1.) Rankings:
A topic of immediate note is the fact that fighters’ income will now be determined by their pre-fight ranking in the official UFC lists, which are currently voted on by a panel of MMA media.
The problem with that is an obvious one because it remains rather impossible for a writer to stay objective and impartial when they could potentially decide a fighter’s sponsorship income for a given event. Allegiances could be made, exclusives could be given, and the list of possible problems goes on.
The only certainty of that present structure is that it would become a cluster of possibly questionable ethics, which is beyond terrible for a set of rankings that is already criticized heavily week in and week out.
That’s why White plans to revamp the rankings to a more concise formula that will take away much of the arbitrary nature.
Speaking in an interview with MMA Fighting yesterday, White detailed his plan to downsize the rankings panel in an effort to ensure ethical practices:
“I’m looking for a smaller group of people to be involved in the rankings. I want legitimate guys that I know are very credible and ethical, and we’re going to work on that. I’m all about “fair”. I want what is fair for everybody.”
White made the right decision when he came out and laid this down immediately, because a whole host of issues could have arisen from letting several journalists ultimately decide how much fighters would receive from endorsements.
Whether or not the plan works out remains to be seen, but the rankings system is already headed in a new and more streamlined direction, and that’s good for MMA as a whole.
