Shane Burgos rips the UFC Rankings system after plummeting 5 spots following loss to Josh Emmett

Shane Burgos has been added to the list of UFC fighters who have called out the promotion’s questionable ranking system.

The UFC’s ranking board has received wide criticism over the way it ranks fighters. Last year, a Reddit user discovered the flawed methods that the organization implements to rank its fighters. He posted an in-depth rundown of all 14 panellists who determine the final rankings, and revealed that a third are not even active MMA media members. The UFC have been criticized for ranking fighters based on their media presence, and personality, not just their fighting record. Jon Jones, Edson Barboza and Leon Edwards have all called out the current system and its shortcoming of late.

Now, featherweight standout Burgos is calling out the system after dropping 5 spots following his loss to Josh Emmett. At UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Volkov, “Hurricane” faced off against Emmett in the co-main event. His opponent won by decision and secured his third consecutive victory.

On Tuesday, it was revealed that Emmett remained at No.8 right behind Frankie Edgar. Meanwhile Burgos dropped five spots to number 14, behind the likes of Jose Aldo, Arnold Allen, Ryan Hall and Dan Ige. According to the 29-year old, the significant fall on the UFC board added insult to injury.

“Dude, it’s f**kin’ weird,” Burgos told MMA Fighting while appearing on What the Heck. “I lost and I was pissed enough because I felt like I won, but to have that happen on top of that, that was a slap to my f**kin’ face. I lost to the No. 8 ranked guy, a guy that’s been sleeping everybody that he’s been fighting. I went out there and had a f**kin’ Fight of the Year potential kind of fight and then you’re gonna disrespect me like that?

“I f**kin’ hate the rankings. They kind of f**k everything up because, obviously, you only want to fight guys who are ahead of you so you only have X amount of matchups that you can even go for. On top of that, you want to knock me back even more? What the f**k more do you want? I lost a close fight to the No. 8 guy when I was ranked 10. How do I go back that many spots?

A fighter’s position on the UFC rankings can have an affect on sponsorship deals, contract negotiations and future matchups. While Shane Burgos acknowledges that the system is down to opinion, he is still disheartened by the updated outcome.

“A lot of people are like, ‘F**k that, the rankings don’t mean sh*t. Don’t stress it,’” he said. “To an extent, I completely agree. They don’t mean sh*t. They’re somebody’s opinion, but on the other hand, they do mean something. It’s crazy. They don’t mean something, but when it matters they do mean something. It’s frustrating.”

Do you think the UFC needs to change the way it ranks fighters?