Fans have complained for years that UFC divisions feel slower than they once did. Now, new stats circulating online suggest such frustration may actually be backed up by data. According to a breakdown of elite UFC fighters tracked using an ELO-based ranking system, top-ranked talent are competing far less often than they did a decade ago.

According to the data, elite UFC fighters averaged 1.51 fights per year in 2016, but only 1.04 in 2024. While many online feels as if its nearly 50% less, the actual decrease is closer to 31%, with a peak hitting 40% when it comes to fighters who fought 0 times in a year.

The same data showed that the percentage of ranked fighters going a full calendar year without a booking increased from 21% in 2015 to 40% in 2023. Simply said, the old UFC rhythm of contenders fighting twice or three times per year appears to be fading.

By 2024, just over 36% of top fighters have participated at least twice in a calendar year, down from more than half of ranked competitors in 2016. Even after adjusting for the obvious disruption caused by the COVID period, the downward trend still remains obvious.

And honestly, fans can already feel it while watching the product. Divisions now often stagnate for months due to injuries, negotiations, extended training camps, or fighters protecting rankings and title opportunities.

Take the Jon Jones–Tom Aspinall situation, for example, as the ‘would they-would they not’ situation lasted months only for it to lead nowhere.

Nowadays, champions often defend belts once or twice yearly instead of maintaining the activity levels fans grew used to during earlier UFC eras. That’s why fighters like Alex Pereira have become fan favorites, in part because he was more active than most modern champions when he held the title.

At the same time, the issue extends beyond title holders. Even prospects and emerging contenders are now competing at approximately the same rate as champions, which seems surprising given that younger fighters traditionally built momentum through activity.

The evolution of modern MMA training camps has played a significant part in this transition. Today’s camps are longer, more specialized, and physically demanding, with fighters often injuring themselves before even making it to fight night.

Financial incentives also contribute to the delay. Modern stars can earn significantly more money from one major fight, lessening the need to stay constantly active. Add in strategic matchmaking and ranking politics, and divisions naturally begin moving much slower than they did during the mid-2010s.

There is no denying that the Dana White-led promotion continues to offer elite talent and highlight-reel finishes. However, when fans complain that the sport is less active than it previously was, the numbers indicate that this view is grounded in reality rather than nostalgia.

In fact, even Colby Covington earlier this year revealed how the UFC is constantly freezing out fighters.

Colby Covington’s claim is now backed by numbers

Those numbers suddenly make Colby Covington’s complaints from earlier this year look far less like bitterness and much more like a reflection of a larger UFC trend.

Before retiring and quietly exiting the active roster, the former interim welterweight champion openly accused the promotion of “freezing out” fighters who refused specific matchups or fell out of favor with management.

“You have no say (in what happens),” Covington said during a livestream with N3on. “Hunter Campbell, who is like the UFC lawyer, he kind of just tells you what direction they’re gonna go and it’s either you take it or leave it, so you don’t really get a choice what you want to do.

“They just leave you and ice you; they won’t give you fights. They’ll let you just sit out and say, ‘Hey, you turned down this fight; now you’re not gonna fight for the year; we’re not gonna make money.’ They just freeze you out.”

Back then, several fans dismissed the comments as frustration from a declining star who had not won a fight since 2022. However, with the aforementioned new data revealing that ranked UFC fighters compete significantly less often than they did a decade ago, Colby Covington’s criticism suddenly feels far more believable.

Ironically, ‘Chaos’ subsequently became a part of the inactivity discussion. Despite becoming one of the Dana White-led promotion’s most famous figures, he gradually faded from the welterweight division before hanging up his gloves.

Missing out on the UFC White House card was certainly frustrating for him, especially given his outspoken support for the event and Donald Trump.

Whether the slowdown is caused by modern training camps, injuries, financial leverage, or matchmaking politics, the final consequence for fans remains the same: divisions move slower, contenders wait longer, and elite fighters compete far less often than they once did.