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It may be an understatement to say the UFC has some questionable rankings. You’d count on rankings to be questionable as they’re subjective; nevertheless, on this column, I’ll level out rankings that I believe are obvious errors. I will even analyze important motion within the rankings that I agree with.
Editorial Commentary by Peter Parsons
With no UFC this previous weekend, I believed I might spotlight a rating that makes completely no sense. I wrote about this in a Rankings Overview column in February, but it surely wasn’t the featured portion of the article. Norma Dumont remains to be ranked within the UFC girls’s bantamweight division regardless of not having fought at 135 kilos.
Norma Dumont ranked No. 15 at girls’s bantamweight
The present No. 15 ranked UFC girls’s bantamweight fighter Norma Dumont remarkably has not fought at bantamweight!
After making her UFC debut at featherweight in February of 2020 in a KO loss to Megan Anderson, Dumont tried to drop right down to bantamweight in her subsequent combat towards Ashlee Evans-Smith. Dumont missed the burden by 3.5 kilos, making the bout towards Evans-Smith a catchweight combat. Dumont has appeared spectacular in her final two fights with back-to-back wins over former featherweight title challenger Felicia Spencer and the present No. 4 ranked bantamweight Aspen Ladd; nevertheless, each of those fights have been at featherweight.
Dumont is scheduled to combat at featherweight once more in her subsequent combat towards Macy Chiasson at UFC 274 on Could 7. Chiasson is at present the No. 10 ranked bantamweight. Would a win for Dumont put her additional up the bantamweight rankings? In fact it mustn’t, however this illustrates the purpose that she shouldn’t be ranked at bantamweight within the first place.
Who ought to be ranked at bantamweight as an alternative of Dumont? Ladies’s bantamweight is among the UFC’s most shallow divisions. It doesn’t take a lot of a streak to be ranked at 135 within the girls’s division.
After dropping to Tracy Cortez in her UFC debut in October of 2020, Stephanie Eggar has gained two in a row with two finishes at bantamweight. The Swiss fighter gained her first UFC combat over Shanna Younger by second spherical TKO in October of final 12 months. Eggar is coming off a primary spherical armbar submission victory over Jessica-Rose Clark in February. Clark, who most likely ought to have been ranked on the time, had gained two in a row herself going into the combat.
Ladies’s MMA veteran Alexis Davis is one other unranked bantamweight coming off a formidable win in February. After a number of fights at flyweight, Davis returned to the division the place she as soon as challenged Ronda Rousey for the title. Davis defeated Columbian prospect Sabina Mazo by unanimous determination in February of 2021. The Canadian returned at UFC 263 in June and misplaced an in depth determination to present No. 12 Pannie Kianzad. Davis placed on a strong efficiency in February defeating former Invicta FC bantamweight champion Julija Stoliarenko by unanimous determination. The 37-year-old veteran is now 7-3 within the UFC girls’s bantamweight division.
Casey O’Neill blasts Julianna Pena for Ronda Rousey comments
One other fighter who I believe may very well be ranked and can be ranked on the high of the bantamweight division is Germaine de Randamie. The previous undefeated kickboxing world champ final fought in October of 2020 when she defeated present champ Juliana Pena by third spherical guillotine choke. I agree with a fighter being out of the rankings as a result of inactivity after 18 months, however the issue is the dearth of consistency on the UFC’s half. I’ve written a number of occasions on this column about how Sergei Pavlovich and Shamil Abdurakhimov have each remained within the rankings after being inactive for greater than two years.
I’ve been scripting this column for over a 12 months now and have made many arguments in terms of rankings. Within the case of Norma Dumont being ranked at bantamweight, this could not even be debatable. How may a fighter be ranked in a division with out having fought in that division? Beating a high bantamweight in Aspen Ladd at featherweight, mustn’t get you ranked at bantamweight when you’ve gotten by no means made the bantamweight (136 pound) weight restrict.
Upcoming Notable UFC Ladies’s Bantamwight Fights
April 16 – (12) Pannie Kianzad vs. (11) Lina Lansberg
Could 21 – (5) Ketlen Vieira vs. (2) Holly Holm
TBD – (1) Amanda Nunes vs. (C) Juliana Pena
My rankings would look totally different than another author or fan who follows the game carefully. That is to be anticipated, as rankings are subjective. Rankings ought to be primarily based totally on outcomes and never perceived potential or reputation.
Some folks suppose rankings don’t matter. Rankings do matter. They matter in terms of matchmaking. They matter in terms of contract negotiations.
Let’s maintain the rankings dialog going. Do you agree or disagree with the above Rating Overview? Express your thoughts in the comments below.
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