Big changes will be coming to UFC’s ranking system soon, CEO Dana White announced this week.
During a press scrum ahead of UFC Freedom 250, the promotion’s event this Sunday on the White House South Lawn, White was asked about any updates regarding the company’s long-planned rankings overhaul.
For years, UFC’s top-15 rankings have been decided by a panel of media members. Those part of the board would cast votes each week following results from the latest UFC event, determining who would sit where in each division and on the pound-for-pound lists.
But White, often in disagreement with how the rankings placed fighters, has long called for change to the system. Since 2024, White has been in talks with Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg over implementing an automated, AI-powered version of the rankings.
While it’s unclear whether Zuckerberg or Meta remains involved in the project, White confirmed this week that a new ranking system will be revealed in the next couple of weeks.
“It’s done and it’s coming … AI is here, boys and girls,” White said when asked about the project this week.
The new ranking system was also mentioned on last Saturday’s UFC Fight Night broadcast. While details about it remain sparse, there was a graphic that said the rankings will be “designed to reward performance & reflect results inside the Octagon,” and that it will not focus on “opinion or popularity” of fighters.
