The UFC is undoubtedly the world's biggest MMA promotion. The best talent in the world aims to find themselves within the UFC ranks and potentially be crowned a champion within the promotion.
The UFC is regarded the grandest stage that a mixed martial artist can find themselves on and the match-ups could catapult them into a top position in all of MMA. As a result, the people responsible for putting together the matches for these fighters are some of the most crucial in the entire promotion.
Some may believe that the person doing this is Dana White but this is not true. White is the UFC President but there are two people responsible for putting together the match-ups that fight fans ultimately get to see.
Who is the UFC matchmaker?
According to MartialArtsInsider, The two UFC matchmakers are Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard. These two have been long-standing with the promotion and each has similar yet differing roles in the matchmaking department.
Shelby and Maynard both serve as vice presidents of talent relations in the UFC, in addition to their position as matchmaker. Their names can often be heard by fighters in press conferences and/or social media posts. Perhaps one might have even seen one of them putting the title on the champion at an event that White does not attend.
The matchmakers work closely with various departments in the UFC to maximize fighter potential and also build up the various divisions within the promotion. Although the UFC President makes the announcement, the decision is made by Shelby and/or Maynard.
The most known matchmaker from the UFC was Joe Silva, who laid the foundation and groundwork for the divisions as fight fans have now come to know them. But since his retirement in 2016, Shelby and Maynard have been at the forefront of the matchmaking department.
Shelby is the Senior VP of Talent Relations, in addition to being a UFC matchmaker. Shelby has experience working with International Fighting Championships (IFC) and World Extreme Cagefighting Organization (WEC) before he was ultimately absorbed by the UFC in 2006.
Shelby manages the following weight divisions:
- Women's strawweight
- Women's bantamweight
- Women's featherweight
- Men's bantamweight
- Men's featherweight
- Lightweight
- Welterweight
Maynard, on the other hand, is the VP of Talent Relations, in addition to being a matchmaker. Maynard is most notably linked to rebuilding the flyweight division, which was in serious jeopardy at some point. Maynard worked at Legacy Fighting Alliance before signing with the UFC in 2016 following Joe Silva's retirement.
Maynard manages the following weight divisions:
- Men's flyweight
- Middleweight
- Light heavyweight
- Heavyweight