Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Bantamweight
1. Brian Bowles (8-0)
Going into his WEC bantamweight title bout with Miguel Torres, Brian Bowles was thought to be a game challenger, but not a major-league threat. In the cage, Bowles was far more than that, as he smashed Torres in the first round to snatch the 135-pound mantle.

2. Miguel Torres (37-2)
Miguel Torres was heralded as one of the sport's pound-for-pound stalwarts and the man to put the 135-pound division on the map, but in his fourth defense of the WEC bantamweight title, he was flattened in the first round by impressive upstart Brian Bowles, who handed Torres his first loss in 18 fights.

3. Masakatsu Ueda (10-0-2)
He had to overcome both rope-grabbing and eye-gouging, but Masakatsu Ueda kept his unbeaten record and Shooto world title on July 19 by taking a well-appointed unanimous verdict over tough Brazilian youngster Eduardo "Dudu" Dantas.

4. Takeya Mizugaki (12-3-2)
Coming off of his wildly entertaining 25-minute brawl with Miguel Torres in April, Takeya Mizugaki was done no favors in his second bout in the promotion by facing off with veteran Jeff Curran on Aug. 9. However, the Cage Force bantamweight champ survived a last-minute submission scare from Curran to take a hard-fought split decision win.

5. Dominick Cruz (14-1)
A healthy underdog heading into his Aug. 9 bout with Urijah Faber pupil Joseph Benavidez, Dominick Cruz was one step ahead throughout the entire bout and deftly outworked Benavidez on the feet and the floor en route to a unanimous decision win. He now figures to be the first title contender for newly minted champion Brian Bowles.

6. Joseph Benavidez (10-1)
Though he came into the bout as a considerable favorite to challenge for the WEC bantamweight title, WEC 42 saw Joseph Benavidez's undefeated record come to an end, as he was outworked in all facets of the game by the much longer and rangier Dominick Cruz.

7. Akitoshi Tamura (14-7-2)
The former Shooto world champion was stellar in his divisional debut against Manny Tapia in April. He will need to be even sharper on Sept. 2 at WEC 43 when he meets Greg Jackson-trained brawler Damacio Page, as contendership considerations on the line.

8. Will Ribeiro (10-2)
The Brazilian MMA community continues to rally around Ribeiro, who was given only a 50-50 chance to live after a horrific motorcycle accident last December. Here’s to continued recovery and progress for the Brazilian banger.

9. Manny Tapia (10-2-1)
Undefeated over his first 11 bouts, Tapia has lost his last two in the WEC. However, snapping that losing streak won't come easy, as "The Mangler" will meet former WEC bantamweight champion Eddie Wineland at WEC 43 on Sept. 2.

10. Damacio Page (11-4)
After absolutely brutalizing Marcos Galvao in just 18 seconds in March, the Greg Jackson product will have his hands full at WEC 43 on Sept. 2 when he takes on former Shooto world champion Akitoshi Tamura.

Other contenders: Antonio Banuelos, Mike Easton, Marcos Galvao, Eddie Wineland, Rani Yahya.

*With the entrance of fifth-ranked Dominick Cruz, former No. 10 Marcos Galvao is edged out to the contenders list.