Vitor Belfort used his Facebook personal page to criticize the methodology behind the official UFC rankings. “The Phenom” dropped from the second position in the middleweight list three weeks ago, when Lyoto Machida took his place. Both fighters are only behind Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman, the champion of the division.
In any kind of sport, the ranking is defined by the results of the athletes in competition. My team and I worked very hard so I could be well placed in the UFC ranking. For this reason, I understand that there is lack of plainness on the UFC validation criteria of these rankings, mostly when we see athletes improving their positions without competing. I was in the second place and now I’m in third, even though there were no fights in that interim. Clear criteria fortify the sport.
Belfort was the number 1 contender in the 185-pound division and was supposed to fight for the title against Chris Weidman at UFC 173, on May 23. Because of the TRT ban by NSAC and UFC, “The Phenom” was replaced by Lyoto Machida in the title fight so he could adjust now that he can’t do the treatment.
The Weidman vs Machida fight has since been moved to UFC 175.