What a Comeback!
"What, you think you're smart? What are these rankings?"
NO. First of all, I'd like to point out I in no way claim these are "good" or "correct" rankings. I've just been watching MMA religiously since 2010 and started to compile these UFC rankings since 2018. For more details on past fights and other aspects, you can always visit Tapology or Sherdog, of course. Now, along the way I've actually come up with a list of criteria to try and make these rankings as thorough as possible. If you're interested, here's that list:
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Fighters are given a ranking based on the following:
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Overall body of work in their career
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Overall body of work in the specific weight class they compete in
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Body of work in the specific UFC weight class they compete in
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Quality of opposition they've faced in the UFC
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Quality of the win/loss in their most recent fights
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At times, this results in some interesting scenarios. For example: a fighter who's recognized, but has only 1 UFC win via split decision might be ranked lowered than a fighter without as much experience overall but who has a win via stoppage/dominating decision. This, of course, will always be affected by the quality of the opponent.
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Now, when it comes to a fighter being removed from the rankings or no longer eligible, these are the conditions:
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A USADA/Athletic commission-related suspension. Said fighter will only be ranked again after he/she competes in a bout, not after their suspension ends.
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A period of 18 months or more of inactivity. Given the current global scenario, fights have been cancelled several times for different reasons. Add to that injuries or VISA-related issues and, therefore, 18 months is a reasonable time limit for a fighter to be removed from the rankings.
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A fighter changing weight classes. When a fighter competes in a different weight class to the one they usually compete in, they will be removed from that weight class and ranked in the new one. If they jump back and then go back down/up a weight class they can be ranked in both weight classes.
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You can expect these rankings to be updated with their respective changes IMMEDIATELY after a UFC event takes place.
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Official match ups will be reflected in the rankings as soon as 2 or more sources confirm them.