Chris Daukaus tells the UFC to “pull him from the rankings” after Shamil Abdurakhimov withdraws from fight

UFC heavyweight Chris Daukaus told the UFC to “pull him from the rankings” after Shamil Abdurakhimov withdrew from their upcoming fight.

The heavyweight matchup pitting Daukaus vs. Abdurakhimov was expected to be the co-main event of this weekend’s UFC Vegas 33 card, but the fight was canceled when Abdurakhimov was forced out due to COVID-19 protocols with his camp. For Abdurakhimov, this was yet another canceled fight for the Russian, who hasn’t fought since a TKO loss to Curtis Blaydes at UFC 242: Nurmagomedov vs. Poirier in September 2019. Since then, Abdurakhimov’s last five fights have all be canceled. But despite having not fought in nearly two years, for some reason, Abdurakhimov is still ranked in the top-10.

If you ask Daukaus, it’s not right that a fighter who has spent the last two years sidelined is still ranked in the top-15. Taking to his social media after hearing the disappointing news that his fight this weekend was off, the Philadelphia police officer vented his frustrations.

A guy who's had two years of rest felt too weak to fight. Pull him from the rankings and give me his spot. Anyone else in the top ten also too weak to fight me? #UFCVegas33

— Chris Daukaus (@ChrisDaukausMMA) July 27, 2021

A guy who’s had two years of rest felt too weak to fight. Pull him from the rankings and give me his spot. Anyone else in the top ten also too weak to fight me? #UFCVegas33

One of the criticisms of the UFC rankings is that some fighters remain in them far too long despite having not fought in multiple years. For example, Abdurakhimov is still ranked despite not having fought since 2019. But at other times, a fighter will be pulled from the rankings for inactivity, such as when Leon Edwards was temporarily yanked from them before agreeing to make his return earlier this year. Regardless, it’s clear that Daukaus is not a fan of Abdurakhimov, and the two will now meet at UFC 266 in September instead.

Do you agree with Chris Daukaus that Shamil Abdurakhimov should be pulled from the UFC heavyweight rankings?