Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Bantamweight

1. T.J. Dillashaw (16-4)

Few could have expected Dillashaw to fall to Henry Cejudo in just 32 seconds at UFC Brooklyn. While the reigning bantamweight champion is adamant that the stoppage was early — he called it “complete bulls—t” at the post-fight press conference — it’s unclear if he will be granted a rematch at 125 pounds. Dillashaw, who had won eight of nine bouts prior to facing Cejudo, remains the No. 1 fighter in the world at bantamweight and figures to have a number of interesting options for his next Octagon appearance, even if the Olympic gold medalist isn’t one of them.

2. 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 UFC triumph has him primed to challenge T.J. Dillashaw — assuming the reigning 135-pound king doesn’t chase a return date with Henry Cejudo.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

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 in Miami.

7. Kyoji Horiguchi (26-2)

Horiguchi was stymied by the wrestling of Darrion Caldwell for the better part of two rounds at Rizin 14, but the former UFC flyweight title challenger rallied to submit the reigning Bellator titlist with a guillotine choke in the third frame. Horiguchi’s 11th straight triumph earned him Rizin’s inaugural bantamweight crown and continued to cement his place among the world’s top lighter weight competitors. With Rizin and Bellator planning to collaborate on additional cross-promotional ventures in the future, more interesting matchups could be on the horizon for the Japanese standout. Up next will be a showdown with former UFC competitor Ben Nguyen at Rizin 15 on April 21.

8. 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. It’s worth nothing that his UFC record could be even better were it not for narrow split-decision losses to John Dodson and Jimmie Rivera.

9. 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.

10. 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 has kicked off his promotional tenure with four straight victories to establish himself as a contender at 135 pounds.

Other Contenders: Cody Garbrandt, Manny Bermudez, John Dodson, Cody Stamann, Alejandro Perez.

Continue Reading » Flyweight