Manuel Torres reacts to UFC’s recent AI rankings kicking out rival Rafael Fiziev days before UFC Baku

Manuel Torres is not any longer fighting up the rankings at UFC Baku.

The Mexican star is appearing within the UFC important event highlight for the very first time on Saturday in Azerbaijan.

For the promotion’s second visit to the country, Torres will headline UFC Baku against Rafael Fiziev, the house favorite who will likely be hoping to placed on a show for his compatriots.

And after the introduction of the UFC’s recent Meta AI rankings, ‘Ataman’ can be attempting to regain his spot within the lightweight top 15.

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Manuel Torres was fighting the No. 11-ranked lightweight at UFC Baku before the brand new rankings

Dana White has long criticized the UFC rankings, which were previously only voted on by some obscure media outlets, a few of which were even defunct.

The UFC president often suggested the promotion was planning to implement AI rankings to create a real merit-based system, and that finally arrived this past Monday.

27 fighters lost the numbers next to their names, including former undisputed champions Robert Whittaker, Jessica Andrade, and Miesha Tate. Fiziev was also among the many victims of the update, as he lost his No. 11 spot right at first of UFC Baku fight week.

Which means the No. 13-ranked Torres will now not be fighting up the lightweight ladder on June 17, however the Mexican contender is unfazed by that sudden change.

“I don’t think it goes against me because he’s at all times giving good fights, and should you give it some thought, he’s had two amazing battles against Justin Gaethje, who’s now the champion,” Torres told MMA Junkie through an interpreter.

“I don’t think it gets in my way or it’s detrimental to me. I’m just going to go on the market and fight.

“I’m there in the combination, and if I do well, I do imagine that I could get a title shot as well,” he added.

Despite the rankings alteration, a win over Fiziev would still do wonders for Torres’ title ambitions within the UFC.

‘Ataman’ spent some time contained in the lightweight top 10 and shared the cage with current champion Justin Gaethje for half-hour across two fights, boosting his fame within the UFC.

While the Azerbaijani targets a rebound win after a knockout loss to Mauricio Ruffy last outing, ‘El Loco’ is planning to increase his winning streak to a few.