MMA Rankings Need To Change, But How?
The current state of the UFC ranking system leaves a lot to be desired to say the least. It should be in place to decide a rightful contender to the title, eliminator bouts, fights that makes sense and it should also maintain a certain sense of order. Needless to say, it seldom does any of the above.
Rightful contenders to titles are often overlooked for prolonged periods of time, with more profitable prospects put in their places. Case in point: Nick Diaz comes out of semi-retirement to fight Georges St-Pierre while Johny Hendricks is on a tear at 170.
This is not the only case of rankings being blatantly ignored, and will probably not be the last. So what is the solution to this problem?
Surely a change in the current rankings system is the only answer. So how about a points system? Each bout is worth a certain amount of points depending on the rank of the fighter you are facing, method of victory (a finish would be worth more) and that way you have a clear cut number one contender.
The only problem when trying to consider changes to the rankings is the injury factor. No matter how well you structure a scoring/league style table, you are always going to have a Champion that can’t defend, or a number one contender who is suddenly sidelined for an extended period.
With the recent news that Robbie Lawler was bumped down to number three in the UFC WW rankings by Rory MacDonald, whom ‘Ruthless’ had recently defeated, surely the UFC needs to review this process. It would seem a crime not to.
There needs to be some sort of consistency for the rankings to ever be taken seriously. The problem with boxing/MMA rankings is that a fighter’s popularity plays massively in to the hands of the promoters. A baseball/football/basketball team would likely not come under such scrutiny; performance is what matters in sports.
The UFC and MMA as a whole is trying to gain legitimacy, and that is going to include a certain amount of adhering to standards. In this case the sport is falling by the wayside in the rankings department, any suggestions?
