UFC Working on New Merit-Based Rankings System After Years of Dana White’s Frustration

Over the past two years, Dana White has repeatedly called out what he sees as flaws in the UFC’s rankings system. The UFC CEO has frequently criticized the media-voted rankings, arguing that they often fail to accurately reflect fighters’ performances and standing within their divisions. One of the most notable examples came in October 2024, when White blasted the rankings after Khalil Rountree Jr. remained at No. 8 in the light heavyweight division despite his spirited performance against Alex Pereira at UFC 307.

White also took issue with pound-for-pound rankings that placed Islam Makhachev at No. 1 while Jon Jones was still actively competing, insisting that Jones was the greatest fighter of all time and the rightful holder of the top spot. The rankings came under fire again following UFC Paris in 2024. Renato Moicano delivered a dominant stoppage victory over Benoît Saint-Denis, yet his position remained unchanged at No. 11 in the lightweight rankings.

The Brazilian publicly criticized the system, and White backed him wholeheartedly, even labeling the reporters responsible for the rankings as bums. White’s frustration extended to situations such as Max Holloway remaining ranked below Justin Gaethje despite scoring a dramatic knockout victory over him at UFC 300 . In response, the UFC boss revealed that he had begun exploring technological alternatives to replace the current voting system.

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White confirmed that he had spoken with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg about the possibility of using artificial intelligence to remove human bias and media influence from the rankings process altogether. That long-discussed change now appears to be moving closer to reality. Under the current format, a panel of media members votes on weekly rankings updates. However, critics have pointed out that the publicly listed voting panel includes several outlets that are not really tuned in to correctly determine the changes, raising further questions about the system’s credibility .

According to UFC commentator Brendan Fitzgerald during Saturday’s UFC Vegas 118 broadcast, a new rankings model is currently being developed. The announcer said, “For years, the top 15 in each division has shaped title shots, contender status, and how fans debate the sport. A new UFC ranking system is currently being developed that will be based on measurable performance, not opinion, not popularity. By evaluating who you beat, strength of competition, activity, and consistency. The system is being designed to reward performance and better reflect results inside the Octagon.”

The key emphasis of the proposed system is that rankings will be determined entirely by measurable in-cage performance rather than by human voters who may be influenced by personal bias, subjective opinions, perceived intangibles, or a fighter’s name recognition. As previously noted, White has been highly critical of the current rankings process, repeatedly calling out what he views as inconsistencies and questionable decisions.

He vowed to find a solution and suggested that artificial intelligence could play a significant role in the overhaul. Since then, there have been reports linking the UFC to discussions with both IBM and Meta regarding a potential AI-driven rankings model. Yet despite those early indications, no replacement system has materialized over the past year and a half.