The UFC and Meta announced a new partnership Monday afternoon that revolutionizes the current fighter ranking system that has been in place since 2013.
The multi-billion dollar mixed martial arts organization partnered up with the artificial intelligence company to use their technology to evaluate the athletes based on a specific algorithm using advanced metrics such as quality of win and recency. UFC President and CEO Dana White took to Instagram to declare the new collaboration.
“I’ve been unhappy with the rankings and always believe there had to be a better way,” White said. “We’ve always been a company that runs toward technology and innovation and now we’ve worked with Meta to integrate it directly into our rankings system. I’m excited to see how this innovation can help change the sport for both the fans and the athletes.”
White has publicly expressed his disdain for the media voting panels in recent years, so the change in rankings did not come as much of a surprise to anyone. It was especially heightened in 2024 after Khalil Rountree Jr. almost beat the light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, yet stayed at number eight in the rankings.
“The morons strike again,” White complained. “The morons keep him at number eight. Literally this week, I have a meeting to try and fix the rankings and get all of these know-nothing, do-nothing motherf*ckers out of it.”
“I just can’t handle incompetence. I can’t take it anymore. It’s driving me crazy,” White continued during a post-fight press conference just a few days later. “I can’t let people that I don’t believe know what the f*ck that they’re talking about deal with the rankings anymore. I have to figure out a solution.”
The new deal with Meta fixes White’s issues with the media panel that voted for the top 15 fighters in each division and an overall top ten “pound-for-pound” fighter list. What was once affected by popularity now uses an algorithm created by the engineering team at Meta.
The algorithm factors in how a fighter wins, whether it’s dominant or a split decision, opponent quality, and activity of the fighter. The rankings update the Monday after each UFC event.
The first “Meta UFC Rankings” released Monday, June 22, with many fans and fighters alike giving mixed reactions to the now unranked fighters and athletes who jumped rankings and benefitted from the change.
What am I lookin at 😆
This 💩 gotta be a jokeSomebody playin I can’t take none this serious 😆 pic.twitter.com/bLnzzMsvql
— Charles “InnerG” Johnson (@innerGmma_ufc) June 22, 2026
For the first time this bullshit ranking is right
— Renato Moicano (@moicanoufc) June 22, 2026
The “Meta UFC Rankings” appear to be here to stay despite the backlash.
“By introducing these advanced metrics, the Meta UFC Rankings deliver the most consistent and clear assessment of fighter placement available today,” the company stated on the announcement on their website. “This consistent, data-informed approach is designed to foster greater fan engagement and debate, providing a neutral and sophisticated benchmark for comparing the world’s best athletes.”
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