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Note: Strength of Schedule points are determined by the following algorithm: (Opponents' Combined, Rounded Winning Percentage against other fighters) + (2 * Number of MVP Candidate's Iron Fist/Push Matches) + (Number of MVP Candidate's Crutch/Anchor Matches)
Regular Season MVP Watch
The candidates for this year's MVP are based on the top eight brawlers on the leaderboard that are projected to make the cut off for Powerhouse next season. As always they're listed in order of PDPB from top to bottom, with additional insights and opinions on their performance. Records and strength of schedule only take into consideration the regular season.
Xanth Van Bokkelen (4-0, 8.00 PDPB, 4 Iron Fist wins)
[Strength of Schedule Ranking: <1st> 81pts - Opponents this season have gone a combined 8-3 against other fighters this season.]
Xanth proved himself to not just be the standout fighter on Chemical Burn but in the entire league by leading his team to victory every week he was in. He fought in nothing but Iron Fist matches this year and easily deserves the most recognition for CHM's breakout first season and 3rd place finish.
Pros: Not only does Xanth have the highest PDPB this year he's also the only duelist with 4 Iron Fist wins, a feat not completed since the extended nine week 2007 season. If that's not enough his strength of schedule is clearly the strongest out of his MVP competition. He also has a shutout to his name this season in week three against Shae.
Cons: There aren't any to be seen. Xanth is undefeated, has the best strength of schedule, all Iron Fist matches, a shutout, and the second highest single season PDPB in the history of the league.
Darik Warchild (4-0, 6.00 PDPB, 1 Iron Fist win, 2 Push wins, 1 Crutch win)
[Strength of Schedule Ranking: <4th> 64pts - Opponents this season have gone a combined 8-6 against other fighters this season.]
Last year's Kiowa Belt Winner had a flawless season and helped propel Team Fist into 2nd place and a first round bye. He was an effective part of TMF's one-two punch with fellow undefeated fighter and MVP candidate Fang Hoi Mei.
Pros: Out of the fighters he's tied with in PDPB Darik has the best strength of schedule. Team Fist holds a 3-1 record when Darik is slotted, and with all the talent on that team it's impressive that he ended up at the top of the heap.
Cons: There isn't much else that makes him unique statistically in comparison to the other candidates that share his PDPB. While he had a solid season, with six other undefeated fighters in the mix he's missing a distinctive accolade or accomplishment to separate him from the competition.
Hope (5-0, 6.00 PDPB, 2 Iron Fist wins, 3 Push wins)
[Strength of Schedule Ranking: <7th> 48pts - Opponents this season have gone a combined 6-10 against other fighters this season.]
For the second year in a row Hope shines as Dirty's top fighter and is the only candidate up for MVP consideration that also finished in the top eight last season. She was heavily responsible for Pink's early season success, winning both her Iron Fist matches and a Push in the first four weeks when her team went 4-0.
Pros: Along with being undefeated Hope is the only fighter to tally five wins this season, putting her ahead of everyone in the pack in that regard. In addition she only fought in high value matches, never once seeing a Crutch or Anchor bout throughout the year. She also has the rare distinction of back-to-back Powerhouse seasons.
Cons: Only her strength of schedule is weak, finishing second from the bottom.
Salvador Delahada (4-0, 6.00 PDPB, 1 Iron Fist win, 1 Push win, 1 Crutch win, 1 Anchor win)
[Strength of Schedule Ranking: <8th> 28pts - Opponents this season have gone a combined 2-7 against other fighters this season.]
Deathcake's captain lead his team to a perfect 7-0 season as well as leading them on the leaderboard, finishing in 2nd place alongside the above mentioned Hope and Darik Warchild. His most impressive victory was a 5-1 drubbing of Thorn in the Iron Fist match back in week 2 to get his season started.
Pros: Sal's the top performer on the top team in the league, going undefeated while his squad goes undefeated as a group.
Cons: He has the worst strength of schedule, having won more duels individually than all four of the opponents he faced this year won collectively.
Terry King (4-0, 5.75 PDPB, 2 Iron Fist wins, 1 Push win, 1 Crutch win)
[Strength of Schedule Ranking: <2nd> 71pts - Opponents this season have gone a combined 9-5 against other fighters this season.]
In predictable fashion King is the top rookie this year, winning all her matches and managing to squeeze her team into the playoffs in their first year. They wouldn't have have made it if it hadn't been for her double sudden death overtime victory against Cooper Gallows in week 3.
Pros: She's the highest placing rookie fighter and her two Iron Fist wins were the only two her team managed to win. The only fighter with a more difficult schedule this year was #1 performer Xanth Van Bokkelen.
Cons: Two times this year she needed overtime to secure a victory, which is more than any of the other fighters on this list.
Fang Hoi Mei (4-0, 5.00 PDPB, 1 Iron Fist win, 1 Push win, 1 Crutch win, 1 Anchor win)
[Strength of Schedule Ranking: <6th> 50pts - Opponents this season have gone a combined 4-5 against other fighters this season.]
The second of Team Fist's brawlers on this list Hoi Mei was as effective a contributor as Darik, with only a point separating their PDPBs. This season puts her lifetime record up to 12-4 and she heads into the playoffs for the third time in three years.
Pros: A key element in Team Fist's success, each of the four weeks she was in TMF won, and she proved versatile enough to win in every match type.
Cons: Her stats are nearly identical to Sal's, though his PDPB is higher. She's also very similar to her teammate Darik where her season was stellar, but when measured against several other undefeated fighters she doesn't have much to offer in comparison.
Sabine Gabrielle (4-0, 4.75 PDPB, 1 Iron Fist win, 1 Crutch win, 2 Anchor wins)
[Strength of Schedule Ranking: <3rd> 69pts - Opponents this season have gone a combined 7-4 against other fighters this season.]
Another rookie fighter, Sabine likely didn't come into the season with the weight of expectation on her back, which allowed her to breeze through and under the radar. She was still a major part of Deathcake's perfect season though.
Pros: Her strength of schedule is at the top end and higher than her teammate Sal's. Finishing 7th on the leaderboard with a perfect record on an undefeated team in her first season of IFL is nothing to shake a stick at.
Cons: She has the lowest PDPB of all the undefeated fighters this year and only one win in either the Push or Iron Fist column.
Rekah (3-1, 4.00 PDPB, 1 Iron Fist wins, 1 Crutch win, 1 Anchor win, 1 Push loss)
[Strength of Schedule Ranking: <5th> 53pts - Opponents this season have gone a combined 6-7 against other fighters this season.]
Rekah rounds out not just the three rookies on this list but the three representatives from Deathcake in the MVP hunt. She surprised everyone with an outstanding season that consisted of a perfect shutout against Levi Clark in week 5 that pushed her right up into the top eight.
Pros: She's the only fighter here to earn a perfect shutout. Her victory over Claire Caelum in the week 7 Iron Fist match was the tiebreaker that allowed Deathcake to complete their perfect season with a 24+-24 win. It's also noteworthy that she's the only brawler on the list that started the year at Trainee, while her other competitors ranged from Flyweight to Kiowa Belt at the start of 2015.
Cons: Unfortunately for Rekah she's the only one with a loss on her record and is likely overshadowed by her undefeated teammates Sabine & Sal.
Rookie Of The Year Watch
While there certainly was an inordinate amount of rookie fighters this year, three have stood out in the pack to fight their way to Powerhouse in their first season. They're also in the running for MVP above! Will someone take home both this year? Let's take a look before voting commences!
Terry King (4-0, 5.75 PDPB, 2 Iron Fist wins, 1 Push win, 1 Crutch win)
[Strength of Schedule Ranking: <1st> 71pts - Opponents this season have gone a combined 9-5 against other fighters this season.]
Compared to the other rookies up for this award King had the most difficult schedule, though not by much. She also has the highest PDPB and finished first among her team.
Sabine Gabrielle (4-0, 4.75 PDPB, 1 Iron Fist win, 1 Crutch win, 2 Anchor wins)
[Strength of Schedule Ranking: <2nd> 69pts - Opponents this season have gone a combined 7-4 against other fighters this season.]
Undefeated much like King and with a very similar strength of schedule Sabine's only drawback is she dueled in more lower tier matches than King, which is where the 1.00 disparity in their PDPB comes from.
Rekah (3-1, 4.00 PDPB, 1 Iron Fist win, 1 Crutch win, 1 Anchor win, 1 Push loss)
[Strength of Schedule Ranking: <3rd> 53pts - Opponents this season have gone a combined 6-7 against other fighters this season.]
Rekah's sole blemish is a 5-4 Push loss to Dizzy Flores in week one. Even so, she has an impressive perfect shutout to help her offset that defeat.
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