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Bantamweight
1. Marlon Moraes (22-5-1)
Moraes continued his upward trend in emphatic fashion in the UFC Fortaleza headliner, as he tapped out Raphael Assuncao with a guillotine in the opening round of a pivotal bout between bantamweight contenders. Not only did the former World Series of Fighting Champion avenge a controversial loss to Assuncao, but his fourth consecutive Octagon triumph has him primed to challenge for the suddenly vacant bantamweight throne when he meets Henry Cejudo in the UFC 238 main event.2. Raphael Assuncao (27-6)
Winning 11 of 12 bouts didn’t get Assuncao a title shot, and after a devastating first-round submission defeat to Marlon Moraes in the UFC Fortaleza headliner, the Ascension MMA product is even further down the pecking order. Assuncao edged Moraes via contentious split decision in their first meeting in June 2017, but the former World Series of Fighting titlist rocked him with a pair of overhand rights before eliciting a tapout with a mounted guillotine just 3:17 into round one. Assuncao is still a difficult style matchup for much of the division, but it’s entirely possible that the 36-year-old has already seen his best days.3. Aljamain Sterling (17-3)
Sterling put together perhaps the most complete performance of his career to date at UFC on ESPN 1, as he kept Jimmie Rivera off balance with rangy striking and savvy grappling en route to a clear-cut unanimous decision triumph. “Funk Master” has won three straight in the UFC since a knockout loss to Marlon Moraes in December 2017 and five of his last six overall. Sterling will square off against Pedro Munhoz at UFC 238 in Chicago in his next bout.4. Jimmie Rivera (22-3)
Rivera never could get comfortable against Aljamain Sterling, as he struggled to find a good striking range in a unanimous decision loss against “Funk Master” at UFC on ESPN 1 in Phoenix. After authoring a 20-fight winning streak from 2009 to 2017, the Team Tiger Schulmann representative has lost two of his last three bouts in the Octagon to knock him from the ranks of top bantamweight contenders. Rivera will next face surging prospect Petr Yan at UFC 238 on June 8.5. Kyoji Horiguchi (27-2)
Make that 12 consecutive wins for Horiguchi, who made short work of fellow UFC veteran Ben Nguyen in a 132-pound catchweight affair at Rizin 15. The American Top Team representative improved to 9-0 within the Japanese promotion by avoiding an early rear-naked choke attempt and then asserting himself on the feet for an impressive first-round technical knockout victory. Horiguchi appears to already have a rematch with Darrion Caldwell — whom he defeated on New Year’s Eve to claim Rizin bantamweight gold — lined up for Bellator 222 at Madison Square Garden.6. John Lineker (31-8)
Lineker was in prime form against Brian Kelleher at UFC 224, where he eventually put away his American counterpart with a brutal left hook 3:43 into the third frame of their featured encounter. “Hands of Stone” has won eight of his last nine inside the Octagon, with his only defeat during that time coming at the hands of reigning 135-pound king T.J. Dillashaw. The heavy-handed Brazilian was scheduled to square off against former champion Dominick Cruz at UFC 233, but not only did Cruz suffer an injury, but the Jan. 26 event was canceled. Lineker was then supposed to meet Cory Sandhagen at UFC on ESPN+1 in Brooklyn but had to withdraw from the event. Lineker has been rebooked against Sandhagen at UFC on ESPN 3.7. Pedro Munhoz (18-3)
Munhoz showcased a cast-iron chin against Cody Garbrandt, prevailing in a wild first-round brawl to win via TKO with nine seconds remaining in the period. “Young Punisher” has six wins in his last seven Octagon appearances, setting himself up as a major person of interest in the division. Munhoz will lock horns with Aljamain Sterling in a pivotal bantamweight clash at UFC 238 in Chicago.8. Darrion Caldwell (12-2)
A conservative wrestling-based approach worked well for Caldwell for two rounds against Kyoji Horiguchi, but “The Wolf” faltered in the third stanza to lose via guillotine choke. The former NCAA national champion missed out on a chance to become a bantamweight champion in two promotions, but he remains the 135-pound titlist in Bellator MMA, where he has lost just once in 11 appearances.9. Petr Yan (12-1)
It isn’t easy to look good against an opponent with the style of John Dodson, but Yan made the most of his opportunity at UFC Prague, taking a clear-cut unanimous decision against the former flyweight challenger. The 26-year-old Russian will look to improve upon his four-fight winning streak when he faces Jimmie Rivera at UFC 238.10. Cody Garbrandt (11-3)
Garbrandt has fallen hard since a meteoric rise to stardom saw him defeat Dominick Cruz at UFC 207 to claim bantamweight gold in just his 11th professional bout. A three-fight losing streak has followed, culminating in a first-round technical knockout loss to Pedro Munhoz at UFC 235. “No Love” has shown a tendency to let his emotions get the best of him in the Octagon, which leads to him engaging in brawls where his chin hasn’t held up. The Ohio native is undoubtedly talented but will need to work on his strategy if he is to ever approach his previous heights.Other Contenders: Rob Font, Manny Bermudez, John Dodson, Cody Stamann, Alejandro Perez.
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