Tapology has launched a new feature calculating an opposition level rating for UFC fighters on a scale of 1 to 99. The metric is based on a specific formula considering a fighter's last six UFC bouts only, excluding fights in other organizations. For UFC 328, Sean Strickland leads the card with a rating of 74, followed by Khamzat Chimaev at 69 and Alexander Volkov at 67. At the bottom of the card, Baisangur Susurkayev and Ozzy Diaz both have ratings of 4, while Jorden Santos sits at 6. The system provides a quantitative measure of the strength of schedule each fighter has faced recently.
Tapology has unveiled a new opposition quality metric for UFC fighters, assigning each competitor a rating between 1 and 99 based on the caliber of recent opponents they have faced. The tool draws exclusively from a fighter's last six UFC bouts, leaving out any results accumulated in other promotions.
For UFC 328, scheduled for May 9, the ratings paint a clear picture of which fighters on the card have consistently competed against elite-level opposition. Sean Strickland leads the entire card with a score of 74. The 35-year-old American middleweight champion out of Xtreme Couture carries a professional record of 31-7 and is one of the busiest strikers in the division, averaging 6.04 significant strikes per minute over his career.
Khamzat Chimaev follows Strickland with a rating of 69, and Alexander Volkov comes in third at 67. Volkov, a 37-year-old Russian heavyweight ranked first in his division, holds an impressive 40-11 record and brings a six-foot-seven frame along with an 80-inch reach. He connects on 57 percent of his significant strikes, one of the sharper accuracy marks among active heavyweights.
At the other end of the spectrum, Baisangur Susurkayev and Ozzy Diaz both register at 4, while Jorden Santos sits just above them at 6, reflecting more limited UFC-level experience in their recent fight histories.
Why it matters
- The metric gives a quick, at-a-glance gauge of strength of schedule, rewarding fighters who have been consistently matched against ranked or established opponents.
- Strickland's top score reinforces that the middleweight champion has operated at the deepest end of the division across his recent run.
- Volkov's rating of 67 underlines his standing as the heavyweight division's top-ranked contender heading into UFC 328.
- Lower-rated fighters like Susurkayev, Diaz, and Santos may see their scores shift significantly depending on how their UFC 328 opponents are graded in the system.
Saturday, May 9, 2026
