Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Bantamweight

1. Dominick Cruz (17-1)
Seldom does hyperactivity look easy, but that is Cruz. He continued to show evolution in his slick punching and unpredictable style on Dec. 16, as he shut out a tough Scott Jorgensen over five rounds at WEC 53. The win sets the table for a major bantamweight showdown against the only man to ever beat “The Dominator,” former WEC featherweight king Urijah Faber, once Cruz recovers from hand surgery.

2. Joseph Benavidez (13-2)
He might have two losses to Dominick Cruz and he might be best suited to fight at 125 pounds, but, apart from the WEC bantamweight champion himself, no 135-pound fighter picks off more top fighters than Benavidez. Stepping in for an injured Brian Bowles, Benavidez put another Top 10 win on his ledger by dominating Wagnney Fabiano, choking the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt into submission in the second round at WEC 52.

3. Brian Bowles (8-1)
Bowles has been plagued by injuries of late, but he finally appears set for a return, 362 days after he lost the WEC bantamweight crown to Dominick Cruz. Bowles will need every shred of good health, as he takes on Greg Jackson-led bomber Damacio Page in a rematch at UFC Live 3 on March 3 in Louisville, Ky.

4. Urijah Faber (24-4)
The world is clamoring for a Dominick Cruz-Faber rematch. However, Cruz’s hand surgery will postpone such a bout. “The California Kid” will not, however, sit on the shelf. Faber will take on hard-punching Eddie Wineland at UFC 128 on March 19 in Newark, N.J., in what should be a thrilling bout while it lasts.

5. Scott Jorgensen (11-4)
Jorgensen was game and valiant until the end, but he simply had nothing to offer bantamweight kingpin Dominick Cruz in their Dec. 16 clash. For 25 minutes, Jorgensen was hit with punches in bunches on the feet and taken down repeatedly in a humbling, one-sided decision loss.

6. Miguel Torres (38-3)
Torres will be one of the first WEC talents to receive major UFC exposure. The former WEC bantamweight titleholder will make his Octagon debut on Super Bowl weekend, when he meets Antonio Banuelos on the main card at UFC 126 on Feb. 5 in Las Vegas.

7. Takeya Mizugaki (13-5-2)
In his Nov. 11 bout with Urijah Faber, Mizugaki was viciously choked unconscious by the former featherweight star in his bantamweight debut. Mizugaki’s next bout will be a comparatively softer touch, as he is tentatively scheduled to meet Francisco Rivera at UFC Live 3 on March 3.

8. Brad Pickett (20-5)
Always a thrill, Pickett excited again at WEC 53 against dynamic Canadian Ivan Menjivar, earning a unanimous decision victory in a highly entertaining back-and-forth contest. The victory was the third in four fights for Pickett since joining Zuffa LLC’s bantamweight ranks 12 months ago.

9. Rani Yahya (15-6)
A lackluster effort against Takeya Mizugaki in April, coupled with a growing difficulty to make 135 pounds, has Yahya eying a featherweight return. He will step back up to 145 pounds to take on “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung at UFC “Fight for the Troops 2” on Jan. 22.

10. Masakatsu Ueda (11-1-2)
Ueda finally has an opponent for his return to the Shooto ring on Jan. 10, and it is a difficult one. The former Shooto world champion will take on gritty wrestler Farkhad Sharipov, a Kyrgyz grappler who has walked out with victories in nine of his last 10 fights.

Other contenders: Wagnney Fabiano, Demetrious Johnson, Zach Makovsky, Michael McDonald, Eddie Wineland.

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