Seven years have passed since the UFC published its first version of the weight category rating. Compared to 2013, there were many changes in the Absolute Fighting Championship that affected not only the fighters themselves, but also the divisions. So, four women's weight categories appeared at once in the promotion, and John Jones remained the only reigning champion. At the same time, the number of athletes in the ranking table has increased from 10 to 15, but now this is hardly enough.
According to various sources, as of 2020, about 600 fighters in 12 weight categories have contracts with the UFC. Thus, each of them has an average of 50 athletes. And this is taking into account the fact that in some women there is a clear shortage of performers, in view of which we can suggest that the number of men in certain weights exceeds this mark. All this indicates that the current rating system is no longer so effective.
Of course, the UFC should not assign a number to each of the signatories of the contract with the promotion. A strong staff turnover was always happy in him, and such actions can only make leapfrog in a state of affairs. But at the same time, expanding the rating to 30-40 fighters in each particular division is really able to benefit the organization. This will not only make the situation in the category more understandable, but can increase the interest of fans.
For example, at present in the Absolute Fighting Championship many fighters from Russia are competing, not having a place among the strongest in their divisions. At the same time, assessing the real situation is quite difficult, because their track record does not give a complete idea of how close everyone is to the elite and how many more victories must be gained to get into the rating.
All this negatively affects the hype around the fights. Ordinary spectators do not know how status athlete is in front of them and what exactly is at stake in his fight. As a result, the level of expectation falls, which entails low views and, as a result, slower promotion.
For comparison, you can take the example of Islam Makhachev, who only recently burst into the list of the best lightweight championships. And this despite the fact that he won seven victories and suffered only one defeat in the largest MMA promotion. However, Gregor Gillespie and Alexander Hernandez have long been at the top of the division. And this taking into account the fact that both had fewer fights and also have one failure per liabilities.
In that case, if from 30 to 40 people appeared in the ranking table, the spectator interest could well have grown solidly. Fans would understand who and at what speed are moving up the career ladder, and who in the near future will be able to seriously claim a place in the top ten.
For example, on March 1, a duel between the middleweights Magomed Ankalaev and Ion Kutselaba took place in Norfolk. If you rely on records, then before the battle, both with a high degree of probability were located within the top 20 of their category. However, in reality, the fans saw a clash of two fighters without numbers, which turned out to be much less attractive, if we leave the scandalous result out of brackets.
In addition, with the introduction of the rating, more sensational results would receive much more extensive publicity. For example, in the same tennis, the victory of a player from the second or third hundred over a representative of the top 20 often becomes an occasion for discussion and one of the most noteworthy events at Grand Slam tournaments or the Masters series.
In addition to the general increase in excitement, the expansion of the rating will lead to the fact that the path to the fight for the title will become more transparent and understandable. Moreover, this applies to both the athlete himself and fans of MMA. It will be easier for spectators to analyze how this particular fighter made his way to the top of the division, and for athletes to pick up opponents for themselves. So, for a debutant, a victory over an opponent from the top 40 and top 20 is a big difference , and the result can affect his career in different ways.
Also, this innovation can help the UFC systematize the procedure for signing contracts with fighters by tying the salary to their place in the ranking. Moreover, this works especially well in the initial stages and therefore concerns the lower levels of the list, in which beginners and not the most successful performers are located.
The promotion is able to divide it into several zones, and the athlete will be able to count on an increase in salary as he moves up. This will save the organization from conflicts with athletes requiring a raise in salary, when their results and level of value clearly do not correspond to their desires.
But if for the fans this system has exclusively pluses, then for the company itself there are a number of minuses that can make it refuse to consider this innovation. It's all about openness, which can seriously limit the freedom of match makers in terms of decision-making. The introduction of a new rating can provoke conflicts between the leadership and athletes, many of whom will not want to fight with less status opponents.
At the moment, all controversial situations may arise at a time when the athlete is in the top 15. At this moment, he not only understands his significance for the promotion in general and the division in particular, but also realizes with whom he needs to fight for the chance to become a champion.
Of course, it is impossible to advance upward due to duels with opponents from the third and fourth tens, as a result of which he begins to demand fights with stronger fighters. Just look at Peter Yan or Zabit Magomedsharipov. The Russians have come close to the status of the first contender and are not interested in meetings with representatives of the top 20, since even a confident victory will not help them rise higher.
If the rating is implemented, almost all fighters will find out about their place in the category and will cease to agree to battles with less successful counterparts. Despite the fact that all athletes are bound by contracts with the UFC, they are not obliged to agree to any fight offered to them. As a result of this, they can demand for a long time from match makers a more favorable offer and provoke stagnation in the division.
For more than 26 years of existence, the organizers are accustomed to the fact that they themselves choose how to unwind this or that athlete. One immediately gets stronger and more stellar opponents, the other is forced to deal with outsiders for a long time and wait for a chance to rise a little higher. While there are no prerequisites that the leadership decides to refuse such a privilege and work strictly in accordance with the general classification.
In addition, this system will require a more detailed study of the criteria for evaluating the performance of athletes. Already now it raises serious questions and often becomes an object of criticism, but in case of expansion, the number of dissatisfied people can seriously increase. For example, many were amazed that Conor McGregor has long held first place in the lightweight category, despite the complete absence of performances from November 2016 to October 2019.