UFC president Dana White has had it with the rankings. White expressed his disdain for how the media determine the rankings at a recent DWCS press conference. He didn’t hold back when blasting the media, calling them ‘lazy’ and ‘incompetent’. The head honcho said he’d change how the UFC would determine the rankings and even suggested using AI.

Meanwhile, former two-weight champion Daniel Cormier expressed concerns over Dana White’s bid to outsource the rankings away from the current media to external players. Here’s what ‘DC’ said about the whole situation, “I believe that when you change [the rankings], and they will, it will lead to a different set of complaints from people. It will make us all feel good internally. Every one of us, it will all make us feel good internally. But people on the outside are still going to find a reason to complain. Every title fight that I wasn’t a champion, guys, I was a #3 ranked. Dana got mad about that. It remained the same. But he said that now he wants to change it and it’ll change for the better. Because every time it does, it does change. Khalil [Rountree Jr.] should move up. But, how far?”

Cormier’s prime concern is that this could potentially open up doors to reporters who don’t cover the sport on the ground. Citing the Pereira vs. Rountree fight, ‘DC’ said that even though Khalil Rountree put up a solid performance, he lost at the end of the day. Furthermore, ‘The War Horse’ didn’t climb the rankings by beating opponents before him to secure a title shot against ‘Poatan’.

Rountree’s case is the second time in the last two weeks that the rankings have come under fire. On September 28, UFC lightweight Renato Moicano bludgeoned Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC Paris to secure a TKO win doctor’s stoppage. But when the rankings update came a few days later, both Moicano and Saint-Denis remained at #11 and #12 respectively, just as it was before their fight.

“If the UFC rankings aren’t total bullsh*t, I should be ranked (number) 6 in the lightweight division tomorrow. Why? In the last 8 months, I’ve fought 3 times and I’m on a 6-fight win streak in the lightweight division with 5 stoppages,” Moicano had said on X.

With the recent debates about the P4P rankings (and White calling for Jon Jones to be #1), the activity of fighters has also come under question. The P4P rankings seem to be more dynamic, keeping the active and dominant fighters at the top. But lightweight, for example, has someone like Michael Chandler, in the top 10 when he has not fought since late 2022. By virtue of his current unbeaten run alone, Moicano could make a case for being in the top 10.

“The rankings are definitely a problem, Moicano I agree with you 100%, but don’t worry my friend AI will be here soon and this will all be fixed. We get all these bums that know nothing about fighting out of this sh*t and get AI in here and we can fix all of these rankings,” White told Kevin Iole.

At this point, it isn’t clear what Dana White and the UFC will do with regard to the rankings. While Daniel Cormier expressed concerns over the overhaul of the rankings, his former ‘DC and Helwani’ co-host Ariel Helwani welcomed the suggestion by the UFC president.

“Thank you! It’s about time” – Ariel Helwani lauds Dana White’s bid to implement changes in UFC rankings

Many in the MMA community would agree that the rankings are not a true representation of the actual skills of the fighters. Traditionally, a voting panel made up of various MMA media outlets would determine the rankings. At the end of the day, people with biases determine the rankings. Dana White’s suggestion of the use of AI doesn’t seem like such a bad idea, in that regard.

White’s arch-nemesis Ariel Helwani sarcastically praised the UFC president’s effort to change how the UFC determines rankings. On the Ariel Helwani show, the veteran journalist chided White and the UFC to ‘end the charade’ that the current rankings are real. Going on a tirade, here’s what Helwani said, “I would say, Dana White, please get rid of them. Please do away with them once and for all. End the charade – that these are real, that you guys even listen to them. End the charade that there are actual people from credible outlets that cover MMA on a daily basis – because that’s what it should be.”

Helwani stressed that the rankings mean nothing and are ignored when deciding fights anyway. The veteran journalist said he’s more interested in what the UFC matchmakers think than in the opinions of media outlets. Helwani continued, “You book the fights anyway. You ignore the rankings anyways. You do whatever you want anyways. So, let us know what you’re thinking. You let us know what you’re thinking by making the fights.”

What do you think of the current UFC rankings and how they’re determined? Do you think a change needs to be instituted? Let us know in the comments below.