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Beginning in 2013, the UFC started using rankings to determine the top contenders in each of its 12 weight classes including men and women.
But the rankings are undeniably flawed and have proven to be an insufficient way to ensure the best fighters step in the octagon against one another.
The current rankings are based on votes from a panel of media members who select the top fighters in each weight class.
Now, that could be about to change.
UFC president Dana White is now working with Facebook/Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg to help craft a better formula to determine rankings.
“I could go on and on and on but I won’t,” White said at a press conference prior to this weekend’s UFC 308 event in Abu Dhabi. “We literally had meetings this week to work on it. I actually talked to Mark Zuckerberg, too, about AI, so yeah. I’m totally going to fix the rankings. We’re going to make a lot of strong moves here coming into 2025.”
Dana White Slams Media Members Who Handle Current UFC Rankings
White previously expressed his frustration and lack of confidence in the current media members who determine the rankings.
“I just can’t handle incompetence,” he said. “I just can’t take it anymore. It’s driving me crazy. I can’t let people that I don’t believe know what the f— that they’re talking about deal with the rankings anymore. I just can’t do it. I have to figure out a solution.”
One thing White is adamant about is that he and other UFC officials will not be a part of the rankings process.
“We can’t do it,” he said. “I don’t think that it’s right that we would do the rankings. No matter how unbiased you try to be, it’s impossible. I’ll be honest with you, there are some fighters I don’t like. There are fighters that I really like. There are things that are good for the business.
“… I don’t want that on our hands at all. Not mine, not Sean’s (Shelby), not Mick’s, not Hunter’s – nobody’s. There has to be a third party or AI or something that does the rankings. It’s impossible not to be biased. I believe there is bias with the media, too. It’s impossible not to be biased.”
White did not say exactly when the process would change. But he did indicate that a change is likely to happen sooner rather than later.