Fight Matrix

How the NFL Draft Works: Rounds, Picks and Trades Explained

Posted on July 14, 2026 by A. J. Riot

Every April, the NFL Draft transforms from a mundane administrative procedure into a three-day national spectacle. For the fans who follow every mock draft, trade rumor, and war-room leak, it’s part sporting event, part high-stakes poker game, and part reality television. But for the casual observer, how the NFL draft works can seem like an impenetrable maze of picks, trades, and arcane rules.

The good news? Once you understand the basic structure, the drama becomes not just accessible but addictive. The 2026 draft—held in Pittsburgh from April 23 to 25—offers the perfect case study. Whether you’re tracking the Las Vegas Raiders’ first overall pick or trying to explain how the NFL draft works to a friend who just discovered football, this guide breaks it all down.

Keep Reading

Magomed Ankalaev vs. Khalil Rountree prediction

Posted on July 14, 2026 by A. J. Riot

With a fight coming up between Magomed Ankalaev and Khalil Rountree on July 25th — which will be an extremely important fight that could put either fighter back atop the MMA rankings as they each have an opportunity to get back to where they once were.

Ankalaev, just weeks ago ended Alex Pereira’s long run of being undefeated in the middleweight division. Though he later lost the rematch.

Rountree, is another strong contender and earned himself a title shot through a five-fight win streak. Despite giving it all he had, he fell short and was defeated by the champ, Poatan.

Since then, Rountree has gone one-and-one against other top opponents. Both fighters now face a critical juncture with this bout, making it a do-or-die situation if they want to earn themselves another chance at becoming the world champion.

Keep Reading

Featured Upcoming Bouts (Outside of UFC)

Saturday, August 22nd 2026: PFL Tampa: Cyborg vs. Vieira

[#1 W145] Cristiane Justino

[#4 W135] Ketlen Vieira

Last Fight Date: 12/13/2025 [PFL]
Last Opponent: [#2 W145] Sara Collins
Last 5: W W W W W

Last Fight Date: 5/16/2026 [UFC]
Last Opponent: [#10 W135] Jacqueline Cavalcanti
Last 5: W L W L W

Thursday, September 10th 2026: Rizin FF - Super Rizin 5

[#5 FW] A.J. McKee

[#6 FW] Rajabali Shaidullaev

Last Fight Date: 6/27/2026 [PFL]
Last Opponent: [#19 FW] Salamat Isbulaev
Last 5: W L W W W

Last Fight Date: 4/12/2026 [Rizin Fighting Federation]
Last Opponent: [#248 FW] Yuta Kubo
Last 5: W W W W W

Thursday, September 10th 2026: Rizin FF - Super Rizin 5

[#1 W105] Natalia Kuziutina

[#16 W105] Rena Kubota

Last Fight Date: 4/12/2026 [Rizin Fighting Federation]
Last Opponent: [#9 W105] Ayaka Hamasaki
Last 5: W W W W W

Last Fight Date: 12/31/2025 [Rizin Fighting Federation]
Last Opponent: [#2 W105] Seika Izawa
Last 5: W L W W L

Featured Fighters

[#1 WW]	Islam Makhachev	[#8 LW]	Quillan Salkilld
[#4 WW]	Ian Garry	[#2 LW]	Ilia Topuria
[NR]	Khabib Nurmagomedov	[#159 WW]	Conor McGregor
[#85 LW]	Axel Sola	[#45 LW]	Fares Ziam
[#13 LW]	Mateusz Gamrot	[#12 MW]	Israel Adesanya

Fight Matrix Program – UFC Fight Night: Du Plessis vs Usman (07-18-2026)

Posted on July 13, 2026 by Jason

Middleweight (185)
[#8DD][#13P4P][#3][#3UFC] Dricus Du Plessis (23-3-0, -275) vs. [#6WW][#6WWUFC] Kamaru Usman (21-4-0, +222)
Dricus Du Plessis is the All-Time #6 ranked Middleweight fighter.
Kamaru Usman is the All-Time #12 ranked Absolute fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Dricus Du Plessis (2-1-0)
2025-08-16: L vs. [#5P4P][#6DD][#2MW] Khamzat Chimaev (15-1-0) via UD (50-44, 50-44, 50-44)
2025-02-08: W vs. [#3P4P][#5DD][#1MW] Sean Strickland (31-7-0) via UD (49-46, 50-45, 50-45)
2024-08-17: W vs. [#11MW] Israel Adesanya (24-6-0) via Submission (Face Crank) in 3:38 of round 4

Last 3 Fights: Kamaru Usman (1-2-0)
2025-06-14: W vs. [#11WW] Joaquin Buckley (21-8-0) via UD (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
2023-10-21: L vs. [#5P4P][#6DD][#2MW] Khamzat Chimaev (15-1-0) via MD (29-27, 29-27, 28-28)
2023-03-18: L vs. [#9WW] Leon Edwards (22-6-0) via MD (48-46, 48-46, 47-47)

System	Favorite	Rating	Rating Diff	Win %
Betting Odds	Dricus Du Plessis	-275		70.24%
Elo K170	Dricus Du Plessis	2276.74	+12.88	51.85%
Elo Modified	Kamaru Usman	2275.98	+57.60	58.21%
Glicko-1	Kamaru Usman	2387.11	+78.25	61.08%
WHR	Dricus Du Plessis	2124.27	+64.74	59.21%

Fighter Ages on Fight Day: Dricus Du Plessis 32.5, Kamaru Usman 39.2
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Dricus Du Plessis 336, Kamaru Usman 399
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Dricus Du Plessis leads 2-1
.

Middleweight (185)
[#13][#11UFC] Jared Cannonier (18-9-0, +250) vs. [#15][#12UFC] Christian Leroy Duncan (14-2-0, -314)
Jared Cannonier is the All-Time #26 ranked Middleweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Jared Cannonier (1-2-0)
2025-08-16: L vs. [#12WW] Michael Page (25-3-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2025-02-15: W vs. [#12MW] Gregory Rodrigues (19-6-0) via TKO (Punches) in 0:21 of round 4
2024-08-24: L vs. [#8MW] Caio Borralho (18-2-0) via UD (49-46, 48-46, 49-45)

Last 3 Fights: Christian Leroy Duncan (3-0-0)
2026-03-21: W vs. [#12LHW] Roman Dolidze (15-5-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2025-11-08: W vs. [#84MW] Marco Tulio (14-3-0) via KO (Spinning Backfist and Punches) in 3:28 of round 2
2025-08-09: W vs. [#41MW] Eryk Anders (18-9-0) via KO (Spinning Back Elbow and Punches) in 3:53 of round 1

System	Favorite	Rating	Rating Diff	Win %
Betting Odds	Christian Leroy Duncan	-314		72.63%
Elo K170	Christian Leroy Duncan	1946.35	+5.18	50.75%
Elo Modified	Christian Leroy Duncan	1957.85	+31.76	54.56%
Glicko-1	Christian Leroy Duncan	2041.27	+53.44	57.63%
WHR	Jared Cannonier	1917.30	+61.11	58.71%

Fighter Ages on Fight Day: Jared Cannonier 42.3, Christian Leroy Duncan 31.0
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Jared Cannonier 336, Christian Leroy Duncan 119
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Jared Cannonier leads 1-0
.

Lightweight (155)
[#106][#52UFC] Chase Hooper (16-5-1, -319) vs. [#460][#82UFC] Mitch Ramirez (8-3-0, +255)

Last 3 Fights: Chase Hooper (1-2-0)
2026-03-28: L vs. [#85LW] Lance Gibson Jr. (10-2-0) via NC in 2:56 of round 1
2025-08-16: L vs. [#41LW] Alexander Hernandez (18-9-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:58 of round 1
2025-04-12: W vs. [#52LW] Jim Miller (39-19-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Last 3 Fights: Mitch Ramirez (1-2-0)
2025-07-12: L vs. [#119LW] Mike Davis (12-3-0) via TKO (Flying Knee and Punches) in 4:08 of round 2
2024-03-16: L vs. [#91LW] Thiago Moises (19-10-0) via TKO (Leg Kicks) in 0:15 of round 3
2023-12-15: W vs. [#979WW] Aireon Tavarres (7-5-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:19 of round 1

System	Favorite	Rating	Rating Diff	Win %
Betting Odds	Chase Hooper	-319		72.99%
Elo K170	Chase Hooper	1564.26	+153.57	70.77%
Elo Modified	Chase Hooper	1588.93	+138.36	68.92%
Glicko-1	Chase Hooper	1605.19	+161.02	71.64%
WHR	Chase Hooper	1616.90	+193.97	75.34%

Fighter Ages on Fight Day: Chase Hooper 26.8, Mitch Ramirez 33.7
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Chase Hooper 112, Mitch Ramirez 371
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
.
Keep Reading

Current MMA Rankings Updated (07-12-2026)

Posted on July 12, 2026 by Jason

Former WBC Africa Champion Javan Buyu Headlines International Boxing Card in Nairobi on July 25

Posted on July 12, 2026 by Heather

SportPesa Boxing presents a stacked night featuring title contention, experienced international talent, and Moroccan fighters proudly representing their city.

Event Information

Date: Saturday, July 25, 2026

Venue: The Edge Convention Center, Nairobi

Gates: 4:00 PM | First Fight: 5:00 PM

Tickets: Available at TICKETSASA.COM Keep Reading

Interview with Michael Ragot, Founder and Coach of Ongata Rongai Boxing Club

Posted on July 12, 2026 by Heather

Introduction

In the heart of Ongata Rongai, a community tucked within Kenya’s vibrant boxing landscape, a small club is shaping fighters with the same grit and grassroots spirit that built some of the sport’s most legendary institutions. There’s no gleaming marquee, no corporate sponsors lining the walls – just worn gloves, determined faces, and a coach who believes boxing can change the course of a young person’s life.

The Ongata Rongai Boxing Club has become one of Kenya’s most committed community gyms, a place where discipline is taught long before punches are thrown. Under the guidance of head coach Michael Ragot, the club serves as a refuge for aspiring athletes who train not for glamour, but for opportunity. Michael’s leadership blends old‑school boxing values with a modern understanding of what young fighters need: structure, mentorship, exposure, and a belief that their dreams are worth fighting for.

Keep Reading

MMA is Primal Entertainment at it’s Best!

Posted on July 11, 2026 by Heather

I’ve always loved watching martial arts, and I have a deep appreciation for boxing too. After two and a half decades of watching the UFC, I’ve come to see something almost primal in these athletes – barbarians in the best sense, hungry to level up, eager to earn their place in the succession of greatness. The more technical, the more gruesome the skill on display, the more they rise in this real-life Game of Life.

Keep Reading

McGregor-Holloway 2 Is a Nightmare for Anyone Who Trusts a Ranking Algorithm

Posted on July 10, 2026 by A. J. Riot

Photo by David Guliciuc on Unsplash

Thirteen years on from their first fight, Conor McGregor and Max Holloway meet again Saturday at welterweight. No rating system, human or computerized, has enough recent data on either man to call this one with a straight face.

A Fight Nobody Actually Expected to Happen

UFC 329 headlines International Fight Week on Saturday, July 11, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. McGregor and Holloway first met in August 2013 on a preliminary card in Boston. McGregor won a unanimous decision, tearing his ACL somewhere along the way. Both guys were still nobodies at featherweight.

Then their paths split hard. McGregor became a two-division champion and the biggest star the sport has produced. Holloway did the unglamorous thing: he kept fighting. He held the featherweight title for three years and, in one of the sport’s better recent moments, knocked out Justin Gaethje in the final second of UFC 300 to take the BMF belt. Now they’re doing it again, two weight classes up, and McGregor hasn’t fought since a broken leg ended his 2021 trilogy with Dustin Poirier.

Keep Reading

casino utan svensk licens