The UFC’s official fighter rankings have been a point of contention for years, with fans often questioning their credibility. Former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz believes he has the answer and it has little to do with actual results inside the Octagon. Speaking on Demetrious Johnson’s MightyCast. Cruz revealed his perspective: the rankings are essentially tied to how much money a fighter is making, not strictly their wins and losses.
Rankings Built on Paper, Not Performance
“My experience, the way the rankings are made are according to how you wrote your contract last,” Cruz explained. “So if I renegotiate my contract, get paid like a title challenger, and then lose a fight, I’m still making that money. You’re telling me I just lost and they’re going to rank me No. 10? They’re not going to pay me title money for that. So the true ranking is how much your contract is written for.”
In Cruz’s view, the UFC is incentivized to keep highly paid fighters in prominent spots, even after losses, in order to justify the investment.
A Career Lived in the System
Cruz knows the business well. For years, he operated in the championship pay bracket. While competing in high-profile fights against stars like Urijah Faber, Cody Garbrandt, T.J. Dillashaw, and Henry Cejudo. Despite injuries that limited his activity, he consistently received marquee matchups a reflection, he believes, of the UFC’s desire to get value from the money on his deal.
“Even if I lost the title, even if I lost two in a row. They’re still giving me top 5 because I’m getting paid so much they want to see me get beat to death for that money,” Cruz said.
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Robert LaMar is a writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
