Demetrious Johnson has been highly critical of the UFC ranking system, claiming that rankings are based on ‘the politics’ of the sport. The ranking system in the UFC has been criticised heavily before, with even Dana White hinting at the idea of using AI rankings in order to create a better ranking system.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Demetrious Johnson said, “Rankings are stupid. It’s very hard to dictate rankings in mixed martial arts; it is easy to do it in a race… Here (in the UFC), it’s like the politics are a playing aspect to it… You can’t say ‘well, I’m ranked higher than him, so I shouldn’t have to fight him… I can beat rank two, three, four, five…you’re ranked thirteen, so should I be wasting my time? It’s a very touchy subject where it’s more about the politics.”
It is a very valid point. It is not uncommon to see fighters, especially in modern-day UFC, refuse to take on fights against lower-ranked opponents, because a fight against a fighter below their ranking is seen as a high-risk, low-reward fight. It is also fair to say that the UFC has not always given the best opportunities to guys based solely on their rankings, and as Johnson says, decisions can often be based on the politics of the sport. That is why some fighters have to go on huge undefeated streaks before getting their title shot, with Belal Muhammad perhaps being the most notable example in recent UFC history. Other fighters may get fast-tracked to title shots because they are seen as a better draw.
Dana White has hinted that the recently signed deal between UFC and Meta would allow the use of AI to enhance the ranking system. Speaking on his Instagram back in April, White said, “We’ve already started to work with Meta to create a new fighter ranking system later this year.” How this will impact the UFC remains to be seen. Rankings are currently decided by a voting panel of media members. Perhaps the introduction of an impartial AI system would allow for a fairer ranking system.
