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Dana White, the UFC CEO, has expressed his growing frustration with the UFC rankings system and is determined to implement changes. The tipping point for White’s dissatisfaction came after Khalil Rountree Jr. retained his No. 8 position in the light heavyweight rankings, despite a closely contested fight against Alex Pereira at UFC 307, which Rountree was winning on the scorecards before getting stopped.
“If you look at who Pereira has beat, and how he’s beat them leading up to this fight, [Rountree] was winning on the scorecards when he got stopped,” White said. “He was ahead on the scorecards. Stayed in the pocket, put on one of the greatest fights anybody has ever seen, and he stays at No. 8.”
This incident reignited White's longstanding dissatisfaction with the current ranking system, which he previously suggested could benefit from AI technology. This time, however, White seems serious about making changes and has a meeting scheduled with a group proposing a solution.
"I can’t handle incompetence. I can’t take it anymore. It’s driving me crazy. And I can’t let people that I don’t believe know what the f*ck they’re talking about deal with the rankings anymore,” White added. "The media will no longer control the rankings in the UFC."
White has acknowledged the importance of rankings in UFC matchmaking, though they are not the only factor. He and his matchmaking team, including Mick Maynard, Sean Shelby, and Hunter Campbell, do consider rankings when planning fights. Despite this, White emphasized that the UFC itself should not directly control the rankings to avoid bias.
“I don’t think that it’s right that we would do the rankings," White said. "No matter how unbiased you try to be, it’s impossible... There’s things that I don’t want in our hands at all. Not mine, not Mick’s, not Sean’s, not Hunter’s, nobody. There has to be a third party or AI or something that does the rankings."
As White seeks a solution, he remains hopeful that a more reliable and fair system will be introduced soon. This would allow for a more objective ranking process that doesn’t interfere with UFC operations or introduce bias.
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