There is constant debate about fighter rankings, which are normally based on voting from a panel of journalists. Such is the case with something as subjective as voting – it’s totally based on voter’s opinion, and biases are bound to seep through, whether intentional or no. So to try to put a fresh, objective, data-driven spin on rankings, The MMA Manifesto has come up with a performance based ranking system, solely based on how a fighter has performed in the cage, this time for Bellator. We’ll roll out a new weight class every Wednesday. Next up: The Welterweights.
*stipulations: 1) any fighter currently suspended or 2) inactive for at least 12 months (without an upcoming fight scheduled) are excluded from the rankings
- Scoring based on a fighter’s past 10 Bellator performances (we use a five year time limit, so if they have fought less than 10 times in past five years, only the fights within that time frame are counted. For fighters who have also fought in the UFC during this time, those performances were counted also)
- Points based on a fighter’s opponent’s Bellator win/loss record (ie strength of schedule – the more successful a vanquished opponent is, the more points awarded), extra points given for finishes, extra points given for title fight wins.
- Points are weighed so most recent fights are worth more (ie most recent fight counts the most, 10th most recent fight the least)
- No points awarded for a loss
| Stats | Last | Total | |
| Rank | Rank | ||
| 1 | 1 | Douglas Lima | 384 |
| 2 | 2 | Rory MacDonald | 286 |
| 3 | 4 | Andrey Koreshkov | 191.5 |
| 4 | 3 | Michael Page | 182.5 |
| 5 | 5 | Lorenz Larkin | 158 |
| 6 | 6 | Neiman Gracie | 127.5 |
| 7 | 7 | David Rickels | 90.5 |
| 8 | 8 | Ed Ruth | 81.5 |
| 8 | 8 | Kemran Lachinov | 81.5 |
| 10 | 11 | Paul Daley | 75.5 |
| 11 | 10 | Jon Fitch | 70 |
| 12 | 12 | Logan Storley | 62 |
| 13 | 13 | Joey Davis | 59.5 |
| 14 | 19 | Haim Gozali | 55 |
| 14 | 19 | Kastriot Xhema | 55 |
| 16 | 15 | Vinicius de Jesus | 51.5 |
| 17 | 14 | Erick Silva | 51 |
| 18 | NR | Robson Gracie Jr | 47.5 |
| 18 | 16 | Walter Gahadza | 47.5 |
| 20 | 17 | Guilherme Vasconcelos | 44.5 |
| 21 | 21 | Abraham Vaesau | 32 |
| 22 | 39 | Josh Streacker | 29.5 |
| 22 | 22 | Kiefer Crosbie | 29.5 |
| 24 | 24 | Ryan Couture | 28 |
| 25 | 28 | Ashley Reece | 27.5 |
| 26 | 25 | Jackie Gosh | 27 |
| 27 | 27 | Johnny Cisneros | 25.5 |
| 28 | 28 | Austin Vanderford | 25 |
| 28 | NR | Justin Burlinson | 25 |
| 28 | NR | Raymond Daniels | 25 |
| 31 | 33 | Thomas Oswald | 23 |
| 32 | 28 | Giorgio Pietrini | 22.5 |
| 33 | 32 | A.J. Matthews | 19 |
| 34 | 36 | James Terry | 17 |
| 35 | 39 | Jim Wallhead | 14.5 |
| 36 | 37 | Yaroslav Amosov | 14 |
| 37 | NR | Galore Bofando | 9 |
| 38 | 38 | Andy Murad | 8.5 |
| 39 | NR | Kiichi Kunimoto | 8 |
| 40 | 39 | John Mercurio | 5 |
| 40 | 39 | Khonry Gracie | 5 |
| 42 | 43 | Levi Matan | 4.5 |
| 43 | 45 | Ion Pascu | 0 |
| 43 | 45 | Justin Roswell | 0 |
| 43 | NR | Oliver Enkamp | 0 |
| 43 | 45 | Ron Becker | 0 |
Check back next Wednesday for our lightweight rankings
Bellator Performance Based Rankings
Heavyweights
Light Heavyweights
Middleweights
Lightweights
Featherweights
Bantamweights
Women’s Featherweights
Women’s Flyweights
Pound for Pound
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