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It’s now been over 10 years since the UFC introduced rankings, and while they’re highly useful for many reasons, they’re also flawed.
Most notably, the UFC often seems reluctant to remove fighters from the rankings, meaning that they currently contain a number of stars who haven’t fought in a long time.
Whether the promotion removes these fighters for inactivity in the near future remains to be seen, as the rankings can often change randomly.
For now, though, here are five high-ranked UFC fighters who haven’t fought in ages.
#5. Aleksandar Rakic – No.5-ranked UFC light heavyweight (last fought May 2022)
With an alarming total of five different champions since Jon Jones vacated the 205 pound title in 2020, the UFC’s light heavyweight division seems to have been in a constant state of flux over the last few years.
That probably explains why Aleksandar Rakic has managed to remain ranked at No.5 in the division despite spending the best part of two years on the shelf.
‘Rocket’ appeared to be living up to his nickname and was shooting up the rankings after beating the likes of Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos leading into 2022.
Those wins set him up for a big fight with former titleholder Jan Blachowicz, and had the Austrian won that one, he probably would’ve been in line for a shot at the gold.
Unfortunately, that fight saw Rakic blow out his knee, completely tearing his ACL and leaving him out of action for an extended period.
At this stage, it’s hard to make an argument for Rakic’s high ranking. The only fighter on his list of wins who remains even semi-relevant is Smith, with four of his other victims now out of the UFC entirely.
‘Rocket’ is scheduled for a big fight in April, though, against former titleholder Jiri Prochazka. If he wins that one, any thought of removing him from the rankings will naturally be out of the window.
#4. Dominick Cruz – No.11-ranked UFC bantamweight (last fought August 2022)
The inaugural UFC bantamweight champion, there’s probably an argument for considering Dominick Cruz the GOAT at 135 pounds. However, whether ‘The Dominator’ still belongs in the top 15 is another thing entirely.
The last time Cruz fought was in August 2022, when he suffered a devastating knockout at the hands of Marlon Vera.
Obviously, there’s no shame in anyone suffering a loss to ‘Chito’. The Ecuadorian is about to fight for the bantamweight title and is one of the most dangerous finishers on the entire UFC roster.
However, keeping an aging fighter whose last victory came way back in December 2021, particularly in one of the promotion’s most loaded weight classes, is definitely questionable.
For how much longer ‘The Dominator’ can remain ranked above the likes of Umar Nurmagomedov and Mario Bautista – both of whom are on lengthy win streaks – is up for debate.
The truth is that Cruz’s star power and decorated history are probably the only things keeping him afloat right now, but in the near future, that probably shouldn’t be enough.
#3. Brian Ortega – No.4-ranked UFC featherweight (last fought July 2022)
The joint-highest ranked fighter on this list is former featherweight title contender Brian Ortega. ‘T-City’ has now been out of action for nearly 18 months, yet he remains ranked as the UFC’s No.4 featherweight.
What makes this one even more baffling is the fact that Ortega actually hasn’t won a fight since October 2020, when he outpointed 'The Korean Zombie'. That win, remarkably, counts as his only victory since 2018, as he’s lost his other three bouts since then.
‘T-City’ is undoubtedly a talented and dangerous fighter, both on the feet and on the ground. In fact, despite his patchy recent record, he’d still probably be favoured to dispatch most of the fighters ranked around him such as Josh Emmett and Calvin Kattar.
However, the fact that he’s been on the shelf for so long and hasn’t won in well over three years definitely makes his high ranking a confusing one.
Thankfully, the Californian is set to return later this month, when he’ll face Yair Rodriguez in a rematch of his last bout, which saw him injure his shoulder and end up on the shelf in the first place.
If he wins that one, there’ll be no argument against his ranking, but if he loses, it’ll become very hard to justify it.
#2. Paulo Costa – No.6-ranked UFC middleweight (last fought August 2022)
Later this month at UFC 299, Paulo Costa is finally set to make his big return. He’s scheduled to face off with former middleweight kingpin Robert Whittaker in a long-anticipated fight, and if he wins, it’s likely he’ll rise up into the division’s top three.
Right now, though, the fact that ‘The Eraser’ is still ranked at No.6 at 185 pounds is more than a little confusing.
Once considered a future titleholder, Costa burst onto the scene back in 2017 and reeled off five straight wins to set up a shot at then-champion Israel Adesanya in 2020.
Since losing that fight, though, the Brazilian has fought just twice. He lost to Marvin Vettori in October 2021 and hasn’t fought since a bizarre victory over Luke Rockhold in August 2022.
Rockhold retired and departed the UFC after that bout, meaning that every opponent who Costa has defeated inside the octagon no longer competes there.
‘The Eraser’ is undoubtedly a great fighter when he’s at his best, mixing a heavy-handed striking game with powerful takedowns and a lot of forward pressure.
However, recently he’s become equally renowned for withdrawing from fights, pulling out of no fewer than four engagements since his failed title bid.
Assuming his fight with Whittaker actually goes ahead, Costa will have an opportunity to prove his worth. If the fight ends up being postponed, though – which wouldn’t be a surprise – it’d be hard to justify him remaining in his current spot.
#1. Stipe Miocic – No.4-ranked UFC heavyweight (last fought March 2021)
It’s hard to even quantify the amount of things that have changed in the world since Stipe Miocic last fought in the octagon in March 2021.
That fight, which saw him lose his UFC heavyweight title to Francis Ngannou, took place in the Las Vegas Apex with no fans thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Since then, we’ve seen the beginning of two major wars, two new Prime Ministers in the UK, and almost the entirety of Joe Biden’s presidency in the US.
In the UFC, meanwhile, just one champion from that time still holds their title, with many divisions seeing multiple titleholders since.
Somehow, though, Miocic remains ranked at No.4 in the heavyweight division, above the likes of Curtis Blaydes and Jailton Almeida.
Miocic is undoubtedly the most highly credentialed heavyweight in the promotion’s history, but for him to remain so highly ranked after nearly three years out is a real head-scratcher.
The reason for this, of course, is probably the continued efforts to set up the so-called ‘legacy fight’ between him and current champ Jon Jones, who hasn’t fought in nearly a year in his own right.
Despite this, the continued high ranking of a fighter like Miocic can definitely be seen as a mark against the UFC’s ranking system – and gives fuel to the argument made by interim champ Tom Aspinall that the veteran ought to step aside.
