Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Rankings Of Mma Fighters, Michael Schaefer

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Ranking is an essential process that allows sporting authorities to determine the relative performance of athletes. While ranking is straightforward in some sports, it is more complicated in MMA (mixed martial arts), where competition is often fragmented. This paper describes the mathematics behind four existing ranking algorithms: Elo’s System, Massey’s Method, Colley’s Method, and Google’s PageRank, and shows how to adapt them to rank MMA fighters in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). We also provide a performance analysis for each ranking method.