Dana White's Answers Questions & talks of UFC Rankings - Fight Forum - MMA - UFC - Boxing - K1

T-Bone · 02-05-2008, 09:36 AM

Dana answers your questions | The Sun |HomePage|Sport|UFC

Also touches on providing UFC rankings...

Quote:

After seeing third-party fighter rankings that are far from ideal, UFC President Dana White says the organization will “probably” now create its own official rankings for each weight class.

White confirmed the plans in a special fan Q&A that was organized by our friend Mark Gilbert at The Sun.

The concept of rankings has long been discussed, and many media outlets create rankings for each weight class that include fighters from every major MMA organization. However, many fans have clamored for UFC-sponsored rankings, specifically so they know which fighters are in line for title shots.

“I said we’d never do that because I figured people would say our rankings are biased,” White told The Sun. “But, when you look around at some of these other rankings that are out there, I think we probably will do our own after all.“

The problem, of course, is that fighters compete so infrequently — on average just three our four times per year — that it’s difficult to assign worth to each fight. Plus, you have factors such as fighters moving weight classes, missing extended periods of time with injuries, the quality of competition, competition outside the UFC, and many other considerations.

That’s why there probably won’t be any quick decisions.

“I have no idea when we will get to that, though,” White said. “I wouldn’t look for any rankings anytime real soon.“

For the full Q&A, head over to The Sun‘s website.

Dana White: UFC Will “Probably” Create Official Rankings -- MMAjunkie.com

FatCatMC · 02-05-2008, 09:38 AM

I've never been a huge fan of any ranking systems. It's neat to see what people think, but I don't put too much stock in them.

mxfuel · 02-05-2008, 09:51 AM

Wow, pretty harsh comments about Fedor. Don't know if I would call him a joke but I do beleive his top #1 spot should be falling.

His comments on Randy do seem reasonable.

Also the question on the scoring system was interesting.

T-Bone · 02-05-2008, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mxfuel

Wow, pretty harsh comments about Fedor. Don't know if I would call him a joke but I do beleive his top #1 spot should be falling.

He's bitter b/c Fedor didn't wanna give up his first born to sign with the UFC.

subgenius · 02-05-2008, 11:28 AM

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Originally Posted by T-Bone

He's bitter b/c Fedor didn't wanna give up his first born to sign with the UFC.

Is Sambo and the Red Devil Team the first born of Fedor?

Quote:

Originally Posted by mxfuel

Wow, pretty harsh comments about Fedor. Don't know if I would call him a joke but I do beleive his top #1 spot should be falling.

His comments on Randy do seem reasonable.

Also the question on the scoring system was interesting.

After the fight with HMC, I would agree with Dana White that Fedor has become a joke. I won't rank Fedor in the top five for quite some time, and may boot him from my own top ten.

Saskabush · 02-05-2008, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by subgenius

Is Sambo and the Red Devil Team the first born of Fedor?

After the fight with HMC, I would agree with Dana White that Fedor has become a joke. I won't rank Fedor in the top five for quite some time, and may boot him from my own top ten.

He mauled the current UFC HW champ twice, Dana is hesitant to give him any credit just because he wouldn't sign. The Fedor bashing going on by Dana and UFC nuthuggers is out of control. It's to the point that I won't even visit some sites anymore due to the blind hate. It's quite sad actually imo.

GSPALLTHEWAY · 02-05-2008, 11:48 AM

danas comments on randy.... very fair and i agree.... his career was OVER and dana made it happen to give him a HW title shot out of the blue...

"And Randy Couture knows all of that, believe me. Let me tell you - Chuck Liddell knocked Randy Couture out – out cold – twice and that’s why Randy retired. Chuck ended his career as a top light heavyweight and that’s why he retired.

"Then after being done and gone for a year he calls me on my cell phone saying “Dana, I want to come back as a heavyweight and fight Tim Sylvia – can you make it happen?”

"We make that happen, we give Randy Couture that huge opportunity and now Randy Couture is refusing to give a fighter like Antonio Nogueira that exact same opportunity he was given.

“'Captain America' needs to honour his contract and honour fighters like Nogueira. You would expect 'Captain America' should do the honourable thing."

Rocky12233 · 02-05-2008, 12:05 PM

Do you plan on cross-promoting bouts or even events on a large scale in the future? Most of the small organisations are cross-promoting to share talented fighters and put on larger events to compete with the UFC. - Carlo, Iowa

White: "Why would I want to do shows with these promotions? I have the best fighters in the world all under contract. Why would I cross-promote with these organisations? They suck."

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I just find that comment so ironic...For those of you who have seen Danas first interview when he first got the company, you know what im talking about....

F_B · 02-05-2008, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by subgenius

Is Sambo and the Red Devil Team the first born of Fedor?

After the fight with HMC, I would agree with Dana White that Fedor has become a joke. I won't rank Fedor in the top five for quite some time, and may boot him from my own top ten.

I don't see your logic. Fedor defeated the current UFC champion twice. Therefore he is number #1.

Saskabush · 02-05-2008, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocky12233

Do you plan on cross-promoting bouts or even events on a large scale in the future? Most of the small organisations are cross-promoting to share talented fighters and put on larger events to compete with the UFC. - Carlo, Iowa

White: "Why would I want to do shows with these promotions? I have the best fighters in the world all under contract. Why would I cross-promote with these organisations? They suck."

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I just find that comment so ironic...For those of you who have seen Danas first interview when he first got the company, you know what im talking about....

I hear ya. Plus, he doesn't have all of the top fighters in the world, not even close really.

subgenius · 02-05-2008, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saskabush

He mauled the current UFC HW champ twice, Dana is hesitant to give him any credit just because he wouldn't sign. The Fedor bashing going on by Dana and UFC nuthuggers is out of control. It's to the point that I won't even visit some sites anymore due to the blind hate. It's quite sad actually imo.

Yeah, but Fedor has not faced top talent in over two years. Nogueira has the only real top level HW title now. Nogueira is the #1 heavyweight in the world.

Saskabush · 02-05-2008, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by subgenius

Yeah, but Fedor has not faced top talent in over two years. Nogueira has the only real top level HW title now. Nogueira is the #1 heavyweight in the world.

There is where we disagree, rankings are tricky I admit. I just saw this over at Sherdog from Jake Rossen:

Quote:

In a distressing turn of events, though, Nogueira managed to retain control of his rapidly swelling eyelids long enough to get Sylvia to the ground and submit him. Now White is faced with the prospect of undermining Fedor's stature in the sport while simultaneously promoting Nogueira as a peerless champion. Hard to bleat about the mediocrity of the competition's star attraction when he trounced your top dog on 2.5 separate occasions.

The lesson is simple. Just because you fail to sign elite talent doesn't mean they should be victim to a disingenuous rant that labels them a "farce."

Five Questions in the Wake of UFC 81

There are so many mixed opinions on this subject, I think it's best for most of us to agree to disagree.

subgenius · 02-05-2008, 12:37 PM

I don't want to say that Fedor is a farce, but the Fedor-HMC match and the Fedor-Zuluzinho match does not help Fedor. Has Nogueira fought those types of circus matches? People worry about pro-wrestling entering MMA because of Brock Lesnar, but I say Fedor is helping that along much more than Lesnar ever could by having been involved with matches that look like WWE main events rather than matches from a respectable MMA promotion.

I guess you are right though, as we may have to end up agreeing to disagree. But, I think that the UFC Nuthuggers are just as polarized as the Fedor Nuthuggers. The UFC and Fedor/Management have made it this way together. But, for all we know, this could all be super-hype for an up-and-coming super-fight and some future super-event. It could be conspiracy. Maybe, the one point of contention in all of this, is just where and how to hold an event that respectfully pays tribute to a Fedor-Couture match?

Crazy · 02-05-2008, 12:40 PM

One of the first thing iI was thinking after Nog-Sylvia was like:

Fedor must be very good. I am sure he would take Sylvia by ease since his take down is a s good as it gets. I don`t see Nog beating him even though he got a greater chanse cus of his ground game. One of the few times I seen Fedor stressed is when Nog got on top in theire second fight. The armbar might have been there if it was not for the bell. Actually kind of sad we never got to know.

There are many ways to make rankings, thats why they suck, and will still do if Dana make them himself. Fedor is without doubht number one as a dominant HW and p4p of all time I would say. Then the question is if he still is number one?? No one have beaten him yet and the UFC champ have taken a beating twice. Hard for me to put Nog on top. Nog would need somone like Randy to beat to make that happen I think or to beat Fedor ofc.

At this very moment there is no one in UFC being a HW that he can beat to give him the status as nr 1 in the world.Big Nog is at the moment the best in UFC, the big problem is that UFC don`t have that good HW fighters.
Who is now Nog gonna meet?

Wedum/Mir/Kongo? Is beating them gonna make Nog a greater fighter?

The HW divission feels kind of empty at the moment........

T-Bone · 02-05-2008, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by subgenius

Is Sambo and the Red Devil Team the first born of Fedor?

No but you get the point.

"I can't leave undefeated. I can't give interviews, appear in films or advertising. I don't have the right to do anything without the UFC's agreement. I could do nothing without the OK from the UFC. I didn't have the right to compete in combat sambo competition. It's my national sport. It's the Russian sport, which in his time our president competed in, and I no longer have the right to do so. There were many such clauses; the contract was 18 pages in length. It was written in such a way that I had absolutely no rights while the UFC could at any moment, if something didn't suit them, tear up the agreement. We worked with lawyers who told us that it was patently impossible to sign such a document."

If you were Fedor, would you have signed?

Crashsti · 02-05-2008, 01:59 PM

You have to beat the best to be the best. Right now i think the UFC has the most talent under one roof. Do they have all the talent? of course not, as many notable fighters have chosen to be the big fish in smaller ponds. So i believe that fighters who consistently compete against other elite talent deserve to be ranked higher then good fighters like Fedor for example, who have chosen to compete against a lesser caliber of opponent.

Crazy · 02-05-2008, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crashsti

You have to beat the best to be the best. Right now i think the UFC has the most talent under one roof. Do they have all the talent? of course not, as many notable fighters have chosen to be the big fish in smaller ponds. So i believe that fighters who consistently compete against other elite talent deserve to be ranked higher then good fighters like Fedor for example, who have chosen to compete against a lesser caliber of opponent.

When I say it starts to look empty in the HW div. I am thinking abouth AA thet in my eyes is leaving, Randy says he is not comming back. Fedor is not there.
Babyface/Monsen is in other org. Most o this guys are the way I see it beter then Werdum who is number one contender in UFC. that makes me say they don`t have the best HW fighters.

Crashsti · 02-05-2008, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crazy

When I say it starts to look empty in the HW div. I am thinking abouth AA thet in my eyes is leaving, Randy says he is not comming back. Fedor is not there.
Babyface/Monsen is in other org. Most o this guys are the way I see it beter then Werdum who is number one contender in UFC. that makes me say they don`t have the best HW fighters.

Your looking at one division. I agree that the heavyweight division has always been the weakest but i attribute that to a worldwide lack of quailty heavyweight fighters. However i think the UFC has discovered quite a few unknown fighters who have already or will become excellent heavyweights such as Chieck Kongo and Brock Lesnar.

F_B · 02-05-2008, 02:43 PM

Whoever can pick up Ben Rothwell is in for a good investment.