ONE Championship has unveiled its first official athlete rankings for mixed martial arts, kickboxing, and Muay Thai as five Team Lakay fighters made it to the top five of their respective division.
The world's largest martial arts organization has 550 athletes on its roster, with an incredible 140 World Champions spread across many different martial arts disciplines.
Now, fans can see how the leading competitors rank in select weight divisions.
"It is with great excitement that I announce the inaugural ONE Championship Official Rankings," said Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship.
"The rankings will bring more clarity and transparency for our athletes as they chase their dreams for a world championship title. Fans can also follow their favorite athletes and their journeys more closely as they climb or fall in the rankings," added Sityodtong
The official athlete rankings will be updated in accordance with the findings of ONE's panel of industry experts, who will consider the participants based on criteria such as wins and losses, their most recent performances, and the quality of competition.
After each event, relevant action will be reflected in the rankings, and published on both ONEFC.com and the ONE Super App.
Team Lakay's Joshua Pacio, who is currently the strawweight king, is on top of the heap with Yosuke Saruta as the top contender while former champion Yoshitaka Naito is second in the list as Rene Catalan, Alex Silva, and teammate Lito Adiwang rounding up the top five.
Danny Kingad, meanwhile, is just one number below MMA legend Demetrious Johnson who became the top title contender as he seek to end Adriano Moraes' reign in the flyweight division.
Bibiano Fernandes remains on top of the bantamweight class, while former division champ Kevin Belingon remains the top title contender in the division.
Gina Iniong, meanwhile, made it to the top five of the women's atomweight division ruled by longtmie champion Angela Lee.
ONE's panel of industry experts includes Stewart Fulton from MMA In Japan, Nicolas Atkin from South China Morning Post, Manabu Takashima from MMAPLANET, Marcelo Alonso from Tatame Magazine, Santino Honasan from ABS-CBN, JM Siasat from GMA Network, James Goyder from AsianMMA.com, Poptorn Roongsamai from Champ Magazine, Sazali Abdul Aziz from The Straits Times, Worapath Arunpakdee from Thairath TV, Wanlop Sawasdee from MGR Online, Tom Taylor from BJPenn.com, Yuji Kitano from Abema TV, and Ian Shutts from Lowkick MMA. Rounding out the panel are former athletes Rich Franklin, Miesha Tate, Adam Kayoom, and Ann Osman. (SunStar Baguio)