Fans and mma spectators all over the world have always compiled their own rankings for fighters, and now they can quit complaining on who is correct or not. The UFC has always been a little hesitant on having their own set of official rankings, but now that will change.
The UFC will be implementing an official rankings listing next month, partnering with their current statistics provider FightMetric to provide fans a list of the top fighters in each division, starting with UFC 156.
“UFC Fighter Rankings are a great tool for new and existing fans alike to learn and better keep up with the fast pace of the UFC,” said UFC President, Dana White. “We always look for opportunities to engage fans and media, allowing them to connect and voice their opinions, and this just one more way of doing that.”
Rankings will come from a pool of MMA media members, immediately disclosed after each event, and will be available on UFC.com. FightMetric’s Rami Genauer had the following to say about the partnership.
“We are thrilled to have UFC recognize our fighter rankings and to have them hosted on UFC.com, as well as incorporated into event broadcasts. FightMetric has worked closely with the UFC for several years as an industry-leader in MMA statistics. Sports fans are accustomed to seeing performance data and rankings on their favorite baseball, football and soccer players, and now we can engage UFC fans on a similar level.”
~Final Thought~
I love that the UFC is finally implementing a ranking system, but I really don’t think this will change fights as much as everyone believes. Dana has already said that they will still be delivering the fights that the fans enjoy.
Even if the ranking system was already in affect, guys like Chael Sonnen, Frankie Edgar, and Nick Diaz would probably still be getting their title shots. But if this ranking system wants to start off on a good track, then give the #2 ranked middleweight (Chris Weidman) his title shot.
**All quotes obtained firsthand by BR MMA