“Meta has the greatest minds in tech and they are going to take fan engagement to the next level.” Dana White stated in a press statement, thus confirming the groundbreaking partnership between the UFC and Meta, marking the tech juggernaut as the official fan technology partner of the organization. This collaboration promises to revolutionize how fans experience UFC content by introducing cutting-edge technology and immersive experiences. One of the most intriguing aspects of this partnership is the introduction of an AI-driven ranking system, which the head honcho plans to unveil in the near future.
Remember White going ballistic after Jon Jones was still ranked #2 after his UFC 309 title defense or how Khalil Rountree Jr. still ranked #8 after his outing with Alex Pereira caught the head honcho’s attention regarding the matter? It is safe to say that this was a long time coming. While the announcement has sparked mixed reactions within the MMA community, UFC legend Michael Bisping has voiced his support, asserting that the new system will greatly benefit fighters. ‘The Count’ like White, has expressed dissatisfaction with the current ranking process, highlighting the need for a more objective and transparent approach.
The former 185lbs kingpin believes that incorporating AI into the ranking system will introduce a new level of fairness and accuracy to the sport—something boxing has already successfully demonstrated. Remember what went down with Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s second coming? For the rematch between the heavyweight duo, an AI judge was introduced. ‘The Gypsy King’, who lost the fight, went ballistic on the “computer” for scoring the fight 118-112 against him. For the unversed, this was even more lopsided than what the trio of judges did with 116-112. Fury was certainly not happy that day about the judging, but Bisping believes it will work the right way for the rankings.
“First of all, AI. That is going to be implemented in the ranking system. We’ve seen Dana White about this for quite some time. He’s often had some issues, and there’s been some crazy rankings, to be honest.” Michael Bisping stated in a video on his YouTube channel. “Having an AI ranking system that is going to remove all of the bias from it. It’s as simple as that, right? It’s that easy, ok? And they’ve used AI judges before. I think it was with Tyson Fury [vs Usyk] for Saudi Arabia. The AI judge agreed with the human judge, okay? So, essentially, they got it correct.”
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While the AI for the ranking system is yet to take effect, let us look at the other positives for fans with the UFC’s new Meta partnership. Here’s what we know!
Dana White reveals what fans will get with the new Meta partnership, besides AI rankings
It seems like the fans will no longer miss out on their favorite UFC fights, events, and PPVs as the promotion’s new deal with Mark Zuckerberg’s company will have content available on every Meta platform there is. “Meta will now become UFC’s first-ever official fan technology partner. This is great news for UFC fans because this means that Meta will use all of their bada– apps, and technology on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, WhatsApp, and Meta AI to create amazing content and experiences for UFC fans,” the 55-year-old recently stated in a video he posted on X.
Also, fans will get to look at the point-of-view angle as the use of Meta glasses will be implemented as yet another method to create content for Dana White’s promotion. “We’ll also be using Meta’s AI-powered glasses to capture UFC content, and we will do things with Meta that will blow UFC fans away,” the UFC CEO added. Well, what are you expecting from the UFC-Meta deal?
While all these new changes are for fans, the ranking system will be the one to watch out for. While some fighters might be in support of the AI’s introduction, others might end up feeling exactly like Tyson Fury, who wasn’t too keen on the idea. What do you think? Drop your comments below.
The post “Going to Remove All of the Bias” – UFC Hall-of-Famer Backs Dana White’s Big Move to Solve UFC Rankings ‘Issue’ appeared first on EssentiallySports.
