Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Bantamweight

1. Miguel Torres (33-1-0)
One of the year's breakout talents, the WEC's 135-pound king is likely to defend his crown on the WEC's last card of the year on Dec. 3. Torres' challenger may be fellow Chicano Manny Tapia should Tapia's knee injury, which cancelled their slated June 1 bout, be fully recovered. If not, Torres will likely be putting his title on the line against fast-rising upstart Brian Bowles.

2. Masakatsu Ueda (8-0-1)
Likely one of the best fighters you've never heard about, the Shooto 132-pound world champ put himself on the map with victories over Atsushi Yamamoto and Koetsu Okazaki. Now Ueda will have to keep pace with his American counterparts. He needs to impress in his Sept. 28 title defense against Marcos Galvao, who was destroyed by the WEC’s Brian Bowles in his stateside debut in December.

3. Brian Bowles (6-0-0)
Another Brian Bowles fight and another sterling performance from the unassuming Georgia native. In his Aug. 3 bout with a rugged Damacio Page, Bowles handled himself like a veteran, locking up a crisp guillotine for a first-round submission victory. With a trio of superb victories in the WEC, one can safely assume that if Manny Tapia's knee isn't ready for a Miguel Torres bout later this year, Bowles will be the man to challenge for the crown.

4. Koetsu Okazaki (5-1-1)
Okazaki was quite simply outclassed by the stronger, more technical Masakatsu Ueda in their March 28 title showdown. What's next for the Osaka native remains uncertain, as he has never been much of a workhorse and may not get back into the ring until the latter part of the year.

5. Atsushi Yamamoto (11-5-1)
He didn't get a chance to challenge for the Shooto world title, as Masakatsu Ueda knocked him off in a January title eliminator. Nonetheless, Yamamoto is in line for a high-profile affair come Sept. 23 in Saitama, when he takes on Japanese superstar Hideo Tokoro in what should make for a thoroughly entertaining bout.

6. Marcos Galvao (6-2-0)
It has been a long seven months for "Louro.” The touted Brazilian was embarrassed in a TKO loss to upstart Brian Bowles in December. He will not be taking a tune-up in his next match, as the Nova Uniao product will meet Masakatsu Ueda for the Shooto 132-pound world championship on Sept. 28 in Tokyo.

7. Takeya Mizugaki (9-2-2)
The frontrunner in GCM's 135-pound Cage Force tournament showed why he's the lead dog in the bracket on June 22. He throttled Daichi Fujiwara so badly that Fujiwara did not even know he was knocked out, prompting him to rise and try to attack a victorious Mizugaki while he posed for photographers. Mizugaki will meet Taiyo Nakahara in the Cage Force tourney semifinals on Sept. 27.

8. Manny Tapia (10-0-1)
Tapia's next battle will be rehabbing from surgery in wake of the knee injury that scuttled his June 1 fight against WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres. However, upon his return, Tapia may still be the man to challenge for the WEC crown of Miguel Torres later this year.

9. Will Ribeiro (9-1-0)
Although he came in with a bit of buzz, few expected the former Brazilian boxing champion to best former WEC champion Chase Beebe in their June 1 bout. Ribeiro showed off his hands as well as the latest developments in his all-around MMA game to take a split decision.

10. Chase Beebe (11-3-0)
The former WEC titleholder was surprised by Brazilian up-and-comer Will Ribeiro in their June 1 showdown, dropping a split decision. However, the future is undoubtedly bright for Beebe, who, at 23 years old, still has considerable upside.