Going into his WEC bantamweight title bout with Miguel Torres, 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)
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. 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 rope grabbing and eye gouging, but Ueda kept his unbeaten record and Shooto world title on July 19 by taking a well-appointed unanimous verdict over tough Brazilian youngster Eduardo Dantas.
4. Takeya Mizugaki (12-3-2)
Coming off of his wildly entertaining 25-minute brawl with Miguel Torres in April, Mizugaki was done no favors in his second bout in the promotion, as he faced off with veteran Jeff Curran on Aug. 9. However, the Cage Force bantamweight champion 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 understudy Joseph Benavidez, Cruz was one step ahead throughout the entire bout, deftly outworking 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, Benavidez’s undefeated record came to an end at WEC 42. He was outworked in all facets of the game by the much longer and rangier Dominick Cruz.
7. Akitoshi Tamura (14-7-2)
Following the delay and relocation of WEC 43, Tamura was a cruel victim of fate. He sustained a broken rib in training for his fight with Damacio Page after extending his preparation for the postponed event.
8. Damacio Page (12-4)
It was not as competitive as a bout with Akitoshi Tamura might have been, but Page took a quick and impressive rear-naked choke victory over previously unbeaten Will Campuzano at WEC 43. It took the Greg Jackson-trained wild child just 62 seconds to get the tap.
9. Rani Yahya (15-4)
Against John Hosman on Aug. 9, Yahya added another first-round submission to his resume. Three straight first-round tapouts have put the grappling all-star back in contention for another crack at the WEC bantamweight crown.
10. Eddie Wineland (15-6-1)
Following a 67-second submission loss to Rani Yahya in his WEC return in April, the former WEC bantamweight champion earned himself a tidy unanimous verdict over Manny Tapia on Oct. 10 to get back into the mix at 135 pounds.
Other contenders: Antonio Banuelos, Mike Easton, Marcos Galvao, Scott Jorgensen, Manny Tapia.
* With his loss to Eddie Wineland, formerly eighth-ranked Manny Tapia falls to the contenders list.