Tapology Delivers New Ranking System That Is Better Than The UFC
As a journalist covering MMA for 15 years, I'm personally ecstatic to see an official ranking system with no human bias and one that after some deep examination has all the rhyme and reason I need to refer to it regularly.
Tapology's new proprietary ranking system for fighters eliminates human subjectivity, media opinions, and fan voting. In place of 'vibes,' as Tapology founder Gregory Saks puts it in an article by Ben Fowlkes of the Uncrowned, the new model uses a data-driven algorithm to evaluate every active UFC fighter based solely on performance metrics.
This system, five years in the making, measures each fighter's last six UFC bouts, taking into account strength of schedule, short-notice fights, and the quality of wins and losses.
Let's look at the upcoming middleweight bout between Joe Pyfer and the UFC's current No. 14 185-pounder, Abus Magomedov. It feels like Pyfer should be close to being ranked, but because the UFC's ranking system stops at No. 15, it is hard to know how close he is to having a number next to his name–as Jon Anik would say.
Well, according to Tapology's rankings, Magomedov is ranked No. 18 and it is Pyfer with the higher ranking at No. 16. What does this tell us–especially those who are normally a slave to the UFC's system? It tells us this is an even matchup and one that is even more intriguing now than it was when it was first announced.
The new ranking system also introduces a new way to look at upcoming events. We can use the rankings to see how many Top 50 fighters are set to compete. According to Tapology, the upcoming UFC Fight Night headlined by Roman Dolidze vs. Anthony Hernandez, has mostly guys and girls ranked in the Top 50.
Specifically, all but five fighters set to compete are ranked inside of the Top 50 fighters in the world in their weight class. That's partially deceiving considering one of those fighters is former men's flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg. He's making his bantamweight debut in a bout against veteran Ode Osbourne. Erceg is certainly one of the 50-best bantamweights, but to the ranking system's credit, he'll have to prove it first.
As White has mentioned, the UFC's current system has room for human error as it is susceptible to bias and the inevitable prisoner-of-the-moment factor. This system, while bound to have its critics, doesn't have those same flaws. That's at least refreshing. You have to wonder if White will be asked about this in Chicago at UFC 319 or before if someone has the opportunity.
And if he is asked, it'll be interesting to see how he responds. Historically, White hasn't shied away from acknowledging issues with his promotion's own rankings, once calling them 'a pain in the ass.' But he's also known to resist outside influence, especially when it comes to public-facing tools not made in-house. Tapology's independent framework could quietly gain traction, even without the UFC's blessing, especially if fighters start referencing it for callouts and resume building. The more it's used to justify matchups or contender status, the harder it will be to ignore.
It'll also be interesting to see if real-life circumstances will influence an evolution of Tapology's ranking system. Take it from someone who has tried to create their own MMA metrics; you sometimes think you have everything accounted for and then something unexpected happens.
In any case, bravo Tapology.
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