On April 2, 2025, UFC CEO Dana White made an official announcement regarding the promotion's partnership with Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta to restructure the entire ranking system across the weight divisions. The proposal for the inclusion of AI in formulating the rankings of each fighter across different divisions has met with diverse reactions from the community, including even speculations of the new system directed towards the heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Ahead of his bout at UFC 31 5, current welterweight champion Belal Muhammad joins the line of fighters who have vouched for White’s proposal of incorporating AI into the ranking system.
Belal Muhammad disses inactive rank holders of the welterweight division, in the likes of Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington Belal Muhammad’s journey in the UFC kicked off with a defeat against Alan Jouban at UFC Fight Night. Ever since the fighter has bounced back and has kept his losses in check, taking his MMA record to a whopping 24-3-0. The fighter is now scheduled to fight Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 . While the current welterweight champion prepares to defend his title, JDM is on a mission to claim the world championship title. Both fighters are at their peak, with Maddalena not having a single loss ever since his debut in the UFC.
Ahead of the highly anticipated bout, Muhammad, in a talk with Submission Radio, talks about his upcoming fight, the current state of the welterweight division, Islam Makhachev ’s rumored move up to the welterweight division, Ilia Topuria not deserving the lightweight title shot and many other issues. While talking about the current state of the welterweight division, the fighter seemed positive.
“I think the division is the best that it’s ever been in a while. And they have got the best welterweight that’s ever been at the top right now and so he [winner of UFC 315] is willing to fight all these fights. So it doesn’t matter who’s going to win. All I need is a call in date from the UFC” Muhammad stated while talking about his possible next bout after UFC 315.
The response was followed by a welterweight fight opinion. When asked about who would probably win between Kamaru Usman and Joaquin Buckley, Muhammad was quick to take the side of Buckley, considering that Usman has not been active inside the Octagon for a couple of years. Despite being inactive, Usman still manages to be on the top ranking within the division, to which Muhammad was not very keen.
“I mean you still got Colby Covington on the top rank, right? I don’t know who does these rankings, but they need to get the AI system in there immediately. Because these guys don’t belong in the rankings. These guys don’t belong in there right now. And they are just sitting at their spots.There’s plenty of more deserving guys that belong in there.”
Colby Covington, despite his ranking within the division, has been on a disappointing run lately. The gap between his fights is almost a year, sometimes even more, and the results are not in his favor either. Similarly, Nigerian fighter Kamaru Usman has not fought for almost 2 years, and despite being inactive, he is placed at number 4 in the division.
Also read: Top UFC welterweight contender welcomes Islam Makhachev's move up: “He's the perfect example of the new evolution of fighters”
Dana White’s AI-based ranking system is expected to debut towards the latter half of the year. While the structure is being developed, divisions across the promotion have witnessed some major changes. Members of the combat sports community are eagerly waiting to see if the new system can effectively bring in significant changes within the promotion.
Belal Muhammad disses inactive rank holders of the welterweight division, in the likes of Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington Belal Muhammad’s journey in the UFC kicked off with a defeat against Alan Jouban at UFC Fight Night. Ever since the fighter has bounced back and has kept his losses in check, taking his MMA record to a whopping 24-3-0. The fighter is now scheduled to fight Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 . While the current welterweight champion prepares to defend his title, JDM is on a mission to claim the world championship title. Both fighters are at their peak, with Maddalena not having a single loss ever since his debut in the UFC.
Ahead of the highly anticipated bout, Muhammad, in a talk with Submission Radio, talks about his upcoming fight, the current state of the welterweight division, Islam Makhachev ’s rumored move up to the welterweight division, Ilia Topuria not deserving the lightweight title shot and many other issues. While talking about the current state of the welterweight division, the fighter seemed positive.
“I think the division is the best that it’s ever been in a while. And they have got the best welterweight that’s ever been at the top right now and so he [winner of UFC 315] is willing to fight all these fights. So it doesn’t matter who’s going to win. All I need is a call in date from the UFC” Muhammad stated while talking about his possible next bout after UFC 315.
The response was followed by a welterweight fight opinion. When asked about who would probably win between Kamaru Usman and Joaquin Buckley, Muhammad was quick to take the side of Buckley, considering that Usman has not been active inside the Octagon for a couple of years. Despite being inactive, Usman still manages to be on the top ranking within the division, to which Muhammad was not very keen.
“I mean you still got Colby Covington on the top rank, right? I don’t know who does these rankings, but they need to get the AI system in there immediately. Because these guys don’t belong in the rankings. These guys don’t belong in there right now. And they are just sitting at their spots.There’s plenty of more deserving guys that belong in there.”
Colby Covington, despite his ranking within the division, has been on a disappointing run lately. The gap between his fights is almost a year, sometimes even more, and the results are not in his favor either. Similarly, Nigerian fighter Kamaru Usman has not fought for almost 2 years, and despite being inactive, he is placed at number 4 in the division.
Also read: Top UFC welterweight contender welcomes Islam Makhachev's move up: “He's the perfect example of the new evolution of fighters”
Dana White’s AI-based ranking system is expected to debut towards the latter half of the year. While the structure is being developed, divisions across the promotion have witnessed some major changes. Members of the combat sports community are eagerly waiting to see if the new system can effectively bring in significant changes within the promotion.
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