Azerbaijani mixed martial arts fighter Rafael Fiziev has emerged as one of the athletes most affected by the UFC's transition to a new ranking system.
As reported by İdman.Biz, the promotion has launched Meta UFC Rankings, a new model that is gradually set to replace the traditional media-based rankings. While fighter positions were previously determined through voting by members of the media, the UFC is now moving to a mathematical system developed in partnership with Meta.
The previous UFC rankings had been in place since 2013. They were compiled by a panel of journalists and representatives of combat sports media outlets, who submitted weekly top-15 rankings for each division as well as pound-for-pound lists. The votes were then aggregated and averaged. Only fighters considered active by the UFC were eligible for inclusion. The system often generated controversy because it relied heavily on subjective opinions.
UFC president Dana White has repeatedly criticized the old approach. He has stated on several occasions that he was dissatisfied with the rankings and believed there should be a more accurate way to evaluate fighters.
At the same time, the UFC has stressed an important point: the new system should not be viewed as a ranking that is simply "generated by artificial intelligence" every week. According to reports from CBS Sports, machine learning was used during the development of the model, while the rankings themselves are now calculated mathematically according to a fixed set of rules.
Meta UFC Rankings takes into account victories, the quality of opponents, methods of victory, activity levels, career trajectory, the timing of previous fights and divisional factors. Winning remains the most important element, especially when combined with victories over highly ranked opponents. The system also rewards activity and gradually reduces the weight of older results. Periods of inactivity begin to affect rankings after 18 months, while older fights steadily lose significance over time.
This is why Fiziev's case can be described as a situation in which a fighter has, at least indirectly, "been hurt by artificial intelligence." Under the previous media rankings, he remained in the lightweight top 15 and was ranked No. 11. However, in the new Meta UFC Rankings, Fiziev has fallen outside the division's top 15 altogether.
Importantly, the UFC has not yet completely removed the old media rankings. During the transition period, both systems will exist in parallel. However, the organization has officially announced the beginning of the shift toward Meta UFC Rankings as the future ranking standard. As a result, Fiziev's upcoming fight carries added importance, as it could influence not only his sporting reputation but also his return to the top 15 under the new model.
In this regard, the upcoming UFC event in Baku will serve as the first practical test of the new ranking era. Meta UFC Rankings was introduced on June 22, and the first UFC event to take place after its launch will be UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs. Torres on June 27 at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku. Consequently, the results of the event are expected to contribute to one of the first ranking updates under the new system.
The main event will see Fiziev face Mexico's Manuel Torres in a lightweight bout. For the Azerbaijani star, it will be more than just a home fight — it will also be an opportunity to answer the algorithm with a victory inside the Octagon.
In the co-main event, Sharabutdin Magomedov will take on Brazil's Michel Pereira. The card will also feature several other Azerbaijani fighters. Nazim Sadykhov is scheduled to face Brazilian contender Mateus Camilo, Farman Hasanov will make his promotional debut against American fighter Eric Nolan, while Tair Abdullaev is set to make his UFC debut against Brazil's Jefferson Nascimento.
As a result, UFC Baku is shaping up to be not only a landmark event for Azerbaijani MMA but also the first major examination of the UFC's new ranking system.
