Occasions when the undisputed champion was not ranked #1

[FIGHTING TALK]

Aljamain Sterling is the legit undisputed bantamweight champion.
However, Petr Yan clearly proved he is the best in the division, despite losing by DQ.

I wonder whether Sterling should be ranked ahead of Yan considering how one sided a beat down he was receiving up until the stoppage.

What past scenarios has the undisputed champion not been #1 in the division?

 

[Khabooba]

Sterling is the very definition of a disputed champion. If he was actually undisputed, he wouldn't need to rematch Yan.

 

[FIGHTING TALK]

Sterling is the very definition of a disputed champion. If he was actually undisputed, he wouldn't need to rematch Yan.

No, undisputed is simply referring to their being no interim champions.

 

[estranged]

Sterling is the very definition of a disputed champion. If he was actually undisputed, he wouldn't need to rematch Yan.

Yan LOST. Sterling is undisputed.

 

[Khabooba]

@FIGHTING TALK
There is no official definition of "undisputed champ" in MMA. You can't claim that the term means precisely this and not possibly that. It's pretty much a meaningless meme buzzword.

@estranged
Yan won, sterling just ended up holding the belt for a while. If Sterling was undisputed, he wouldn't need to have a rematch, but everyone is disputing his claim to the title and demanding a rematch, so he is indeed disputed.

 

[FIGHTING TALK]

@FIGHTING TALK
There is no official definition of "undisputed champ" in MMA. You can't claim that the term means precisely this and not possibly that. It's pretty much a meaningless meme buzzword.

 

[Khabooba]

@FIGHTING TALK
Show me the official definition of the term in an actual official document. Specifically for MMA.

 

[svmr_db]

Yan LOST. Sterling is undisputed.

Lol that's like if I walked in there with Khabib, Khabib slips on a banana peel, they give me the belt and I walk around with the belt like I'm the man. <45>

 

[FIGHTING TALK]

@FIGHTING TALK
Show me the official definition of the term in an actual official document. Specifically for MMA.

I don’t need to show you anything. Everyone knows what undisputed champion is, as opposed to interim champion, except you.

 

[Rvd Slmr]

Demetrius Johnson after losing a razor close split decision to Cejudo, who he had previously beat by first round stoppage.

 

[Khabooba]

@FIGHTING TALK
Yep, you don't need to show me anything. Everyone knows the term "undisputed champion" is a meaningless meme buzzword that has no official definition in MMA and can mean whatever I (or you) like.

 

[Rvd Slmr]

@FIGHTING TALK
There is no official definition of "undisputed champ" in MMA. You can't claim that the term means precisely this and not possibly that. It's pretty much a meaningless meme buzzword.

A title unification is the only time Bruce Buffer doesn't introduce the champion as undisputed, so it's pretty fair to assume that "undisputed" means that there is no interim champion.

 

[AnotherOldGuy]

Sterling is the very definition of a disputed champion. If he was actually undisputed, he wouldn't need to rematch Yan.

If you win a championship then you're champion. When the 10-6 Giants beat the 16-0 Patriots in the 2008 Superbowl (Giants had their best day of the season, the Pat's their worst - shit happens) they weren't the best team in the NFL (that was still the Pats), but they were the undisputed Superbowl champs.

That's the whole point of sport -- it doesn't matter how good you are on paper, its how you do in the game (and that means according to the actual rules, not what fans think the rules should be -- if a team would have won the Superbowl if field goals were only worth 2 points they still lost in reality) that determines who's champ and who isn't.

Rematches happen all the time in all sports. The Pats and Giants had their rematch in the next NFL season. That didn't change the fact that the Giants had won in the Superbowl.

 

[ayaandirtyboy]

Aljamain Sterling is the legit undisputed bantamweight champion.
However, Petr Yan clearly proved he is the best in the division, despite losing by DQ.

I wonder whether Sterling should be ranked ahead of Yan considering how one sided a beat down he was receiving up until the stoppage.

What past scenarios has the undisputed champion not been #1 in the division?

its the same with featherweight where holloway is clearly the real champ of the division

 

[FIGHTING TALK]

@FIGHTING TALK
Yep, you don't need to show me anything. Everyone knows the term "undisputed champion" is a meaningless meme buzzword that has no official definition in MMA and can mean whatever I (or you) like.

Lol.
Just listen out for the announcements during the world title fights.

The announcer, when introducing the champion, will use either “undisputed champion”, “champion” or “interim champion” depending on the situation at hand.
So if there is an interim champion, the returning champion will not be referred to as the undisputed champion until the situation is resolved.

 

[FIGHTING TALK]

If you win a championship then you're champion. When the 10-6 Giants beat the 16-0 Patriots in the 2008 Superbowl (Giants had their best day of the season, the Pat's their worst - shit happens) they weren't the best team in the NFL (that was still the Pats), but they were the undisputed Superbowl champs.

That's the whole point of sport -- it doesn't matter how good you are on paper, its how you do in the game (and that means according to the actual rules, not what fans think the rules should be -- if a team would have won the Superbowl if field goals were only worth 2 points they still lost in reality) that determines who's champ and who isn't.

Rematches happen all the time in all sports. The Pats and Giants had their rematch in the next NFL season. That didn't change the fact that the Giants had won in the Superbowl.

Another instance aside from a DQ victory might be if a higher ranked fighter moved to UFC from another org, although I am struggling to think of an example. Closest I can recall is when Hendo entered the UFC, although it’s a stretch to have put him above Rampage at that time.

 

[estranged]

@FIGHTING TALK
There is no official definition of "undisputed champ" in MMA. You can't claim that the term means precisely this and not possibly that. It's pretty much a meaningless meme buzzword.

@estranged
Yan won, sterling just ended up holding the belt for a while. If Sterling was undisputed, he wouldn't need to have a rematch, but everyone is disputing his claim to the title and demanding a rematch, so he is indeed disputed.

He doesn’t need to have a rematch so yes he’s undisputed.