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 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 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 | Demetrious Johnson | 509.5 |
| 2 | 2 | Joseph Benavidez | 112.5 |
| 3 | 5 | Ray Borg | 81 |
| 4 | 13 | Louis Smolka | 67 |
| 5 | 11 | Brandon Moreno | 59 |
| 6 | 12 | John Moraga | 52 |
| 7 | 4 | Wilson Reis | 49.5 |
| 8 | 16 | Ryan Benoit | 46 |
| 9 | 6 | Jussier Formiga | 43.5 |
| 10 | 7 | Sergio Pettis | 42 |
| 11 | 3 | Henry Cejudo | 37.5 |
| 12 | 9 | Dustin Ortiz | 33 |
| 13 | 14 | Ben Nguyen | 28 |
| 14 | Ulka Sasaki | 27 | |
| 15 | Neil Seery | 26 | |
| 16 | 10 | Tim Elliott | 24.5 |
| 17 | 8 | Ian McCall | 13 |
| 18 | Hector Sandoval | 10 | |
| 18 | Magomed Bibulatov | 10 | |
| 20 | 15 | Alexandre Pantoja | 5 |
| 21 | Jenel Lausa | 4.5 | |
| 22 | Eric Shelton | 0 | |
| 22 | Matt Schnell | 0 |
Check back tomorrow for our women’s featherweight/bantamweight rankings
Performance Based Rankings:
Heavyweights
Light Heavyweights
Middleweights
Welterweights
Lightweights
Featherweights
Bantamweights
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