Ranking movement arrows: what up, down and NEW really mean

Next to each name in a KBN ranking table is a small symbol: an up arrow with a number, a down arrow, a dash or the word NEW. It is one of the most-read parts of the table and one of the most misread.

The comparison is 30 days, not "last fight"

Movement compares the fighter's current position with their position in the same table calculated as of 30 days earlier. It is not "since the last event" or "since last week".

Why fighters move without fighting

Three things change positions even when a fighter is inactive:

• Their own results age. A result crossing 12 months halves; one crossing 24 months drops to zero.
• Other fighters' results age, lifting or dropping those around them.
• Other fighters add newly verified results, or have their licences suspended, reinstated or published.

So a ▲1 for an inactive fighter often just means someone above them lost points to time value.

Why NEW appears

NEW means the fighter was not in this table 30 days earlier. Usually their ranking was published by KBN World HQ within the last month. It can also appear when a fighter's first verified result in this division was added, or when a fighter returns after a suspension was lifted.

Movement and publication

Only published, licensed, non-suspended fighters with more than zero points appear in tables. A fighter who is suspended leaves the table immediately; if reinstated within 30 days they may show movement rather than NEW, depending on where they were.

Snapshots and history

KBN stores a nightly snapshot of every table: division, scope, fighter, rank, points and date. Snapshots power the movement history and the 12-month points chart on fighter profiles. They are a record of what the table looked like, not a separate calculation.

Reading movement well

• A big jump soon after an event usually reflects newly verified results.
• A slow drift down over months usually reflects ageing results.
• Many simultaneous small movements across a table usually reflect one fighter at the top changing position.

Why rankings move when nobody fought →

Reading a KBN ranking table →

A worked example

Myths and facts

Where to see history

A fighter's profile includes a 12-month points chart built from the ranking engine and nightly snapshots. Look at it alongside the arrows: a steady line with a sudden drop often marks the day a big result crossed 12 months.

Movement in different scopes

A fighter can move up in one scope and not another. For example, a Turkish fighter might move up one place in the world table because someone above them lost points, while staying level in the European table if that person was from another continent. Each scope compares with itself 30 days earlier.

Using movement to spot trends

Across a division, many upward arrows near the top often signal that a leader has lost points to time value. Many NEW labels signal a batch of new publications, for example after a branch's applications are completed. Reading movement across the whole table tells a story about the division.

Frequently asked questions