Our Rankings Explained
So, how do we compile our rankings? What separates us from other web sites that do rankings?
In no way are we trying to state these rankings are official. We do attempt to provide the most accurate rankings though based on a variety of factors.
Here we go, this a list of our criteria:
– Activity in the last 4 years
– Last 5 fights
– Most recent performance
– Strength of competition
– Performance against top competition
– Estimated ability against future competition
To make is simple, we only look at fights that have happened in the last 4 years of action. Thus, currently is 2012, so the only fights that can be factored into a ranking are from the years 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. Anything before then is essentially wiped clean. Why is that? Fighters develop and decline rapidly. In order to provide rankings that are current and reflect what has happened in the now, rather than the past, we confine a fighter’s activity to this 4-year window.
From there, we heavily utilize the fighter’s last 5 fights. We look at these fights more so than any other action that may have happened in 2009 or 2010. We want our rankings to reflect how the fighter is currently performing. Therefore, if a fighter fights 12 times in the last 4 years, we will heavily emphasize their performance over the last 5 fights, rather than the previous ones.
There are many fighters sporting undefeated records from developing fight scenes, especially abroad. Something we take into consideration is the strength of competition they have faced. If a fighter has compiled a bunch of wins against competition that is lackluster they will likely have a difficult time moving up in the rankings until they face stiffer competition in order for us to accurately predict how they would perform against exceedingly tougher competition.
If a fighter has fought elite competition and fallen short, we factor in how they performed. If a fighter fairs well against a higher-ranked adversary, they could still move up in the rankings.
Our rankings also attempt to predict how a fighter would fair against top competition. For example, Chris Weidman may not have beaten a top contender, but the fact that he has blown through much of his competition allows us to rank him higher based on his performances.
We do not strictly go off a fighter’s record of wins, losses, and draws. Judging in MMA is too untrustworthy to do so. Therefore, if a fighter is robbed of a decision win, we are not going to lower their ranking because the judges blew the decision. Case in point, Evan Dunham vs. Sean Sherk.
We watch every fight, including the prelims to try and provide our readers with the best rankings possible. We hope you enjoy and appreciate the unbiased rankings we attempt to provide. Thank you for your support!
