Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Bantamweight

1. Miguel Torres (33-1)
Fans will be treated to the breakout bantamweight king one last time in 2008, as Torres will make the second defense of his 135-pound crown on Dec. 3, when he meets Manny Tapia. With Tapia now recovered from the knee injury that nixed their proposed June bout, the Chicano showdown promises textbook bantamweight action.

2. Masakatsu Ueda (8-0-2)
While he did not lose his title in his first defense, Ueda failed to secure victory, as he fought Marcos Galvao to a split draw in their Sept. 28 contest. However, Ueda remains the torchbearer for bantamweights on the other side of the ocean.

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 rugged Damacio Page, Bowles handled himself like a veteran, locking up a crisp guillotine choke for a first-round submission victory.

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 (12-5-1)
After a hot-and-cold run as a bantamweight thus far, Yamamoto returned to the featherweight division for the biggest fight of his career against Hideo Tokoro in Dream. An underdog against Tokoro, Yamamoto's improved stand-up got him a well-earned win, the biggest of his career.

6. Marcos Galvao (6-2-1)
Galvao fought nip-and-tuck to a split draw with Masakatsu Ueda on Sept. 28. While he did not walk away with the Shooto world title, Galvao redeemed himself considerably from his blowout loss to Brian Bowles last December.

7. Takeya Mizugaki (10-2-2)
Set for September action in Greatest Common Multiple’s Cage Force bantamweight bracket, Mizugaki's semi-final with Taiyo Nakahara was postponed until November; Nakahara suffered an undisclosed injury. The tournament favorite got to fight a replacement opponent and crushed an overmatched Daisuke Endo in a non-tournament affair.

8. Manny Tapia (10-0-1)
Fortunately for Tapia, the knee injury that forced him out of a June 1 WEC title shot against Miguel Torres has healed well. Now, "The Mangler" is off the shelf and will challenge Torres for the 135-pound crown on Dec. 3.

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

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