Rankings of MMA Fighters

Author

Michael Schaefer, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Abstract

Ranking is an essential process that allows sporting authorities to determine the relative performance of athletes. While ranking is straightforward in some sports, it is more complicated in MMA (mixed martial arts), where competition is often fragmented. This paper describes the mathematics behind four existing ranking algorithms: Elo’s System, Massey’s Method, Colley’s Method, and Google’s PageRank, and shows how to adapt them to rank MMA fighters in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). We also provide a performance analysis for each ranking method.

Advisor

In-Jae Kim

Committee Member

Wook Kim

Committee Member

Nicholas Fisher

Date of Degree

2022

Language

english

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

Master of Science (MS)

Program of Study

Mathematics

Department

Mathematics and Statistics

College

Science, Engineering and Technology

Recommended Citation

Schaefer, M. (2022). Rankings of MMA fighters [Master’s thesis, Minnesota State University, Mankato]. Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato. https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds/1256

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.