Dominick Cruz has an idea of how UFC rankings are actually made.
For years, fans have questioned the methodology behind official rankings, with the UFC still maintaining a dark panel of media members (some of which are vague or completely inactive), and UFC CEO Dana White frequently criticising it.
In an interview with Demetrious Johnson’s MightycastCruz explained that the numbers next to the fighter’s name are related to numbers from the latest contract, as opposed to performance in the cage.
“My experience, how I create rankings, follows the way I wrote the contract last,” Cruz said. “So, if I write a big contract to fight you, renegotiate in battle number 4, then asked me to fight you to fight you with one week’s notice for the title, I’ll have the opportunity to renegotiate my contract, and I’ll probably say I can negotiate really well.
“Now they’re paying me, you’re telling me, I just lost, they’re going to give me number 10 now?” Cruz continued. “But I’m making money to fight for the title. They’re not going to pay me the title money (for that).
Cruz, who retired from the sport in February, was in the Championship Pay Bracket for many years as the incumbent UFC bantamweight champion. The injury limited his appointments, but he played in several high-profile matches with Urija Faber, Cody Garbrandt, TJ Dillashaw and Henry Sejude.
Even if the current fighters at the top of the rankings start to slump, UFC matchmakers understand that they will continue to offer well-known opponents to earn profits from their investment.
“Even if I lose the title, even if I lose two in a row, they still give me the top five because I want to see me beat for that money,” Cruz said.
Cruz and Johnson then made a brief debate about whether UFC-level MMA should still be considered a sport, given the apparently whimsical nature of the rankings and how it affects the carriers of fighter jets. While “Mighty Mouse” has long argued that it is more entertainment than sport at that time, Cruz believes it is a sport based on the shared consensus that all athletes have when they decide to step into their cages.
“When fighters are able to surrender to the fact that their rankings aren’t based on your skills, it’s based on the person you want to see, then you’re ranked. …I think it’s still a sport, it’s not only wrapped in a separate package, but we’re all okay with that or not,” Cruz said. “I’ve still signed up. I’m still here. I’m still going to do that. I’m still going to sign.”