Since they were introduced in Jan. 2013, the UFC rankings have been a lightning rod for controversy. Nonsensical choices, uninformed voters, fighters being removed for consistent reasons … the list goes on and on.
They became even more controversial after the UFC announced in December that rankings would determine how much fighters would earn from the new Reebok deal.
The promotion recently decided to abandon that idea given the controversial nature of the rankings, which are determined by a group of media members, who on the whole, aren’t considered to be the foremost journalists covering the sport, and they are still looking to tweak them.
“Everybody was afraid to do it because it would affect fighter pay. That’s not the case anymore.”
UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta added: “Obviously we want the rankings to be as well-thought out as possible. We’re looking for more support and participation from key media, and we’re continuing to work through some of those issues.”
Currently, 40 media members make up the UFC ranking committee, however, no one from MMAFighting.com, Yahoo Sports, USA Today, ESPN, Fox Sports, Sports Illustrated or Sherdog, among others, contributes to them.