UFC rankings system faces imminent overhaul

Eleven years after their implementation, it feels like a serious change is coming to the UFC rankings system.

Tuesday, UFC CEO Dana White vented his frustration about Khalil Rountree’s place at No. 8 within the UFC mild heavyweight rankings.

Rountree lately had success towards champion Alex Pereira earlier than being knocked out in Spherical 3. He didn’t shift upward within the rankings.

However it’s not simply this subject that White has taken subject with. It’s additionally Renato Moicano’s stagnation after a dominant win over Benoit Saint Denis in September.

“I simply can’t deal with incompetence,” White mentioned after Dana White’s Contender Collection 76. “I simply can’t take it anymore. It’s driving me loopy. I can’t let people who I don’t consider know what the f*ck that they’re speaking about take care of the rankings anymore. I simply can’t do it. I’ve to determine an answer.”

Since 2013, the rankings have been voted upon by a UFC-selected group of shops, with many others declining participation. Some shops on the present panel are recognizable and even area of interest hardcore media. Others are non-MMA-specific radio stations and native newspapers.

Whereas White didn’t give particulars into what a substitute system would appear like, he indicated he’s listening to one concept Wednesday.

“Tomorrow, I’ve a gathering with a bunch of people who find themselves coming to me saying they’ve an answer to this drawback,” White mentioned. “God, I hope they’re proper. As a result of I’m going to alter it. The media will now not management the rankings within the UFC.”

One resolution White pushed again towards was internally-controlled rankings. White mentioned he, the matchmakers Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby, and UFC CBO Hunter Campbell shouldn’t take part in that course of due to bias and {that a} third celebration have to be in cost.

“We will’t do it,” White mentioned. “I don’t assume that it’s proper that we might do the rankings. Irrespective of how unbiased you attempt to be, it’s unimaginable. I’ll be trustworthy with you, there are some fighters I don’t like. There are fighters that I actually like. There are issues which might be good for the enterprise.

“… I don’t need that on our fingers in any respect. Not mine, not Sean’s (Shelby), not Mick’s, not Hunter’s – no person’s. There needs to be a 3rd celebration or AI or one thing that does the rankings. It’s unimaginable to not biased. I consider there may be bias with the media, too. It’s unimaginable to not be biased.”