Aljamain Sterling fights Bryan Caraway in the main event of the Fight Pass prelims in Las Vegas this weekend. Sterling's ranked #4 in the bantamweight division and Caraway is #8.
Nothing against the guy at all but why is he ranked above Assuncao?
He's 13-0 as a pro. That's a brilliant start to a career and since joining the UFC he's gone 4-0 with wins over Cody Gibson, Hugo Viana, Johnny Eduardo and most notably Takeya Mizugaki.
But how does that put him above Assuncao who's 23-4 overall and 7-0 since dropping to bantamweight in the UFC? I know he's been out for a while with a recurring ankle injury but he's booked for UFC 200 and the rankings don't make sense to me.
Assuncao edged TJ and now he's fighting him again at UFC 200. Meanwhile Sterling is fighting Caraway (who Assuncao already beat fairly comfortably) and he's ranked higher?
Is it because of the injury layoff? Stupid MMA media? Sterling being more marketable than another Brazilian fighter?
Aljamain Sterling fights Bryan Caraway in the main event of the Fight Pass prelims in Las Vegas this weekend. Sterling's ranked #4 in the bantamweight division and Caraway is #8.
(C) Cruz
#1 TJ
#2 Barao
#3 Faber
#4 Sterling
#5 Assuncao
#6 McDonald
#7 Almeida
#8 Caraway
#9 Mizugaki
#10 Dodson
Nothing against the guy at all but why is he ranked above Assuncao?
He's 13-0 as a pro. That's a brilliant start to a career and since joining the UFC he's gone 4-0 with wins over Cody Gibson, Hugo Viana, Johnny Eduardo and most notably Takeya Mizugaki.
But how does that put him above Assuncao who's 23-4 overall and 7-0 since dropping to bantamweight in the UFC? I know he's been out for a while with a recurring ankle injury but he's booked for UFC 200 and the rankings don't make sense to me.
Assuncao edged TJ and now he's fighting him again at UFC 200. Meanwhile Sterling is fighting Caraway (who Assuncao already beat fairly comfortably) and he's ranked higher?
Is it because of the injury layoff? Stupid MMA media? Sterling being more marketable than another Brazilian fighter?
The answer Is in the question, he's been out for nearly 2 yrs
I would have to guess it's based purely on the fact that he hasn't fought in 2 years. It's not his fault since he's been injured a lot, but I can understand bumping someone down the rankings to make room for those who are actively competing and trying to move up the ranks.
Also, it seems like they're finally trying to give Sterling a bit of a push as a contender, so I'm okay with that. After the Sterling/Caraway, Assuncao/Dillashaw and Faber/Cruz fights we'll have a better idea about the top rankings.
