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. We’ll roll these rankings out daily for the next couple of weeks until all weight classes have been revealed. Next up: The Women’s Strawweights
*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 seven year time limit, so if they have fought less than 10 times in past seven 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 official UFC ranking from UFC.com)
| Stats | UFC | Total | |
| Rank | Rank | ||
| 1 | 1 | Joanna Jedrzejczyk | 309 |
| 2 | 5 | Rose Namajunas | 111 |
| 3 | 4 | Jessica Andrade | 77 |
| 4 | 10 | Carla Esparza | 61.5 |
| 5 | 12 | Paige VanZant | 59.5 |
| 6 | 7 | Michelle Waterson | 53 |
| 7 | 8 | Joanne Calderwood | 43 |
| 7 | Cynthia Calvillo | 43 | |
| 9 | 14 | Felice Herrig | 36.5 |
| 10 | 11 | Maryna Moroz | 30.5 |
| 11 | 3 | Karolina Kowalkiewicz | 29.5 |
| 12 | Cortney Casey | 26 | |
| 13 | Aleksandra Albu | 25 | |
| 13 | Tatiana Suarez | 25 | |
| 15 | 9 | Randa Markos | 20 |
| 16 | 6 | Tecia Torres | 19 |
| 17 | Juliana Lima | 12.5 | |
| 18 | 2 | Claudia Gadelha | 12 |
| 19 | Bec Rawlings | 11 | |
| 20 | Viviane Pereira | 10 | |
| 21 | 16 | Justine Kish | 9.5 |
| 22 | Alex Chambers | 9 | |
| 23 | Kailin Curran | 8 | |
| 24 | Nina Ansaroff | 5 | |
| 24 | Danielle Taylor | 5 | |
| 24 | Jamie Moyle | 5 | |
| 27 | Amanda Cooper | 4.5 | |
| 27 | Alexa Grasso | 4.5 | |
| 29 | Heather Jo Clark | 4 | |
| 29 | 15 | Jessica Penne | 4 |
| 31 | Angela Hill | 3.5 | |
| 32 | Angela Magana | 0 | |
| 32 | 13 | Jessica Aguilar | 0 |
| 32 | Tina Hanninen-Lahdemaki | 0 | |
| 32 | Ashley Yoder | 0 | |
| 32 | JJ Aldich | 0 | |
| 32 | Pearl Gonzalez | 0 |
Check back Monday for our Non-UFC fighter rankings
Performance Based Rankings:
Heavyweights
Light Heavyweights
Middleweights
Welterweights
Lightweights
Featherweights
Bantamweights
Flyweights
Women’s Featherweights/Bantamweights
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
