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Tag: UFC rankings

  • Renato Moicano Rejects Dana White’s AI Rankings, Proposes ‘More Logical’ System

    Renato Moicano Rejects Dana White’s AI Rankings, Proposes ‘More Logical’ System

    UFC lightweight contender Renato Moicano has given his take on how the promotion’s official rankings should be revamped.

    The topic of the UFC rankings has risen to the surface in recent times thanks to CEO Dana White’s frustration. The promotion’s boss most recently took issue with the failure to boost Khalil Rountree up the light heavyweight pecking order following his defeat to Alex Pereira.

    White has consistently slammed the media for the top 15s, though the rankings panel is largely made up of defunct and unknown outlets. Many have pushed for changes to the panel and the addition of more recognized reporters, but White has a different idea altogether.

    The last few weeks and months have seen him raise plans to utilize AI to form the UFC rankings. During an appearance on Tuesday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, however, Moicano dismissed that as a “logical” idea.

    Instead, the Brazilian — who raised his own annoyance with the rankings after staying put outside the top 10 following his dominant win over Benoît Saint Denis — wants to see an organized “points-based” format introduced.

    “I saw Dana White talking about the AI. But the whole thing is, the AI, somebody’s programming the AI too. The way they program the AI is the way they are going to do the matchups,” Moicano said. “I think it would be best if we do like, a way that is points, you know?

    “So if you knock the guy out, or if you submit him, or if it is a decision against a ranked guy — point-based system, you know what I mean?” Moicano continued. “I think that would be better, that would be more logical.”

    It remains to be seen what renovation is coming to the UFC’s ranking system, but White claimed to be having a meeting regarding the issue this week following the final episode of this year’s DWCS season.

    Moicano, for one, will most likely welcome any change that boosts him further toward the gold at 155 pounds.

  • Dana White Outraged Over UFC Rankings Panel, Plans System Overhaul

    Dana White Outraged Over UFC Rankings Panel, Plans System Overhaul

    Dana White once again unleashed his fury at the UFC rankings panel in the aftermath of UFC 307.

    The UFC rankings system has faced intense criticism repeatedly over the past few months, and it appears that the latest outburst from the UFC CEO followed the weekly update released in the days after UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira’s successful title defense against Khalil Rountree Jr.

    While “The War Horse” was unable to dethrone the Brazilian titleholder, he certainly made an impression with his performance in the early rounds, pushing “Poatan” to his limits. However, Rountree Jr. was unable to make any progress in the updated 205-pound rankings and remained at #8.

    Infuriated by the recent developments, White took to his Instagram Stories to lash out at the members of the UFC rankings panel. He assured his followers that he would hold a meeting this week to address the issues and revamp the system.

    “The morons strike again,” White said. “Khalil Rountree fights that badass fight against Pereira, and the morons rank him #8, keeping him at #8. Literally, this week, I have a meeting to try to fix the rankings and get all these no-nothing motherf**kers out of it. So hopefully, this week I get this fixed.”

    White’s frustrations with the rankings panel are nothing new; he has voiced his dissatisfaction over reigning UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones not being ranked as the top pound-for-pound fighter in recent months.

    Just last month, in an interview with Kevin Iole, he discussed the controversy surrounding Renato Moicano, who believed he deserved a higher ranking in the lightweight division after his dominant victory over Benoît Saint Denis at UFC Fight Night Paris.

    The UFC head honcho revealed that he is contemplating the integration of artificial intelligence into the UFC’s ranking system to replace the current panel, composed of media representatives from various MMA publications.

    • Read More: UFC Rankings Report: Paddy Pimblett Ties With Former Lightweight Champion

  • UFC Rankings Report: Muhammad Cracks Top 5, LW Gets New Face

    The UFC rankings have been updated following UFC Vegas 45, and we’ve got the full report for you below!

    Men’s Pound for Pound: No Changes

    Women’s Pound for Pound: Lauren Murphy (#13) and Mackenzie Dern (#14) swap positions.

    Strawweight: Following Claudia Gadelha’s retirement, Tecia Torres (#7), Michelle Waterson (#8), Amanda Ribas (#9), Amanda Lemos (#10), and Virna Jandiroba (#11) each moved up. At the bottom of the rankings, Jessica Penne (#13) and Brianna Van Buren (#14) move up one position, and Luana Pinheiro (#15) debuts in the rankings.

    Women’s Flyweight: Viviane Araujo (#6) and Joanne Wood (#7) swap positions, as do Jessica Eye (#9) and Cynthia Calvillo (#10).

    Women’s Bantamweight: Raquel Pennington (#7) and Miesha Tate (#8) swap places after Pennington’s submission victory over Macy Chiasson at UFC Vegas 45. 

    Submission! Watch Raquel Pennington tap Macy Chiasson with slick guillotine - UFC Vegas 45 - MMAmania.com

    Women’s Featherweight: N/A 

    Flyweight: Amir Albazi moves up two positions to #11 while Tim Elliott (#12) and Sumudaerji (#13) drop one spot.

    Bantamweight: Sean O’Malley moves up one spot to #12, and Ricky Simon’s KO victory over Raphael Assuncao has Simon appearing in the rankings at #13 and Assuncao falling three positions down to #15. 

    UFC Vegas 45 video: Ricky Simon scores vicious knockout of Raphael Assuncao, calls out Sean O'Malley - MMA Fighting
    Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

    Featherweight: No Changes

    Lightweight: Mateusz Gamrot debuts at #12 in the rankings following his TKO victory over Diego Ferreira at UFC Vegas 45. Because of the loss, Ferreira drops three spots down to #15. 

    UFC Vegas 45: Mateusz Gamrot stops Diego Ferreira With Knee To Ribs
    Mateusz Gamrot def. Diego Ferreira, Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

    Welterweight: Belal Muhammad is now ranked #5 after his dominant victory over Stephen Thompson at UFC Vegas 45. The loss drops Thompson two spots down to #7. Meanwhile, due to Muhammad’s ascension, Neil Magny (#8), Sean Brady (#9), and Michael Chiesa (#10) each fall back one position.

    Middleweight: Kevin Holland (#14) and Chris Weidman swap places yet again. Though it should be noted that Holland has decided to make a move down to welterweight henceforth. 

    Light Heavyweight: No Changes

    Heavyweight: The rankings remain the same following Derrick Lewis’(#3) first-round KO of Chris Daukaus (#7) at UFC Vegas 45. 

    You can view the full updated UFC rankings here. 

    What are your thoughts on these updates to the UFC rankings following UFC Vegas 45?

  • UFC Rankings Report: Nunes Drops Noticeably, “The Suga Show” Arrives

    The UFC rankings have been updated following UFC 269, and we’ve got the full report for you below!

    Men’s Pound for Pound: After Charles Oliveira’s submission victory over Dustin Poirier in the UFC 269 main event, the Brazilian advances three spots up to #5. Conversely, Poirier falls three spots to #8. 

    Women’s Pound for Pound: Valentina Shevchenko is now the #1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the women’s rankings following Amanda Nunes’ loss to Julianna Peña at UFC 269. Nunes falls down to #3, with strawweight champion Rose Namajunas (#2) also placed in front of her. Peña skyrockets up seven spots to #4 after her submission victory over Nunes. 

    Peña’s move up the ranks has caused Zhang Weili (#5), Jessica Andrade (#6), Holly Holm (#7), and Carla Esparza (#8) to move down. Katlyn Chookagian (#10) and Xiaonan Yan (#11) also dropped down in this week’s rankings.

    Strawweight: No Changes

    Women’s Flyweight: Cynthia Calvillo (#9) and Jessica Eye (#10) swap positions.

    Women’s Bantamweight: Amanda Nunes is now the #1 contender after the crowning of new champion, Julianna Peña. Holly Holm is now ranked #2, and Irene Aldana sits at #3. Additionally, Pannie Kianzad (#12) and Karol Rosa (#13) swap places in the rankings. 

    Women’s Featherweight: N/A 

    Flyweight: Sumudaerji (#12) and Amir Albazi (#13) swap places for the second consecutive week. 

    Bantamweight: Following his victory over Pedro Munhoz at UFC 269, Dominick Cruz moves up two spots to #7 in the rankings. Marlon Vera made a big leap this week, jumping up three spots to #8 right behind Cruz. As for Munhoz, he dropped two spots to #10, and Marlon Moraes moved up one spot to #9. Frankie Edgar now sits at #11 after moving up two positions.

    Sean O'Malley
    Sean O’Malley (Image Credit: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

    And finally, “The Suga Show” has arrived in the UFC rankings, with the self-proclaimed “Unranked Champ” now being stripped of that title after debuting in the rankings at #13 following his first-round TKO of Raulian Paiva at UFC 269.

    Featherweight: Josh Emmett moves up to #6, with Arnold Allen (#7) and Giga Chikadze each (#8) falling back one position.

    Lightweight: Justin Gaethje is now the #1 contender, with Dustin Poirier ranked at #2 after his loss to champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 269.

    Welterweight: No Changes

    Middleweight: André Muniz debuts in the rankings at #13 following his eighth straight victory and advancing his UFC record to 4-0 by submitting Eryk Anders at UFC 269. This has caused Chris Weidman (#14) and Kevin Holland (#15) to drop in the rankings.

    Light Heavyweight: No Changes

    Heavyweight: After earning another knockout at UFC 269 over Augusto Sakai, Tai Tuivasa returns to the heavyweight rankings, landing at #11. Meanwhile, Sakai (#12), Blagoy Ivanov (#13), Walt Harris (#14), and Sergei Pavlovich (#15) each drop this week.

    You can view the full updated UFC rankings here. 

    What are your thoughts on these updates to the UFC rankings following UFC 269?