Bantamweight Championship Win, Is Sergio Pettis the Better Pettis Brother Right Now?
— MMA Ratings (@MMARatingsNet) May 9, 2021

Talking Points: Is Donald Cerrone Making the Right Decision By Continuing to Fight After His Brutal UFC Vegas 26 Loss?

2021-05-09T17:49:00.003-04:00

#MMARatings Talking Points: Is Donald Cerrone Making the Right Decision By Continuing to Fight After His Brutal #UFCVegas26 Loss?
— MMA Ratings (@MMARatingsNet) May 9, 2021

BJB Breakdown: Valentina Shevchenko - A Closer Look

2021-04-23T09:53:00.004-04:00

By Schwan Humes

The story around Valentina Shevchenko is that she is an elite talent, a dominant fighter, a generational fighter; someone who has been able to compete with and oftentimes dominate the best fighters in two weight classes. And while everything I said is completely true, the fact of the matter is that these things don’t tell the whole story. Today I am going to read between the lines and discuss some of the overlooked aspects of who, what, and how Valentina Schevchenko is as a fighter.

BJB Breakdown: Black Lightning Edition - Profiling Painkiller

2021-04-12T01:20:00.001-04:00

By Schwan Humes

Three years ago the CW added a new property to their group of live action comic-based properties. That show was Black Lighting. Much like other CW properties (Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, etc), the show was focused on a titular superhero, Jefferson Pierce, and dealt with the protagonist's reintroduction to the world, how it affected the world, and the myriad of ways that it affected his family dynamic. It touched on issues with secret identities and battles with mob bosses, assassins, and supervillains, all while introducing thinly-veiled examples of a variety of socio-economic issues.

UFC 260: Despite Dana White's Comments, It's Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones or Bust

2021-03-31T00:47:00.001-04:00

By Raphael Garcia

UFC 260 ended with thunderous shots that were viewed around the world, as Francis Ngannou stopped Stipe Miocic to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion. And as fans as far away as Cameroon cheered on their champion, their eyes shifted to Jon Jones and what he would do. In typical Jones fashion, he took to social media for commentary, but that commentary was quickly met with pushback from UFC President Dana White and fans alike. It is a compelling but all too frequent storyline, as fans tossed around words like “scared” to describe Jones' attempts to position himself for a large payday to face Ngannou. But at the end of the day, that is the fight everyone wants to see, and it should be the next big fight atop the heavyweight division.

BJB Breakdown: The Fighting Styles, Techniques, and Strategies Connected to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

2021-03-22T10:48:00.000-04:00

By Schwan Humes

On March 19, 2021, we saw the continuation of the Captain America trilogy, as two of Cap’s most popular supporting characters were put into the spotlight as the stars of the Disney Plus series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. It’s a story that is built around the legacy of Steve Rogers, and how that is carried out by the hero who was affected the most by his creation -- Bucky Barnes -- and the one most affected by his rebirth -- Sam Wilson. Both characters were introduced to MCU fans in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier,

BJB Breakdown: DC’s Trinity -- Techniques, Tools, and Strategies of Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman

2021-03-19T01:30:00.001-04:00

By Schwan Humes

On March 18th, fans of the DC film universe crafted by Zack Snyder finally got their wish when Warner Bros released Zack Snyder’s Justice League, aka “The Snyder Cut” where fans got to finally see the film as envisioned by the polarizing director. Oftentimes in circumstances like this we get DVDs with bonus footage, and there is discussion of how cool this would have been, how it all makes sense now, or how this would have changed the movie’s reception, box office results, and the narrative surrounding it. This time, however, things were different, as fans of Zack Snyder -- and surprisingly, fans of the DC Universe -- pushed back against Joss Whedon’s take on the Justice League story, forcing Warner’s hand and paving the way for the re-release of the film, but this time as imagined by Snyder originally.

UFC Women's Featherweight: The Promotion's Shallowest Division Doesn't Have Long To Go

2021-03-10T23:46:00.003-05:00

By Adam Martin

This past Saturday at UFC 259, pound-for-pound great Amanda Nunes had yet another dominant performance inside the Octagon, a performance so good that it might end up shutting down the entire division. After previously defeating Cris Cyborg to win the women's 145-pound title in 2018 and then defending it against Felicia Spencer in 2020, Nunes defended it for a second time when she tapped out former Invicta FC champion Megan Anderson in the first round of the pair's UFC women's featherweight title fight. It was another easy win for Nunes at 145 lbs, and it might be the last time she fights at that weight class. According to reports following that fight, the UFC women's featherweight division is on thin ice.

Camp 101: A Comprehensive Understanding of Camps and Corners

2021-02-23T09:53:00.000-05:00

By Schwan Humes

Combat sports are often considered the world’s toughest due to the nature of the competition, i.e. getting kicked, punched, elbowed, kneed, wrestled, and grappled. Of more importance is the fact that it’s not a team sport -- when you step into that cage you are out in no man’s land by yourself. Your team watches outside the cage while you and your opponent wage a battle inside of it; they can’t fight for you. What they can do, however, is prepare you correctly between and during fight camps, directing you intelligently and efficiently to help guide you to victory.

UFC Vegas 19: Emerging Heavyweights Stars Tom Aspinall and Chris Daukaus Shine Bright In Vegas

2021-02-22T22:19:00.002-05:00

By Adam Martin

This past weekend's UFC Vegas 19 card featured four heavyweight bouts, which is something you just don't see very often at the highest level of the sport. Usually, you'll have one or two heavyweights on a UFC card. The fact there were four big-boy fights on this card showed that the promotion was looking to give some rub to the UFC's highest weight class. In particular, heavyweight bouts pitting Tom Aspinall against Andrei Arlovski and Chris Daukaus against Alexei Oleinik were two of the most intriguing fights on the card. And let's just say there was a reason the UFC booked two young studs against two aging vets.

UFC 258: As Kamaru Usman Continues To Clean Out Welterweight, What's Next For The Champ?

2021-02-17T14:03:00.002-05:00

By Adam Martin

UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman continued to clean out the 170-pound division with a dominant knockout win over Gilbert Burns in the main event of UFC 258. After overcoming a quick strike by Burns early in the fight, Usman survived the initial onslaught only to come back stronger and finish the fight in the third round. The win over Burns gives Usman an incredible 16-fight win streak overall and a perfect 13-0 mark in the UFC alone. What Usman has been doing in the Octagon has been truly unbelievable to watch. It's getting to the point where he's essentially cleaned out the division, with rematches as his top possible options now. Below, let's take a look at five potential options for the UFC Welterweight Champion.

Daily Poll: 2/17/2020

2021-02-17T14:00:00.001-05:00

Who would you like to see Kamaru Usman face next? #UFC #MMA #MMARatings
— MMA Ratings (@MMARatingsNet) February 17, 2021

UFC Vegas 18: Cory Sandhagen Deserves A Bantamweight Title Shot, But He Might Not Get It

2021-02-11T20:09:00.002-05:00

By Adam Martin

Following his incredible flying knee knockout over Frankie Edgar in the UFC Vegas 18 co-main event, bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen once again called for a title shot. Considering he's the #2 ranked fighter in the division with an impressive 7-1 UFC record and a current two-fight streak of spectacular finishes over Edgar and Marlon Moraes, Sandhagen certainly has a point. With UFC Bantamweight Champion Petr Yan set to take on #1 contender Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259, Sandhagen is hopeful that he will get the chance to fight the winner for the belt. But there is no guarantee that's what going to happen.

Daily Poll: 2/09/2020

2021-02-09T13:17:00.000-05:00

Who would you rather see face Nate Diaz? #MMARatings
— MMA Ratings (@MMARatingsNet) February 9, 2021

UFC 257: Matching Up Dustin Poirier In a Khabib-Free World

2021-01-30T03:32:00.004-05:00

By Adam Martin

Unless something miraculous changes his mind, UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is due to announce his retirement from MMA yet again. The legendary Russian first said following UFC 254 last October that he intended to walk away from the sport that he excels at, but UFC President Dana White told him to take some time and think about things. White allowed Nurmagomedov to watch UFC 257 and see if there was something he saw that interested him. But according to White, the champ didn't see what he was looking for. We are now very much looking at the reality of a Nurmagomedov-less world.

UFC 257: Conor McGregor's Time As An Elite Lightweight May Be Over

2021-01-29T03:02:00.001-05:00

By Raphael Garcia

The UFC 257 main event ended in a fashion that was not highly predicted, as Dustin Poirier, in under ten minutes, left Conor McGregor laying on his back as the referee waved off the fight. Now that the surprise has subsided, the questions around what comes next are starting to pick up. The lightweight division has a wealth of elite talent, but perhaps it's time to stop talking about McGregor as one of them, because the next level of the sport has passed him by.

UFC Fight Island 7: Max Holloway's Historic Performance Opens Up Important Doors For His Future

2021-01-18T19:10:00.000-05:00

By Raphael Garcia

Max Holloway is a rare talent. Against Calvin Kattar in the main event of UFC on ABC 1, he displayed a level of skill that was both exceptional to see and should have been stopped before it went as far as it did. In twenty-five minutes of action, Holloway landed 445 significant strikes on his way to a judges’ decision that featured scorecards that have never been seen in the UFC. Let's break down these numbers and look at what's potentially next for Holloway as he continues his impressive UFC run.

Daily Poll: 1/10/2020

2021-01-10T06:30:00.004-05:00

Do you think Khabib Nurmagomedov should come out of retirement?
— MMA Ratings (@MMARatingsNet) January 10, 2021

UFC: The Top Five Storylines Heading Into 2021

2021-01-07T03:51:00.000-05:00

By Adam Martin

We are now officially into 2021 and MMA fans are getting prepared for yet another crazy, unpredictable year in this sport that we all know and love. It's such an interesting sport to follow, and that's because there are always interesting storylines to follow. Let's take a look at the top five storylines heading into 2021, within the UFC in particular: