FightMatrix Releases ‘Division Dominance’ Rankings, And You’ll Be Kind of Surprised Who Is #1


(You mean to tell me that this man *isn’t* number one? UNBELIEVABLE.) 

Regardless of where you stand on the whole “pound for pound” rankings debate, FightMatrix recently released a list of what they referred to as ‘Division Dominance’ rankings, which rank fighters according to how impressively they’ve fared against the fellow members of their respective weight divisions. Where you’d think that Anderson Silva would be a the top of this list by about a million points, being that he has never lost a fight in the UFC, it might surprise you who topped him.

Here’s the description FightMatrix provided along with the list of criteria that led them to their conclusion:

The division point dominance list debuted on 3/16/08, and is comparable, but not identical to a pound-for-pound list.  While a pound-for-pound list factors in divisional tenure and the ability to transcend weight divisions while remaining successful, this list does not.  This list ranks fighters based on their point level superiority over those in the division in which they are currently ranked.

This is done by averaging the point level which encompasses the typical transition between the elites and top contenders of the division, then compares this average to the fighter’s current point level. The higher a fighter’s division dominance points, the more “dominant” they are over their divisional peers.

One important thing to note is that there are two important factors that comprise a fighter’s division dominance rating. The strength of the division’s top fighters and the fighter’s own current rating. A fluctuation in the fighter’s rating, division strength, and/or division assignment can all result in changes to a fighter’s division dominance rating.

As of 8/28/2011, we have added further requirements:
Fighter must have a win, draw, or quality performance in the previous 360 days (450 if currently in “inactive decay”).
Fighter must have at least two wins in their listed division within the past 900 days OR be ranked #1 in their division.

Check out the list after the jump and express your agreement or outrage in the comments section.


(You mean to tell me that this man *isn’t* number one? UNBELIEVABLE.) 

Regardless of where you stand on the whole “pound for pound” rankings debate, FightMatrix recently released a list of what they referred to as ‘Division Dominance’ rankings, which rank fighters according to how impressively they’ve fared against the fellow members of their respective weight divisions. Where you’d think that Anderson Silva would be a the top of this list by about a million points, being that he has never lost a fight in the UFC, it might surprise you who topped him.

Here’s the description FightMatrix provided along with the list of criteria that led them to their conclusion:

The division point dominance list debuted on 3/16/08, and is comparable, but not identical to a pound-for-pound list.  While a pound-for-pound list factors in divisional tenure and the ability to transcend weight divisions while remaining successful, this list does not.  This list ranks fighters based on their point level superiority over those in the division in which they are currently ranked.

This is done by averaging the point level which encompasses the typical transition between the elites and top contenders of the division, then compares this average to the fighter’s current point level. The higher a fighter’s division dominance points, the more “dominant” they are over their divisional peers.

One important thing to note is that there are two important factors that comprise a fighter’s division dominance rating. The strength of the division’s top fighters and the fighter’s own current rating. A fluctuation in the fighter’s rating, division strength, and/or division assignment can all result in changes to a fighter’s division dominance rating.

As of 8/28/2011, we have added further requirements:
Fighter must have a win, draw, or quality performance in the previous 360 days (450 if currently in “inactive decay”).
Fighter must have at least two wins in their listed division within the past 900 days OR be ranked #1 in their division.

Check out the list after the jump and express your agreement or outrage in the comments section.

That’s right, the pound for pound most dominant fighter in the UFC is… Joseph Benavidez? Considering he’s only had one fight at 125 (a second round knockout over Yasuhiro Urushitani), perhaps these rankings are a bit flawed. It also interesting to see that Jon Jones is so close to Silva points wise, being that “The Spider” has defended his belt six more times than “Bones.” We guess those lackluster performances against Demian Maia and Thales Leites really brought him down. Who would’ve guessed?

What do you think, Potato Nation? And what does your top ten “pound for pound rankings” list look like?

–J. Jones