Ratings as of February 21, 2008

– This is just a maintenance release.  Bouts were added from various times in MMA history.

– Implemented methods to incorporate professional bouts that are not on the Sherdog database.  This will be handled on a case-by-case basis in instances where results can be verified through an independent source.  We still rely 99.9% on Sherdog’s database.

Remember, if you want to view archived rankings, you can do so through the ‘Historical Rankings’ link within the ‘MMA Rankings’ dropdown.  We archive the first ranking sets in each calendar month.  Also, if you wish to comment on this release, or any other topic, please do so in the forums.

Ratings released on Feb 17, 2008 with the following considerations:

– SmackGirl, EliteXC, and other minor shows have results which affect primarily the Heavyweight and Women’s division.

– Version 1.03 of the rating system is launched.  The latest update has very minor changes.

– Top 60 rankings have been expanded to Top 75!!

Version 1.03

– Prevented excessive credit for opposition quality in cases of blow-out losses to much higher opposition.

– Corrected possible bug with regards to fighters losing beyond expected maximum points if recent opposition is extremely poor.

These changes will be present in set #7, which should be released on Sunday, Feb 17.  These changes will have very minor effects on the rankings.

The major changes in the rankings are due to the WEC 32 card, last night in Albuquerque.  Carlos Condit’s win boosts him up to #6 at Welterweight, but does nothing to help “unclog” the #6-12 area where top fighters are separated by hardly any points at all.  Bantamweight and Featherweight rankings have changed dramatically after last night’s WEC.  MMA needs this kind of competition in the lower weight divisions.

Look for the next update on Sunday.

Just a reminder, official update #6 will be released today, while #7 will be released either Sunday or Monday. Along with #7, we will further expand the rankings. The extent of this expansion will be determined at the time of the update.

This one is for those of you who harbor a vast interest in the analytical side of the sport. Here at FightMatrix, the software behind the scenes considers the participants and outcomes of professional MMA matches to come up with divisional rankings.

Not only does FightMetric look at the fight basics, but they hand select particular fights, and dig down into every intricacy of those fights, no matter how small, to come up with various metrics and statistics, including those which challenge the decisions of the judges. Furthermore, for UFC 81, they posted a “Total Performance Report” which offers a basic summary of each participating fighter’s individual performances.

To view these reports and gain a better understanding of their methodology, feel free to visit @ http://www.fightmetric.com

A very small update has been released.  Josh Rave, has blasted onto the extremely thin Flyweight (130 and under) rankings with a defeat over the previously ranked #9 fighter, Omar Chowdury.  Rave likely should have been ranked before this, but we did not know his division.  Also, some bout results have been updated and applied, causing one of Anthony Lapsley’s wins to be overturned, dropping him like a stone in the Welterweight division.  Set #6 will be released after the WEC show on 2/13.

Please remember to visit the forums and give us your feedback!