Tapology MMA Rankings

The most comprehensive rankings platform in mixed martial arts.

About Tapology Rankings

Rankings Overview

What are the different kinds of rankings found on Tapology?

There are five broad categories of rankings:

  • Worldwide Rankings
  • All Time Rankings
  • Annual Rankings
  • Regional Rankings
  • Custom Rankings

Detailed information about each of these rankings can be found below in this FAQ.

How does Tapology create its rankings?

With the exception of the Regional Rankings, it doesn't create them. You, the site members, do. As a registered member of the site, you are able to build your own custom rankings of fighters, bouts and events across a variety of categories.

Tapology differs from other sources publishing MMA rankings because instead of reflecting the opinions of a single observer, the site automatically takes into account all of its members' rankings. This creates consensus MMA rankings that are more democratic and encompass a broader range of views. With Tapology rankings your voice can be heard and influence the world of MMA rankings.

As the rankings of site users change and respond to news and fight results, Tapology's consensus rankings will change in real-time as you and others see fit - no more waiting days or weeks to see what fighters and bouts are rising and falling.

What about Regional Rankings?

Regional Rankings are handled differently due to the sheer volume of fighters competing as amateurs and as professionals around the globe in various weight classes. Tapology's Regional Ranking algorithm takes into account a variety of attributes to continuously rate the best fighters in over 80 regions in every weight class. This approach is necessary as it would not be possible for individual site members to single-handedly keep track of such a vast amount of data. More info on Regional Rankings can be found below.

How do I build my own rankings?

First, you will need to be a registered user and signed in. Then just go to the Rankings Main Page, view any ranking that catches your eye and press 'Edit Your Ranking' to enter your builder page. Locate fighters or bouts from the right hand builder tool and double-click entries over to populate your list. Drag items up and down to reorder your list. Add your comments, and make sure to save your changes. You can go back in to make changes as many times as you want.

Who can see my rankings?

Your personal rankings are public. Any site visitor (registered or unregistered) coming to your profile page will be able to access your rankings as well as any commentary you have added to these pages.

What are the standards for how to judge 'All Time' greatest rankings?

We realize that many of the titles of our rankings, like "The Greatest Fights of All Time," are ambiguous and can be defined several ways. Does it refer to the biggest fights? The most exciting fights? The ones showcasing the highest skill levels? We don't know, and we purposely do not try to tell you. Your rankings are your own, for you to define and build as you see fit. The forums are there for you to discuss why you created your rankings the way you did.

Where can I discuss my rankings?

Every ranking on the site is tied to a dedicated forum where discussion of that ranking can take place. Any posts made in these forums will automatically import your ranking information. This way you don't need to type up your rankings themselves in your forum posts - those will simply appear to help the conversation flow.

What is the maximum number of entries I can make for one of my rankings?

There is no set maximum for any particular list or ranking. Rank away. We're curious what you think the 263rd best submission of all time was. We recommend saving your progress frequently on the ranking builder page when you are building long lists or writing extensive commentary -- don't let your hard work go to waste by forgetting to save it.

What if I can't find the fighter or bout I want to add to my list?

It is possible it's not in our database if the entry you are looking for is obscure. If the fighter or bout you were looking for was from a major organization like the UFC or Bellator you will be able to find what you are looking for. We also have fighters and results for thousands of other events available. As for the remaining stuff that's truly not yet in our database, this should happen less frequently over time as we add more information to the Tapology FightCenter.

It is also possible that the entry you are looking for does not match the parameters of the list you are building. For example, if you are building a ranking of Top Heavyweights, only fighters who are currently classified as heavyweights will be available. Otherwise, fighters will remain eligible for Tapology fighter rankings even if they are retired, inactive, on medical or disciplinary suspension, or unsigned with a promotion.

If you still can't find what you are looking for, you can make a suggestion to us using the contact form, and we'll do our best to make it available.

Tapology Worldwide Rankings

What are Worldwide Rankings?

"Worldwide" describes the elite level of mixed martial arts. Fighters appearing in the Worldwide Rankings are typically active in major league organizations such as the UFC and Bellator. These fighters are ranked at a worldwide level among the entire landscape of the sport, as opposed to Regional Rankings which rate the fighters competing in individual geographic regions around the world.

What are the different Worldwide Rankings?

There is a Worldwide Ranking for each of the following men's divisions:

  • Flyweight (125 lbs), Bantamweight (135 lbs), Featherweight (145 lbs), Lightweight (155 lbs)
  • Welterweight (170 lbs), Middleweight (185 lbs), Light Heavyweight (205 lbs), Heavyweight (265 lbs)
  • Pound for Pound (any weight class), Fan Favorite (popularity contest - men and women combined)

There is a Worldwide Ranking for each of the following women's divisions:

  • Atomweight (105 lbs), Strawweight (115 lbs), Flyweight (125 lbs)
  • Bantamweight (135 lbs), Featherweight (145 lbs)
  • Pound for Pound (any weight class), Fan Favorite (popularity contest - men and women combined)

    How are the Worldwide Rankings calculated?

    The rankings are calculated based on "voting" by registered Tapology members. Any Tapology member is free to create their own version of any Worldwide Ranking category. As users update their own individual rankings, Tapology continuously calculates and determines its consensus rankings based off of this information. This creates consensus MMA rankings that are more democratic and encompass a broader range of views.

    More specifically, how are the consensus rankings calculated?

    Tapology uses a Multiple Winner Modified Borda Count to determine the consensus rankings. Points are awarded to each item that a Tapology member ranks in their own list. The more items that are in a user's list, the higher the points that will be allocated for that list. In other words, a user that ranks only 5 fighters in their list will carry less weighting than a user that ranks 50 items in their list.

    Two additional factors play an important role in the consensus rankings calculation. The first is Tapology member experience (status) as determined by belt level. Higher belt levels will have their rankings weighted more importantly than infrequent or brand new Tapology users. The second additional factor is the recency of the update. User rankings that have been updated most recently will receive far greater weighting in the consensus calculation than those which have not been updated in some time.

    Are Worldwide Rankings tracked over time?

    Yes, Tapology maintains a history of how each of the Worldwide Rankings changes over time so that trends and movements among fighters can be tracked. By visiting the page for any fighter on a Worldwide Ranking list, a charted history will be shown of how the fighter has progressed within the ranking over time.

    Tapology Regional Rankings

    What are Regional Rankings?

    Regional Rankings are the ratings system for fighters across the globe in over 80 different geographic regions. As opposed to Worldwide Rankings which rate the elite fighters in organizations such as the UFC, Regional Rankings assess fighters in the much larger world of regional and local MMA action. Regional Rankings are provided for both men's and women's divisions, for each weight class, and for both professional and amateur levels.

    How are Regional Rankings calculated?

    Regional Rankings are calculated using Tapology's proprietary fighter rating algorithm, which incorporates information including:

    • Regional Eligibility. This is determined based on the geographic location of each of a fighter's past bouts. Fighters can be eligible for multiple regions as long as they have been sufficiently active in that area.
    • Weight Classes. Each of the fighter's past bouts determines which weight classes they are eligible to be ranked at. A fighter must have been active in the weight class at least once in their last 3 fights to be eligible at the weight. Fighters may be ranked in multiple weight classes so long as they fought in each weight class in their last 3.
    • Wins and Losses. Wins help a fighter's Regional Ranking while Losses hurt.
    • Quality of Opponents. Each opponent's record at the time of the fight is factored in and influences the positive or negative impact that the fight will have on the rankings. A win over a quality opponent will be far more influential than a win over a weak opponent. And in reverse, a loss to a quality opponent will not hurt a fighter's ranking as much as a loss to a weak opponent.
    • Recency of Fights. More recent fights hold greater influence over rankings than older fights, which have progressively less importance. This continues until reaching the 5-year-ago mark, at which point the fights have zero weighting.
    • Inactive Fighters. A fighter must have had at least one fight in the prior 2 year period in order to be eligible for any Regional Ranking.
    • Experience. Up to a certain extent, the more fights that a fighter has had, the more that they have demonstrated and proven the lasting validity of their performances. A small experience factor is used in the rankings, including for experience beyond the 5-year-ago mark.
    • Major Promotion Activity. Fighters participating in bouts for major promotions (such as the UFC and Bellator) can disqualify them from Regional Rankings depending on the number of fights for the major promotion and whether or not the fighter has returned to participating in local/regional shows subsequent to their major promotion activity.

    Do user or Tapology staff opinions influence the rankings?

    No user opinions are included in Regional Rankings calculations. The rankings are entirely calculated based on the Tapology Regional Ranking algorithm, which is applied in the same way across all regions and fighters.

    How often are Regional Rankings updated?

    Each geographic region will be processed through the Regional Ranking algorithm once every 72 hours.

    If my record is incorrect or incomplete on Tapology will it impact the rankings?

    Yes, the Regional Rankings system is based on the fighter records that are entered into our FightCenter database. If fights are missing from a fighter's record it means we have not incorporated those fights into the rankings.

    Contact us if there are errors or omissions that need to be addressed on your record. Tapology will do its best to evaluate the missing information and determine if it can be added to our database. Please understand that partial or unverifiable information cannot be added to the FightCenter.

    How does Tapology choose which Regional Ranking to display on a fighter, bout or event page?

    The website attempts to determine the most relevant or appropriate ranking to display based on a variety of factors. Just because one ranking is displayed in one part of the Tapology site does not mean that the fighter is not ranked in other regions or weight classes.

    Can I use Tapology's Regional Rankings on my own website or social media, or for promotional purposes?

    Yes, provided that you list Tapology as the source of the rankings.

    Tapology All Time Rankings

    What are All Time Rankings?

    All Time rankings represent the greatest fights, moments, events, and athletes in the entire history of the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. While highly subjective, these rankings provide for endless healthy (or unhealthy) debate among MMA enthusiasts, as well as offer new fight fans an easy way to learn about the most important personalities and fights that have ever taken place.

    What are the different All Time Rankings?

    There is an All Time ranking for each of the following "fight" categories:

    • Biggest Upsets, Greatest Comebacks, Greatest Events, Greatest Fights, Greatest Knockouts, Greatest Submissions
    • Greatest Fights by weight class for Flyweight (125 lbs) through Heavyweight (265 lbs)

    There is an All Time ranking for each of the following "athlete" categories:

    • Greatest Fighters, Greatest Grapplers, Greatest Strikers

    How are the All Time rankings calculated?

    Like the Worldwide Rankings, All Time rankings are based on "voting" by registered Tapology members. See the Worldwide Rankings section for more detail on how the calculations are made.

    Tapology Annual Rankings

    What are Annual Rankings?

    Like the name suggests, Annual Rankings are for establishing the greatest fighters, events and bouts within a given calendar year. The best moments of the year help fans and the media stack up recent MMA events and action against other moments from that period in time, instead of having to stack everything against the tall shadow of the "Greatest of All Time" rankings.

    What are the different Annual Rankings?

    For each year since 2010, Tapology has created Annual Rankings for:

    • Submissions of the Year, KO's of the Year, Fights of the Year, Fighters of the Year, Events of the Year

    How are the Annual rankings calculated?

    Like the Worldwide Rankings, Annual rankings are based on "voting" by registered Tapology members. See the Worldwide Rankings section for more detail on how the calculations are made.

    Custom Rankings

    What are Custom Rankings?

    Despite having Worldwide, All Time, Annual and Regional Rankings to satisfy your craving for MMA ratings, we decided it was not enough. With Custom Rankings you have the ability to name, design and set the rules for entirely new rankings. These lists can be profane, serious, hilarious, downright weird, or maybe just fill a gap that Tapology's other ranking options don't quite cover.

    Tapology members can design a new custom ranking by selecting it to be either a Fighter, Bout or Event ranking, which will dictate the type of items that can be ranked in the list. Additional criteria such as date ranges, gender, nationality, promotion and weight class can all be applied to restrict the items from Tapology's FightCenter database that can be added to the ranking.

    After designing a new custom ranking, any Tapology user can make their own list based off of this "blueprint."

    What are the different Custom Rankings?

    Hundreds of custom designs have been generated and are available on Tapology. Some of the most popular include "All Time Greatest Nicknames," "Most Well Rounded Fighters," "Greatest Facial Hair," the respectfully named "Shitlist," "Best UFC Event Poster", and "Worst Robberies." There is no lack of creativity on exhibit with the Custom Rankings.

    How are the Custom Rankings calculated?

    Like the Worldwide Rankings, Custom Rankings are based on "voting" by registered Tapology members. See the Worldwide Rankings section for more detail on how the calculations are made.

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