There is constant debate about the “official” UFC fighter rankings, which are 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. Next up: The Flyweights.
*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 UFC 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)
- Points based on a fighter’s opponent’s UFC 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
(first column performance based ranking, second column is last ranking, third column is official UFC ranking from UFC.com)
| Stats | Last | UFC | Total | |
| Rank | Rank | Rank | ||
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Deiveson Figueiredo | 197.5 |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | Joseph Benavidez | 147 |
| 3 | 4 | 4 | Alexandre Pantoja | 109.5 |
| 4 | 5 | 3 | Brandon Moreno | 106.5 |
| 5 | 7 | 5 | Alex Perez | 96.5 |
| 6 | 3 | 6 | Jussier Formiga | 95 |
| 7 | 6 | 10 | Matt Schnell | 80 |
| 8 | 8 | Ryan Benoit | 32 | |
| 9 | 9 | 13 | Tim Elliott | 28 |
| 10 | 11 | 8 | Kai Kara-France | 15.5 |
| 11 | 13 | 12 | Raulian Paiva | 14 |
| 12 | 12 | 9 | Rogerio Bontorin | 13 |
| 13 | NR | 14 | Jordan Espinosa | 8.5 |
| 14 | 14 | 7 | Askar Askarov | 5 |
| 14 | 14 | 11 | Brandon Royval | 5 |
| 14 | 14 | 15 | David Dvorak | 5 |
| 14 | 14 | Su Mudaerji | 5 | |
| 18 | 19 | Bruno Silva | 0 | |
| 18 | NR | Zhalgas Zhumagulov | 0 |
Check back Monday for our women’s featherweight/bantamweight rankings
Performance Based Rankings:
Heavyweights
Light Heavyweights
Middleweights
Welterweights
Lightweights
Featherweights
Bantamweights
Women’s Feather/Bantamweights
Women’s Flyweights
Women’s Strawweights
Pound for Pound
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