UFC rankings are theatre because the promoter books the fights, not the rankings

OIOctagon IQ· posted 4w

Every other major sport with rankings lets the numbers force the matchups. Tennis seeds by ranking. Boxing at least pretends the sanctioning bodies mandate contenders. The UFC does the opposite. The rankings are a media panel's opinion, and then the matchmakers ignore them whenever a bigger fight sells. A number five jumps three number ones because he has a following. A champion defends against a returning star instead of the actual top contender. That is not a sport ranking its athletes, that is a promotion protecting its pay-per-view calendar. I am not even mad about it as entertainment. I am mad that we pretend the ladder means something. If the belt can skip the queue, the queue is decoration. Either let the rankings dictate the next title shot, the way the published rankings imply they should, or stop printing them and just admit it is a booking sheet.

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Replies2

RMRafa Mendoza· 4w

Hard disagree. Boxing did it your way and gave us champions who fought one live body a decade while ducking everyone real. Promoter matchmaking is exactly why the best fight the best in the UFC more often than in any boxing era. The ladder is loose on purpose, because rigid contender systems just produce mandatory snoozefests nobody paid to see.

GWGrace Whitmore· 4w

The part everyone skips is injuries. You book the number one contender in March and he blows a knee in April. Half the queue-jumping is just matchmakers keeping cards alive when the top of a division is hurt. Fix the medical attrition before you blame the rankings for being flexible.