Dana White thinks an algorithm can solve the UFC’s most persistent headache, but Beneil Dariush isn’t ready to trust the machine just yet. In UFC, rankings remain a highly controversial subject that never fails to stir debate. Previously, marquee fighters like Alexandre Pantoja have complained about being misrepresented in the rankings, even after making a strong case for a spot in the top five pound-for-pound list. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

To curb such an ever-present problem, Dana White has been working on implementing AI into the current ranking system. Now, in an exclusive interview ahead of his bout with Quillan Salkilld at UFC Perth this weekend, Beneil Dariush weighs in on how an AI-driven ranking system would look.

“I mean, we make too much of AI,” Dariush told EssentiallySports. “Ultimately, AI goes off of human information. So AI can only do what we give AI. It can’t do more than that. I haven’t seen AI come up with like new things or whatever. So, yeah, would there be a difference if AI gets involved? Maybe.

“Maybe, it would use more fan input. But ultimately, it would look at all the websites and all the rankings they do, and maybe it would do it like that. That would be good. But at the same time, it has to leave out guys that are not in the UFC. So it would be interesting to see what AI would do.”

It appears the No. 12-ranked lightweight is not particularly concerned about AI’s move into combat sports. When it comes to the UFC’s current ranking process, it’s determined by a weekly voting system, where a panel of media members ranks the top 15 fighters in each division—a process established in 2023. Though it worked for quite some time, it eventually started showing flaws in how fighters were placed and became a subject of fan backlash.

After publicly calling the media members “incompetent,” Dana White began initiating a major shift toward an AI-driven ranking system. This wasn’t the UFC’s first foray into AI. The promotion had already partnered with IBM in 2024 for fight analytics—but the pivotal deal for the rankings themselves was struck in 2025 with Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta platform.

The UFC signed an extensive deal with the social media giant, bringing in several AI-related advancements, with rankings being one of them. In a TNT Sports interview last year, White confirmed having several meetings with Zuckerberg and his team to implement an AI-based ranking model. However, the UFC boss admitted that not everything can be solved by AI, so he intended to make a hybrid system by adding a human layer to it.

Now, Dana White has indicated that AI-based rankings would begin in 2025. But as of now, it seems the system is still in development and not fully automated. That said, beyond divisional rankings, the UFC has also started using the same technology in its production, much to the chagrin of some well-known fighters in the promotion. 

UFC fighter slams AI-driven teasers for Freedom 250 card

Recently, the UFC has been relying heavily on AI in its content production, especially for teasers and trailers. At UFC Seattle, fans noticed the use of AI in a trailer and complained that the promotion was replacing human labor. When a reporter asked Dana White about it during the post-fight presser, the UFC CEO gave a blunt response, remarking, “Who gives a s—t.” It indicated that the company would continue using AI, and they actually did.

During the UFC 327 broadcast, the promotion unveiled the much-anticipated trailer for UFC Freedom 250, which showed Ilia Topuria, Alex Pereira, and other marquee stars stepping out of cars and meeting with Dana White at the White House. But the video quickly drew criticism from fans, who felt it looked artificial. Echoing those sentiments, lightweight contender Renato Moicano publicly called out the company.

“UFC is not going to be very happy for me to say that, but I didn’t like it,” Moicano told Ariel Helwani. “I think that’s disrespectful towards the fans, because I am a fan myself. If you can’t put Alex Pereira or Ilia Topuria on an airplane and put them in Washington in front of the White House, I don’t think that’s good.

“I think that’s sloppy. I don’t like to use AI in my stuff. I’m not saying AI doesn’t help, some stuff I use AI. But not for content. Because I think people can see that’s just sloppy. That’s brainrot.”

While Dana White remains committed to the AI revolution, the pushback from fighters like Moicano proves the biggest challenge isn’t technological, but human: winning over the people who make the sport what it is.