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Bantamweight
1. Sean O’Malley (17-1, 1 NC) UFC [1]
O’Malley silenced the doubters in emphatic fashion at UFC 292, as he finished Aljamain Sterling with an exquisite right hand and follow-up ground-and-pound in their bantamweight championship clash at TD Garden in Boston. “Sugar” already had all the makings of the promotion’s next big superstar, and now he has the hardware to go with it. Next up is a rematch with Marlon Vera — the only man to defeat him — in the UFC 299 headliner.2. Aljamain Sterling (23-4) | UFC [2]
Sterling was unable to impose his will in the UFC 292 headliner, as he fell victim to a beautiful Sean O’Malley right hand to relinquish the bantamweight crown at the TD Garden in Boston. That brings an end to Sterling’s nine-fight winning streak, but with a title reign that included three successful defenses, “Funk Master” established himself as one of the sport’s top 135-pound talents. With that being said, Sterling will move on to new challenges when he makes his 145-pound debut against Calvin Kattar at UFC 300.3. Merab Dvalishvili (17-4) | UFC [3]
Dvalishvili extended his winning streak to 10 at UFC 298, as he pulled away over the final 10 minutes for a unanimous decision triumph against Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo. “The Machine” would seem to be the obvious No. 1 contender at 135 pounds, and he’ll undoubtedly be an interested observer when Sean O’Malley defends his title against Marlon Vera at UFC 299 in Miami. With his blend of relentless cardio and wrestling, Dvalishvili figures to be a nightmare matchup for whoever wins that fight.4. Patrick Mix (19-1) | Bellator [4]
Mix continued to build his case as the world’s best bantamweight at Bellator 301, where he used his grappling to overwhelm Sergio Pettis and unify the 135-pound belt with a second-round submission victory. “Patchy” has won six consecutive outings since falling to Juan Archuleta in a bantamweight title bout at Bellator 246 in September 2020, and the New York native has the looks of a potentially dominant champion as the promotion continues operations into 2024 under PFL ownership.5. Henry Cejudo (16-4) | UFC [5]
Cejudo started well against Merab Dvalishvili, but he couldn’t hold up against his opponent’s relentless pressure, losing a unanimous decision at UFC 298 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, on Feb. 17. Cejudo is 0-2 in the Octagon since ending a three-year retirement this past May, and prior to his most recent outing he claimed he would call it a career again if he were to lose to Dvalishvili.6. Petr Yan (16-5) | UFC [6]
Yan had no answer for Dvalishvili’s relentless pressure and pace in the UFC Fight Night 221 headliner, as he dropped a unanimous decision to “The Machine” at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas on March 11. Though Yan has lost four of his last five outings in UFC competition, that record is deceptive: Two of those setbacks were split decisions and another was the controversial disqualification loss to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259. “No Mercy” remains a top-tier bantamweight, though he may now be facing a longer road if he hopes to receive another title shot in the future. He’ll look to work his way back up the ladder beginning with a clash against Yadong Song at UFC 299 in Miami.7. Cory Sandhagen (17-4) | UFC [7]
After a scheduled clash with rising star Umar Nurmagomedov fell through, Sandhagen took out his frustrations on Rob Font, using takedowns and top control to cruise to a clear-cut five-round verdict in the UFC on ESPN 50 headliner in Nashville. Since the bout was contested at a 140-pound catchweight, it doesn’t affect Sandhagen’s place in these rankings. However, the UFC tends to approach things differently, and with a three-fight winning streak over Font, Marlon Vera and Yadong Song, “Sandman” appears to be sitting pretty in the bantamweight division.8. Sergio Pettis (23-6) Bellator [8]
While Pettis looked impressive in outstriking Patricio Freire upon his return from knee surgery this past June, “The Phenom” was out of his depth against the grappling of Patrick Mix in their title unification bout at Bellator 301, as he fell victim to a rear-naked choke 1:51 into Round 2 of their co-main event bout. That snapped a six-bout winning streak for the UFC veteran, who had bested the likes of Freire, Kyoji Horiguchi and Juan Archuleta during that period.9. Marlon Vera (23-8-1) | UFC [9]
Vera earned a closely contested three-round verdict over replacement foe Pedro Munhoz at UFC 292, relying on his skilled striking to pull away for his fifth victory in six outings. While originally scheduled opponent Henry Cejudo would have provided marquee value, the win nonetheless helps “Chito” bounce back from a split-decision loss to Cory Sandhagen at UFC on ESPN 43 this past March. Thanks to a previous victory over new bantamweight champ Sean O’Malley, Vera will receive a rematch against “Sugar” in the UFC 299 main event.10. Yadong Song (21-7-1, 1 NC) UFC [10]
Song won his second consecutive main event bout at UFC Fight Night 233, as he shut down Chris Gutierrez over five rounds for a unanimous decision triumph at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Dec. 9. “Kung Fu Kid” has won five of his last six within the Las Vegas-based promotion, falling only to Cory Sandhagen during that period. The Team Alpha Male product will next lock horns with Petr Yan at UFC 299.Other Contenders: Deiveson Figueiredo, Rob Font, Raufeon Stots, Umar Nurmagomedov, Jonathan Martinez.
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