Tag: UFC rankings

The Top Ten Worst UFC Rankings Panelists


(Darren Uyenoyama was released by the UFC after going 0-2 last year. At the time of this writing, three different UFC ranking panelists still have him listed as a top 10 flyweight. Read on for more disturbing facts! / Photo via Getty)

By Cody Severtson

“These panelists may have a direct effect on how much fighters get paid.”

I kept telling myself that as I filtered through each UFC panelist’s ranking data, shaking my head in total disbelief.

For quite some time, MMA media, fighters and fans alike campaigned for better fighter pay. With the UFC announcing a six-year sponsorship deal with Reebok this past Tuesday (totaling an estimated $70 million), we were told that every penny would go into the fighters’ pockets. After all, the UFC’s primary reason for making this deal was to add a layer of professionalism to their organization, one which would make them in a way, similar to other major sports organizations.

So say goodbye to the fight banners, the sponsor-covered shorts, and the walkout shirts! For the next six years, it’s Reebok only, baby! Any sponsors that the fighters and their managers have already secured will be banned from being visible inside the Octagon. Depending on the loyalty of sponsors, we could end up seeing a lot more of this. Conversely, if the UFC does overhaul the ranking system and a fair pay structure is implemented, sponsor loyalty won’t be an issue. A new ranking system should provide an unbiased/accurate/educated selection of each division’s top 15 — a system that will award the UFC’s athletes with the fair and adequate sponsorship money they deserve.

As of right now, a fighter’s sponsorship cut will be tied directly to where they sit in the UFC rankings. That’s right… the same rankings done by the always reliable UFC-approved voting panelists. According to DFW, the current panelist voting system will soon be updated; White aims to narrow down the current field of panelists to a select few “legitimate, credible and ethical guys” in order to gain better results. Unfortunately for White, every “legitimate, credible, and ethical guy” in MMA media has already recognized the blatant conflict of interest this system presents and has refused to participate in the ranking system.

With that said, I have put together a list of the 10 worst panelists currently contributing to the UFC’s divisional rankings. Let’s get started.

10. Bruno Massami (GazetaEsportiva.net) – Sergio Pettis came into the UFC with a lot of hype, he was undefeated, the former RFA flyweight champion, and Anthony Pettis’s younger brother. Sergio won his bantamweight debut against short notice opponent and former #9 flyweight Will Campuzano. However, he followed his debut with a submission loss to the unranked Alex Caceres, before bouncing back with a forgettable decision victory over unranked Yaotzin Meza. Massami, like many panelists, may have personal favorites in the UFC, but rankings must be unbiased, objective, and logical. None of those criteria apply when Massami placed Sergio as the #10 bantamweight.

9. Steve Juon (Wrestling Observer) – From my analysis the bantamweight division appeared to give most panelists problems. The division itself had 101 records of questionable rankings. The closest division to having as many problems was middleweight with 28 recorded rankings issues. Now when I analyzed my data it wasn’t just a matter of pointing out who had Tim Kennedy at #7 when I think he should be #8. No, I noted every instance of downright BAD ranking. Steve Juon apparently missed the last few years of the bantamweight division as this is how he has the top names in the division seeded…


(Darren Uyenoyama was released by the UFC after going 0-2 last year. At the time of this writing, three different UFC ranking panelists still have him listed as a top 10 flyweight. Read on for more disturbing facts! / Photo via Getty)

By Cody Severtson

“These panelists may have a direct effect on how much fighters get paid.”

I kept telling myself that as I filtered through each UFC panelist’s ranking data, shaking my head in total disbelief.

For quite some time, MMA media, fighters and fans alike campaigned for better fighter pay. With the UFC announcing a six-year sponsorship deal with Reebok this past Tuesday (totaling an estimated $70 million), we were told that every penny would go into the fighters’ pockets. After all, the UFC’s primary reason for making this deal was to add a layer of professionalism to their organization, one which would make them in a way, similar to other major sports organizations.

So say goodbye to the fight banners, the sponsor-covered shorts, and the walkout shirts! For the next six years, it’s Reebok only, baby! Any sponsors that the fighters and their managers have already secured will be banned from being visible inside the Octagon. Depending on the loyalty of sponsors, we could end up seeing a lot more of this. Conversely, if the UFC does overhaul the ranking system and a fair pay structure is implemented, sponsor loyalty won’t be an issue. A new ranking system should provide an unbiased/accurate/educated selection of each division’s top 15 — a system that will award the UFC’s athletes with the fair and adequate sponsorship money they deserve.

As of right now, a fighter’s sponsorship cut will be tied directly to where they sit in the UFC rankings. That’s right… the same rankings done by the always reliable UFC-approved voting panelists. According to DFW, the current panelist voting system will soon be updated; White aims to narrow down the current field of panelists to a select few “legitimate, credible and ethical guys” in order to gain better results. Unfortunately for White, every “legitimate, credible, and ethical guy” in MMA media has already recognized the blatant conflict of interest this system presents and has refused to participate in the ranking system.

With that said, I have put together a list of the 10 worst panelists currently contributing to the UFC’s divisional rankings. Let’s get started.

10. Bruno Massami (GazetaEsportiva.net) – Sergio Pettis came into the UFC with a lot of hype, he was undefeated, the former RFA flyweight champion, and Anthony Pettis’s younger brother. Sergio won his bantamweight debut against short notice opponent and former #9 flyweight Will Campuzano. However, he followed his debut with a submission loss to the unranked Alex Caceres, before bouncing back with a forgettable decision victory over unranked Yaotzin Meza. Massami, like many panelists, may have personal favorites in the UFC, but rankings must be unbiased, objective, and logical. None of those criteria apply when Massami placed Sergio as the #10 bantamweight.

9. Steve Juon (Wrestling Observer) – From my analysis the bantamweight division appeared to give most panelists problems. The division itself had 101 records of questionable rankings. The closest division to having as many problems was middleweight with 28 recorded rankings issues. Now when I analyzed my data it wasn’t just a matter of pointing out who had Tim Kennedy at #7 when I think he should be #8. No, I noted every instance of downright BAD ranking. Steve Juon apparently missed the last few years of the bantamweight division as this is how he has the top names in the division seeded…

Urijah Faber #1

Dominick Cruz #2

Renan Barao #3

Don’t get me wrong, I love the California Kid, and Cruz’s destruction of Takeya Mizugaki should bring him back in the top 3 of the division without a doubt. However, having Faber ranked above the two guys that defeated him is downright ridiculous.

8. Jorge Correa (UOL Brazil) – Besides ranking Brad Pickett and Scott Jorgensen in the wrong division — eight other panelists ranked these two in the wrong weight class as well — Correa had Eddie Wineland ranked as the #7 bantamweight in the world, which at first doesn’t seem like a big deal, however the guy that recently knocked him out wasn’t even ranked. The shocking part is Correa wasn’t the only panelist to do this. Of the 21 panelists that did rank Eddie Wineland, 11 ranked him higher than Johnny Eduardo, while the remaining 10 didn’t have Eduardo ranked AT ALL.

On top of his baffling bantamweight decisions, Correa also ranked Stephen Thompson as the #9 welterweight, Patrick Cummins the #9 light-heavyweight and Soa Palelei as the #7 heavyweight in the world. Are they top 30 fighters? Absolutely! Are they top 10? I’m not convinced.

7. Joe Ferraro (Sportsnet) – The man they call “Showdown Joe” has been a fixture of Canadian MMA news for a long time, working his way up from colour commentary at local promotions, to hosting his own radio show before making it big and working for Rogers Sportsnet, hosting the station’s first MMA dedicated sports program. Now, Ferraro is a trained martial artist, an experienced broadcaster, and was awarded the Journalist of the Year award by Fighters Only Magazine in 2009, so one could only assume that his rankings would be free of any bias.

Besides being one of the eight panelists to rank Brad Pickett in the wrong weight class, Ferraro also ranked Brad Pickett in the RIGHT weight class! Ranking Brad as both the #7 bantamweight and the #10 flyweight; a prestigious honor for Pickett despite his current two-fight losing streak at flyweight.

Finally, ‘Showdown Joe’ is a proud Canadian, and I applaud him for giving credit to developing Canadian talent! However, Yves Jabouin being ranked as the #10 bantamweight is…confusing. In the past two years, Jabouin has beat Jeff Hougland, Dustin Pague and Mike Easton, none of whom still work for the UFC. Between those victories is a pair of knockout losses to Brad Pickett and Eddie Wineland. Again, Jabouin isn’t a BAD fighter; he’s even shown sparks of brilliance. However, based on his last two years in the UFC, one simply cannot justify him being ranked as the #10 guy.

6. Marcelo Russio (Canal Combate) – There are two things that make Marcelo Russio stand out from all other panelists in terms of being terrible. The first is, like Steve Juon before him, Russio has apparently not watched a bantamweight fight once this year. Besides ranking Renan Barao (former champion) below Raphael Assuncao, Russio ranked George Roop and Erik Perez the #8 and #10 bantamweights, respectively.

After a disappointing return to the UFC in the featherweight division, Roop decided to go full skeletor and drop to bantamweight where he picked up wins against Reuben Duran and former champion Brian Bowles. However, his time at bantamweight has turned ugly as he’s lost two of his last three fights by brutal knockout, with the most recent one against debuting fighter Rob “IMPACT” Font. Yes, I’m trying to get that nickname started. Try and stop me…

Erik Perez has victories over Edwin Figueroa, Byron Bloodworth, Ken Stone, and John Albert (all cut from the UFC since) with losses coming against top 10 competition in Bryan Caraway and Takeya Mizugaki. However, just because you FACE top 10 competition, doesn’t mean you’ve earned a spot IN the top 10.

The second thing that separated Russio from all 51 other panelists was that he had ranked the most fighters to not appear on anyone else’s list. Russio ranked Fabio Maldonado #10 in the light-heavyweight division, Ryan LaFlare the #10 at welterweight, and the aforementioned George Roop as the #8 bantamweight.

Wait, it gets worse — much worse. Continue to the next page for the five most dangerously confused UFC ranking panelists…

Mark Munoz Removed From UFC Rankings, Pending Contract Negotiations…No, Seriously


(You’ll always be a star in our eyes, bro.)

This morning, the UFC Rankings voting panel was informed that middleweight Mark Munoz (previously ranked #9) would be removed from the rankings as of this afternoon. Oddly enough, the sudden removal has nothing to do with the fact that Munoz has suffered first-round stoppage losses in his last two fights. It’s business, not personal:

A UFC official later informed MMAWeekly.com that, “Mark is no longer under contract at this time. However, we are negotiating towards a new agreement.”

One would assume that if negotiations go well, Munoz will be placed back in the UFC top ten. And if not…well, good luck in World Series of Fighting.

I don’t even know why I care about this crap. From the very beginning, the UFC’s official rankings have been a useless exercise, carried out by a random assortment of credentialed media with too much time on their hands. In terms of actual competition and match-making, the rankings mean exactly zero.


(You’ll always be a star in our eyes, bro.)

This morning, the UFC Rankings voting panel was informed that middleweight Mark Munoz (previously ranked #9) would be removed from the rankings as of this afternoon. Oddly enough, the sudden removal has nothing to do with the fact that Munoz has suffered first-round stoppage losses in his last two fights. It’s business, not personal:

A UFC official later informed MMAWeekly.com that, “Mark is no longer under contract at this time. However, we are negotiating towards a new agreement.”

One would assume that if negotiations go well, Munoz will be placed back in the UFC top ten. And if not…well, good luck in World Series of Fighting.

I don’t even know why I care about this crap. From the very beginning, the UFC’s official rankings have been a useless exercise, carried out by a random assortment of credentialed media with too much time on their hands. In terms of actual competition and match-making, the rankings mean exactly zero.

But in light of Nate Diaz’s recent removal for “inactivity” — made more ludicrous by Dominick Cruz‘s continued existence in the bantamweight top ten — it’s clear that the UFC’s rankings are just another way to punish fighters for getting out of line. “Oh, so some media nerds said you were a top ten fighter? Well, until you sign this contract and/or bout agreement, you don’t even exist. #UFCisRAW”

Dear UFC rankings panel: Stop supporting this crap. When top ten fighters are ineligible for voting due to purely political reasons, you’re just wasting your time. You’re only helping the promotion exert pressure on fighters, and you’re not even getting paid for it. Is it really that important to your ego, to have your name included on the most meaningless rankings system in professional sports? Who’s side are you on, anyway?

Nate Diaz Removed From UFC Rankings, Pretty Much Out of Spite


(“All I’m saying is, what if Ned Stark and Robert Baratheon are homos? Kinda changes the whole dynamic and sh*t.” / Photo via Getty)

So here’s one more example of the funny things that can happen when a fight promotion organizes its own ranking system, rather than relying on an independent body. This morning, #5-ranked lightweight Nate Diaz was unceremoniously removed from the UFC Rankings page, with no explanation given — although the fact that Diaz has been publicly feuding with the UFC over money lately can’t be a coincidence.

According to UFC.com/rankings, “A fighter is only eligible to be voted on if they are in active status in the UFC.” This could help explain why TJ Grant was also suddenly bounced from the rankings page yesterday; he’s been out of commission for nearly a year due to lingering concussion symptoms, and he still hasn’t booked his return fight yet. Diaz, on the other hand, is less than six months removed from his first-round TKO of Gray Maynard at the TUF 18 Finale…


(“All I’m saying is, what if Ned Stark and Robert Baratheon are homos? Kinda changes the whole dynamic and sh*t.” / Photo via Getty)

So here’s one more example of the funny things that can happen when a fight promotion organizes its own ranking system, rather than relying on an independent body. This morning, #5-ranked lightweight Nate Diaz was unceremoniously removed from the UFC Rankings page, with no explanation given — although the fact that Diaz has been publicly feuding with the UFC over money lately can’t be a coincidence.

According to UFC.com/rankings, “A fighter is only eligible to be voted on if they are in active status in the UFC.” This could help explain why TJ Grant was also suddenly bounced from the rankings page yesterday; he’s been out of commission for nearly a year due to lingering concussion symptoms, and he still hasn’t booked his return fight yet. Diaz, on the other hand, is less than six months removed from his first-round TKO of Gray Maynard at the TUF 18 Finale.

The only reason Diaz would lose his “active status” is if he was fired, and there’s no indication that he has been. It’s apparently just a case of the UFC saying, “We don’t like you anymore, so we don’t think you should be ranked.” (See also: “We don’t like you anymore, so we don’t think you should be a Hall of Famer.”)

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter because the rankings have no bearings on which fights get made, or who’s in line for a title shot, and the fighters themselves are starting to recognize how meaningless they are. It’s just a petty, childish move intended to devalue Diaz and communicate how disposable he is to the company. Combat sports entertainment, ladies and gentlemen.

UFC Rankings Expand to Include Top 15 Contenders, Basically Because of Tyron Woodley


(Photo via Getty)

Earlier this week, the UFC’s award-winning media rankings (officially known as the “UFC Rankings presented by RAM“) expanded from a list of the top 10 contenders in each division to a list of the top 15 contenders in each division. So why is this important? It’s not. Nothing about the UFC rankings is important in any way whatsoever. But the timing is awfully convenient.

As you may recall, welterweight contender Tyron Woodley is facing Carlos Condit in a #1 contender fight at UFC 171 in March. Originally, UFC president Dana White dismissed this matchup because Woodley wasn’t ranked. But shortly thereafter, Woodley got the fight anyway, mostly because he was the best 170-pounder available at that exact moment.

It would seem silly to put on a #1 contender match between the current #2 welterweight contender and a guy with (NR) next to his name. And so, the UFC arbitrarily expanded their rankings to include the top 15 contenders in each division — and that, my friends, is why Tyron Woodley is now officially ranked at #11.

In related news, Scott Jorgensen is currently ranked as the #12 flyweight contender in the UFC, despite a lifetime record of 0-1 at 125 pounds, and Chael Sonnen is still ranked higher at light-heavyweight than he is at middleweight. Don’t even get us started.


(Photo via Getty)

Earlier this week, the UFC’s award-winning media rankings (officially known as the “UFC Rankings presented by RAM“) expanded from a list of the top 10 contenders in each division to a list of the top 15 contenders in each division. So why is this important? It’s not. Nothing about the UFC rankings is important in any way whatsoever. But the timing is awfully convenient.

As you may recall, welterweight contender Tyron Woodley is facing Carlos Condit in a #1 contender fight at UFC 171 in March. Originally, UFC president Dana White dismissed this matchup because Woodley wasn’t ranked. But shortly thereafter, Woodley got the fight anyway, mostly because he was the best 170-pounder available at that exact moment.

It would seem silly to put on a #1 contender match between the current #2 welterweight contender and a guy with (NR) next to his name. And so, the UFC arbitrarily expanded their rankings to include the top 15 contenders in each division — and that, my friends, is why Tyron Woodley is now officially ranked at #11.

In related news, Scott Jorgensen is currently ranked as the #12 flyweight contender in the UFC, despite a lifetime record of 0-1 at 125 pounds, and Chael Sonnen is still ranked higher at light-heavyweight than he is at middleweight. Don’t even get us started.

UFC Rankings Expand to Include Top 15 Contenders, Basically Because of Tyron Woodley


(Photo via Getty)

Earlier this week, the UFC’s award-winning media rankings (officially known as the “UFC Rankings presented by RAM“) expanded from a list of the top 10 contenders in each division to a list of the top 15 contenders in each division. So why is this important? It’s not. Nothing about the UFC rankings is important in any way whatsoever. But the timing is awfully convenient.

As you may recall, welterweight contender Tyron Woodley is facing Carlos Condit in a #1 contender fight at UFC 171 in March. Originally, UFC president Dana White dismissed this matchup because Woodley wasn’t ranked. But shortly thereafter, Woodley got the fight anyway, mostly because he was the best 170-pounder available at that exact moment.

It would seem silly to put on a #1 contender match between the current #2 welterweight contender and a guy with (NR) next to his name. And so, the UFC arbitrarily expanded their rankings to include the top 15 contenders in each division — and that, my friends, is why Tyron Woodley is now officially ranked at #11.

In related news, Scott Jorgensen is currently ranked as the #12 flyweight contender in the UFC, despite a lifetime record of 0-1 at 125 pounds, and Chael Sonnen is still ranked higher at light-heavyweight than he is at middleweight. Don’t even get us started.


(Photo via Getty)

Earlier this week, the UFC’s award-winning media rankings (officially known as the “UFC Rankings presented by RAM“) expanded from a list of the top 10 contenders in each division to a list of the top 15 contenders in each division. So why is this important? It’s not. Nothing about the UFC rankings is important in any way whatsoever. But the timing is awfully convenient.

As you may recall, welterweight contender Tyron Woodley is facing Carlos Condit in a #1 contender fight at UFC 171 in March. Originally, UFC president Dana White dismissed this matchup because Woodley wasn’t ranked. But shortly thereafter, Woodley got the fight anyway, mostly because he was the best 170-pounder available at that exact moment.

It would seem silly to put on a #1 contender match between the current #2 welterweight contender and a guy with (NR) next to his name. And so, the UFC arbitrarily expanded their rankings to include the top 15 contenders in each division — and that, my friends, is why Tyron Woodley is now officially ranked at #11.

In related news, Scott Jorgensen is currently ranked as the #12 flyweight contender in the UFC, despite a lifetime record of 0-1 at 125 pounds, and Chael Sonnen is still ranked higher at light-heavyweight than he is at middleweight. Don’t even get us started.

Despite Being ‘Unranked,’ Tyron Woodley Gets #1 Contender Fight Against Carlos Condit at UFC 171


(Woodley might not be in the top ten, but he was definitely the people’s champion that night. / Photo via Getty)

Ever since Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler was booked as the first welterweight title fight in the post-Georges era, the UFC has been trying to find a high-profile dance partner for Carlos Condit on the UFC 171 card (March 15th, Dallas). As UFC president Dana White has recently explained, it wouldn’t be Matt Brown because Brown’s health is uncertain, it wouldn’t be Nick Diaz because Diaz turned the match down, and it wouldn’t be Tyron Woodley because T-Wood hasn’t cracked the top ten according to the UFC’s totally irrelevant rankings.

But earlier today, the UFC found an opponent for Condit, and it’s…Tyron Woodley? Huh. We’re not saying that the guy doesn’t deserve the opportunity, considering that he just beat the brakes off of Josh Koscheck and everybody else in the division is either booked or injured. Maybe now we can stop pretending that the UFC’s official rankings mean jack-shit, since they always seem to fly out the window as soon as it’s time to find a warm body. (Though I’ll bet you a nickel Woodley magically appears in the top ten the next time the rankings are updated. Seriously. Just watch.)

According to Dana White, Woodley texted him “15 times a day” when Matt Brown pulled out of his scheduled UFC on FOX 9 match against Condit, but of course, DW digs fighters who step up. “There are guys like (Woodley) that are out there,” White said. “Those are the guys I want to deal with. Those are the guys I want to hear from. I love Tyron Woodley. I love it.”

As MMAJunkie reports, the winner of Condit vs. Woodley is likely to get the winner of Hendricks vs. Lawler, which means that theoretically, MMA dinosaur Robbie Lawler could be defending his UFC welterweight title against currently-“unranked” Tyron Woodley sometime next summer. What a country.


(Woodley might not be in the top ten, but he was definitely the people’s champion that night. / Photo via Getty)

Ever since Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler was booked as the first welterweight title fight in the post-Georges era, the UFC has been trying to find a high-profile dance partner for Carlos Condit on the UFC 171 card (March 15th, Dallas). As UFC president Dana White has recently explained, it wouldn’t be Matt Brown because Brown’s health is uncertain, it wouldn’t be Nick Diaz because Diaz turned the match down, and it wouldn’t be Tyron Woodley because T-Wood hasn’t cracked the top ten according to the UFC’s totally irrelevant rankings.

But earlier today, the UFC found an opponent for Condit, and it’s…Tyron Woodley? Huh. We’re not saying that the guy doesn’t deserve the opportunity, considering that he just beat the brakes off of Josh Koscheck and everybody else in the division is either booked or injured. Maybe now we can stop pretending that the UFC’s official rankings mean jack-shit, since they always seem to fly out the window as soon as it’s time to find a warm body. (Though I’ll bet you a nickel Woodley magically appears in the top ten the next time the rankings are updated. Seriously. Just watch.)

According to Dana White, Woodley texted him “15 times a day” when Matt Brown pulled out of his scheduled UFC on FOX 9 match against Condit, but of course, DW digs fighters who step up. “There are guys like (Woodley) that are out there,” White said. “Those are the guys I want to deal with. Those are the guys I want to hear from. I love Tyron Woodley. I love it.”

As MMAJunkie reports, the winner of Condit vs. Woodley is likely to get the winner of Hendricks vs. Lawler, which means that theoretically, MMA dinosaur Robbie Lawler could be defending his UFC welterweight title against currently-”unranked” Tyron Woodley sometime next summer. What a country.