Some have jumped the line into the rankings from their work in other promotions.įinally, I needed to add a Knockdown Bonus (KB) to represent the average knockdown bonus they've received in their past five fights. Some fighters did not quite have five appearances, but it was an average of what they've had. In addition to per-minute scoring, I've also calculated an Average Win Bonus (AWB) for the fighter's last five appearances. I've multiplied this figure by 15 in the calculation to represent the fighter's level of activity throughout a normally-scheduled UFC bout. This metric takes the fighter's rate of FanDuel points per minute excluding bonuses, compiled by significant strikes, takedowns, and submission attempts. This starts with their rate of FanDuel Points Per Minute Excluding Bonuses (FDPPM). The calculation of evaluating these fighters came from a representation of what they provide in terms of FanDuel scoring over the course of 15 minutes. Due to a lack of experience in some of the women's divisions, I've also instituted a three-fight minimum for those ranked. While these rankings aren't perfect (or, trust me, the least bit scientific), there is a baseline level of experience and success required to find the top-15 spots of any UFC weight class.Īfter all, if they're posting these numbers against ranked competition, they'd destroy lower-level foes. In order to be eligible, the fighter must be ranked in UFC's official rankings in at least one weight class. Here are the pound-for-pound top-15 fighters in UFC - for fantasy purposes - right now in 2023. This is the second edition of a yearly check-in I hope to do every Memorial Day week - as this is a weekend UFC historically will always take off in observance - where we look at the cream of the crop.

There's just no salary that's too high in any structure for a dominant favorite who will push the pace and score points. When they come around onto a FanDuel card, these stars are worth consideration in any matchup. With so much on the line, fighters take every ounce of reasonable time to prepare for a match. The average is less than two fights per turn of the calendar. Even the most active UFC fighters will appear only three or four times a year. We also just see them less often than other athletes during a calendar year. Its brightest stars and even many of its champions aren't the best fighters for a spot on FanDuel. Mike Trout has been near the top of fantasy drafts his entire career.Įven in individual sports, Rory McIlroy and Kyle Busch have been winning golf tournaments and NASCAR races for over a decade. LeBron James has been a stat stuffer since 2003. Davante Adams has been catching touchdowns for years. In any other sport, it's very obvious who the best players in fantasy are. UFC is so new as a sport - founded in November of 1993 - that even this stuff seems hard.

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