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Dana White Calls for Mark Zuckerberg's Help to Fix Latest UFC Controversy

UFC CEO Dana White calls upon Mark Zuckerberg to fix the UFC rankings.

Mathew Riddle

White (David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images) / Zuckerberg (Vanity Fair)

Another week, and another UFC rankings update.

This time, Jon Jones moves up one spot in the men's pound-for-pound (P4P) rankings, placing him above Alex Pereira and below Islam Makhachev. This is much to the disappointment of UFC CEO Dana White, who has once again bashed the rankings panel in his latest rant.

Dana White
Dana White has been hot on the heels of the UFC rankings panel for making changes he'd consider questionable. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Dana White Calls for 'Clowns' to Be Removed From UFC Rankings

Following the latest UFC rankings update, White took to Instagram to drag their decision-making. Posted in an Instagram story, the UFC Boss remarked, "I have to get rid of these clowns., @Zuck [Zuckerberg]. Let's get this AI deal done ASAP!!!!!"

Who is in Charge of the UFC Rankings?

As per the official UFC website, the UFC rankings are generated by a "voting panel made up of media members."

"The rankings panel is comprised of media members from the following outlets: KHON Honolulu, MMA Oddsbreaker, CFMU 93.3, Bursprak.se, FightNews, Fight Network, Gazeta Esportiva, Cherokee Scout, Burbank Leader, MMA Weekly, KIOZ 105.3, Vladusport.com, Wrestling Observer, Top Turtle Podcast, My MMA News, MMA Fight Radio, BoxeoMundial, Kimura.se, MMA Soldier, MMA NYTT, Blood & Sweat, Inside Fighting Radio."

White would seek to remove this voting panel in favor of an AI solution, but how would this look?

How AI Would Rank UFC Fighters

A specialist team at Fight Minds has already generated an AI UFC rankings system, which can be viewed on their Vercel app. So, where did it differ from the official P4P rankings after UFC 309?

  • The AI rankings doesn't have Islam Makhachev as the No. 1 P4P fighter. No. 1 is Alex Pereira, followed by No. 2 Jon Jones. No movement happened in the AI P4P rankings after UFC 309.

Whereas the official UFC rankings are fairly rigid, the Fight Minds AI ranking algorithm acts more like Power Rankings. Fighters are assigned points based on their performances, emphasizing activity and methods of victory. Bonuses are given for KOs and submissions, performance awards, title fights, and streaks, while losses result in deductions. What's especially important is that points decay over time, meaning inactive fighters will slowly descend the rankings.

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Mathew Riddle
MATHEW RIDDLE

Mathew is a UK-based combat sports journalist, graphic designer, and SEO expert with over five years of experience in digital marketing and a dedicated four-year track record in MMA journalism. He joined MMAKO in 2023. Mathew's insights have been featured on The Fight Fanatic, Heavy on UFC, Fansided, and Sportskeeda. Reach him at mr@thefightfanatic.com.

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