Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings
Bantamweight
Aug 10, 2007
BANTAMWEIGHT (135-125)
1. Akitoshi Hokazono (Pictures) (6-0-2)
The king of Shooto's 132-pound class, Hokazono remains one of MMA's largest enigmas. In effortless back-to-back thrashings of Marcos Louro and Kenji Osawa (Pictures) to capture the vacant Shooto crown, Hokazono looked like a pound-for-pound king. Yet, he only fights once or twice a year, and insists MMA is a hobby for him. Worse yet, his much-anticipated July title clash with former champ Ryota Matsune (Pictures) was cancelled after the oft-injured Matsune suffered a torn bicep and a broken rib. American promoters would be smart to nab the 30-year-old Osakan and give him a stage to let his potential shine through.
2. Marcos "Louro" Galvao
(Pictures) (6-1-0)
A dominant grappler with the style you would expect from a Nova Uniao competitor, Galvao notched an impressive win over Kenji Osawa (Pictures) in May. With his handlers presently shopping him stateside and with some luck, North American fans could get to see one of the absolute best in the weight class very soon.
3. Koetsu Okazaki (Pictures) (5-0-1)
After an 18-month layoff, Okazaki returned in June 2006 and has rattled off successive wins over Hiroyuki Tanaka (Pictures), So Tazawa (Pictures) and Atsushi Yamamoto (Pictures). The well-rounded pupil of Dokonjonosuke Mishima (Pictures) is perhaps the best kept secret in Shooto's 132-pound division, and another solid win may make him the most worthy challenger to Hokazono's title.
After dropping a decision loss to Marcos Louro in May, Osawa is back in the saddle already with a rematch against Australian-based Brazilian Daniel Lima (Pictures) scheduled for Sept. 22. The two met in Nov. 2005, in a bout that ended in a disappointing draw. Osawa will now have the opportunity to show two years worth of improvements, as he too has ambitions of fighting in the U.S.
5. Atsushi Yamamoto (Pictures) (10-4-1)
Yamamoto's decision to leave Pancrase, whose smallest weight class is 141 pounds, for pro Shooto where he can compete at his more natural weight of 132 pounds was a fantastic decision. Although he dropped his last bout to Okazaki in May, the bout was both highly entertaining and competitive, and his Feb. win over Takeya Mizugaki (Pictures) showed that this division is where the KID Yamamoto pupil belongs.
6. Ryota Matsune (Pictures) (15-1-1)
After vacating the Shooto world title in Feb. 2005 and spending 18 months on the shelf due to a knee injury, it was hoped 2007 would offer a return to form for "The Shooto Junkie." Then, a week out from his much-anticipated July world title bout with Akitoshi Hokazono (Pictures), Matsune pulled out due to a broken rib and torn bicep. Matsune is only 25 and has plenty of time to get healed and back into peak form, but this is getting ridiculous.
7. Takeya Mizugaki (Pictures) (6-2-2)
The Shooto 2005 rookie MVP didn't get the win he needed greatly against 2006 rookie ace Masakatsu Ueda (Pictures) last month, but he came away with a draw, and looked fully recovered from a knee injury which plagued him earlier in the year, and showed some sensational defensive wrestling. The 23-year-old Mizugaki still has all the raw tools to one day wear Shooto's world crown.
8. Masakatsu Ueda (Pictures) (5-0-1)
While he wasn't able to get the W against Mizugaki in July, Ueda showed unbelievable cardio and pace, and was able to snag at least one judge's scorecard. It's onward and upward for last year's 132-pound rookie king, whose dominant wrestling and technical ground skills will test any fighter in the division.
9. Miguel Torres (Pictures) (18-1-0)
The most accomplished North American in the weight class, it is a tragedy that despite competing in Shooto Americas events for years and remaining a fixture of the Shooto world rankings, Torres was never able to earn a ticket to Shooto Japan to face the best in the weight class. He reportedly inked a deal with bodogFIGHT in April, where he would be making a more permanent move to 145 pounds, but nothing has materialized yet.
10. Chase Beebe (Pictures) (10-1-0)
A big fish in a small but developing pond, the WEC's 135-pound champ looked fantastic in his grueling 25-minute title win over Eddie Wineland (Pictures) in March. He's reportedly in for another tough assignment Sept. 5. Should he win, there are no excuses for him not facing the best in the class.
1. Akitoshi Hokazono (Pictures) (6-0-2)
The king of Shooto's 132-pound class, Hokazono remains one of MMA's largest enigmas. In effortless back-to-back thrashings of Marcos Louro and Kenji Osawa (Pictures) to capture the vacant Shooto crown, Hokazono looked like a pound-for-pound king. Yet, he only fights once or twice a year, and insists MMA is a hobby for him. Worse yet, his much-anticipated July title clash with former champ Ryota Matsune (Pictures) was cancelled after the oft-injured Matsune suffered a torn bicep and a broken rib. American promoters would be smart to nab the 30-year-old Osakan and give him a stage to let his potential shine through.
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A dominant grappler with the style you would expect from a Nova Uniao competitor, Galvao notched an impressive win over Kenji Osawa (Pictures) in May. With his handlers presently shopping him stateside and with some luck, North American fans could get to see one of the absolute best in the weight class very soon.
3. Koetsu Okazaki (Pictures) (5-0-1)
After an 18-month layoff, Okazaki returned in June 2006 and has rattled off successive wins over Hiroyuki Tanaka (Pictures), So Tazawa (Pictures) and Atsushi Yamamoto (Pictures). The well-rounded pupil of Dokonjonosuke Mishima (Pictures) is perhaps the best kept secret in Shooto's 132-pound division, and another solid win may make him the most worthy challenger to Hokazono's title.
4. Kenji Osawa (Pictures) (12-6-1)
After dropping a decision loss to Marcos Louro in May, Osawa is back in the saddle already with a rematch against Australian-based Brazilian Daniel Lima (Pictures) scheduled for Sept. 22. The two met in Nov. 2005, in a bout that ended in a disappointing draw. Osawa will now have the opportunity to show two years worth of improvements, as he too has ambitions of fighting in the U.S.
5. Atsushi Yamamoto (Pictures) (10-4-1)
Yamamoto's decision to leave Pancrase, whose smallest weight class is 141 pounds, for pro Shooto where he can compete at his more natural weight of 132 pounds was a fantastic decision. Although he dropped his last bout to Okazaki in May, the bout was both highly entertaining and competitive, and his Feb. win over Takeya Mizugaki (Pictures) showed that this division is where the KID Yamamoto pupil belongs.
6. Ryota Matsune (Pictures) (15-1-1)
After vacating the Shooto world title in Feb. 2005 and spending 18 months on the shelf due to a knee injury, it was hoped 2007 would offer a return to form for "The Shooto Junkie." Then, a week out from his much-anticipated July world title bout with Akitoshi Hokazono (Pictures), Matsune pulled out due to a broken rib and torn bicep. Matsune is only 25 and has plenty of time to get healed and back into peak form, but this is getting ridiculous.
7. Takeya Mizugaki (Pictures) (6-2-2)
The Shooto 2005 rookie MVP didn't get the win he needed greatly against 2006 rookie ace Masakatsu Ueda (Pictures) last month, but he came away with a draw, and looked fully recovered from a knee injury which plagued him earlier in the year, and showed some sensational defensive wrestling. The 23-year-old Mizugaki still has all the raw tools to one day wear Shooto's world crown.
8. Masakatsu Ueda (Pictures) (5-0-1)
While he wasn't able to get the W against Mizugaki in July, Ueda showed unbelievable cardio and pace, and was able to snag at least one judge's scorecard. It's onward and upward for last year's 132-pound rookie king, whose dominant wrestling and technical ground skills will test any fighter in the division.
9. Miguel Torres (Pictures) (18-1-0)
The most accomplished North American in the weight class, it is a tragedy that despite competing in Shooto Americas events for years and remaining a fixture of the Shooto world rankings, Torres was never able to earn a ticket to Shooto Japan to face the best in the weight class. He reportedly inked a deal with bodogFIGHT in April, where he would be making a more permanent move to 145 pounds, but nothing has materialized yet.
10. Chase Beebe (Pictures) (10-1-0)
A big fish in a small but developing pond, the WEC's 135-pound champ looked fantastic in his grueling 25-minute title win over Eddie Wineland (Pictures) in March. He's reportedly in for another tough assignment Sept. 5. Should he win, there are no excuses for him not facing the best in the class.
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