"So you don't want to be an Ultimate Fighter?" - Fans react to exhaustive list of ranked UFC fighters who never competed in 2023

Fans have provided mixed reactions after seeing a list of ranked UFC male fighters who didn’t fight in 2023.

The new calendar year has officially started, and the MMA community continues to review 2023 before the first major event of 2024. There were plenty of positive takeaways from the last 12 months but also some negatives, as a handful of ranked fighters didn’t step into the Octagon.

Earlier today (January 4), a list posted on Twitter of the ranked fighters who didn’t fight in 2023 was re-shared on Reddit. The following message is from the original post showcasing the surprising group of people who were inactive:

“Ranked Fighters that did not compete in 2023: Stipe Miocic, Brian Ortega, Alexandar Rakic, Michael Chandler, Paulo Costa, Alex Perez, Calvin Kattar, Matt Schnell, Jack Hermansson, Dominick Cruz, Renato Moicano, Dominick Reyes.”

Once the post was re-shared on Reddit, fans filled the comment section with various messages:

“I'm glad Ortega is fighting again, probably the worst rank squatter on the roster. His last win was against TKZ in 2020.”

“So you don't want to be an Ultimate Fighter?”

“It's pretty crazy honestly. And poor Chandler that will have to wait another 6 months (minimum). 'Not here for a long time,' huh. Welp.”

“What do these guys do for money when they don't fight for an entire year? I don't mean this as a shade comment, I'm genuinely curious. I know some people like Chandler, Cruz, and stipe can prolly afford it but afaik, these dudes aren't making crazy money.”

“If you don't compete for 6 months you should lose 1 rank every month injury or not. In sumo if you don't show up for a tournament (every 2 months) it's like you lost all your bouts and lose ranks based on that.”

“I've long argued for a time-based decay in rankings. It should accelerate the longer a person is out, though. I wish the rankings and matchmaking were algorithmic. I know they can't be completely algorithmic due to injuries and the like, but there's no reason they can't be predictable and logical.”

It should be noted that the inactive ranked fighters of 2023 didn’t fight for various reasons. Several were recovering from an injury, while others had bouts booked before being canceled. Meanwhile, a few of those already have their next Octagon appearance scheduled for 2024.

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Who from the previously mentioned list is scheduled for a UFC fight in 2024?

For those who miss any inactive fighters mentioned, there’s no need to panic, as eight out of them have a fight scheduled for 2024.

The most high-profile fight on the list features Michael Chandler, who hasn’t fought since November 2022. Conor McGregor recently announced he and Chandler will headline the June 29 event featured for International Fight Week, which Dana White hasn’t confirmed.

Chandler won’t be the only one headlining an event for his Octagon return. On Feb. 10, Jack Hermansson will end UFC Vegas 86 with an intriguing middleweight bout against rising superstar Joe Pyfer.

The following six return fights for ranked fighters are Renato Moicano vs. Drew Dober on Feb. 3 at UFC Vegas 85, Brian Ortega vs. Yair Rodriguez 2 on Feb. 24 at the promotion's return to Mexico, Aleksandar Rakic vs. Jiri Prochazka on April 13 at UFC 300, Calvin Kattar vs. Aljamain Sterling on April 13 at UFC 300, Paulo Costa vs. Robert Whittaker on Feb. 17 at UFC 298, and Alex Perez vs. Muhammad Mokaev on March 2 at UFC Saudi Arabia.