Dana White has been in touch with Mark Zuckerberg in an effort to put together an AI rankings system for the UFC.
The MMA supremo has been enraged with the current standings, which currently have Islam Makhachev as number one pound-for-pound, and has demanded change. His belief is that Jon Jones is inarguably the top fighter in the world, and that even Alex Pereira has a better claim to number one.
The UFC rankings are currently compiled as a result of a vote between media members who are independent of the promotion. Every week they decide their spots, and the results are published, often to controversy.
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Dana White rages over UFC Rankings system
The key issue with the UFC rankings is that the promotion feel it would be inappropriate for the likes of Dana White and other executives or employees to put them together. The company CEO admits that he would be too biased for the role given his own preferences for fighters and business interests.
But he is angered by the current system, telling media earlier this month: “I just can’t handle incompetence, I just can’t take it anymore. It’s driving me crazy. I can’t let people that I don’t believe know what the f*** that they’re talking about deal with the rankings anymore.
“I just can’t do it, I have to figure out a solution. Tomorrow, I have a meeting with a group of people who are coming to me saying they have a solution to this problem. God, I hope they are right, because I’m going to change it. The media will no longer control the rankings in the UFC.”
Dana White plans to implement new AI ranking system for UFC
White infamously has an ice cold relationship with the media in MMA, believing them to be dishonest to a fault. He instead wants AI, or some other method, to decide where fighters rank in each division at the end of every week.
“We can’t do it,” he explained in that same press conference. “I don’t think that it’s right that we would do the rankings. No matter how unbiased you try to be, it’s impossible. I’ll be honest with you, there are some fighters I don’t like and there are fighters that I really like.
“There are things that are good for the business – there has to be a third party or AI or something that does the rankings. It’s impossible not to biased. I believe there is bias with the media, too; it’s impossible not to be biased.”
Dana White wants Mark Zuckerberg involved in new UFC AI rankings
In order to find an appropriate solution, White is willing to pull out all of the stops. This includes enlisting the help of one of the world’s most famous tech entrepreneurs Mark Zuckerberg, who is famously a massive fight fan.
Zuckerberg trains and competes in jiu-jitsu, and has been seen getting ready for MMA competition in the past with PFL star Khai Wu. He was even deep in talks for a bout in the UFC with Elon Musk, although injury curtailed that plan.
“I could go on and on and on but I won’t,” White said of the rankings in a recent interview with TNT Sports. “We literally had meetings this week to work on it. I actually talked to Mark Zuckerberg, too, about AI.
“So yeah. I’m totally going to fix the rankings. We’re going to make a lot of strong moves here coming into 2025.”