Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Bantamweight

1. Dominick Cruz (16-1)
As the WEC gained momentum, it seemed like Miguel Torres would be the fighter to carry the bantamweight division on his back and bring it to the masses. Now, Cruz has that chance. After a successful first title defense against Joseph Benavidez in August, Cruz will try to prove he’s the real deal -- and not just a placeholder -- when he defends his crown against a red-hot Scott Jorgensen in December.

2. Joseph Benavidez (13-2)
He might have two losses to Dominick Cruz, and he might be best suited to fight at 125 pounds, but, apart from the WEC bantamweight champion himself, no 135-pound fighter picks off more top fighters than Benavidez. Stepping in for an injured Brian Bowles, Benavidez put another top 10 win on his ledger by dominating Wagnney Fabiano, choking the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt into submission in the second round at WEC 52.

3. Brian Bowles (8-1)
Injury woes have struck Bowles again. After breaking his hand in his March defeat to Dominick Cruz -- the fight in which he lost the WEC bantamweight title -- he was expected to return against Wagnney Fabiano at WEC 52 in November. However, a foot injury has put Bowles back on the shelf.

4. Scott Jorgensen (11-3)
After steadily rising up the ranks of the bantamweight division, Jorgensen has earned his shot at the throne. When WEC 53 heads to Glendale, Ariz., on Dec. 16, “Young Guns” will have his chance to prove himself the top 135-pounder in the world. There, the former Boise State Bronco takes on champion Dominick Cruz.

5. Urijah Faber (24-4)
Faber was originally set to make his 135-pound debut at WEC 50 on Aug. 18, but a knee injury postponed his bout with Takeya Mizugaki. “The California Kid” made the wait well worth it, as he choked Mizugaki unconscious in the WEC 52 main event on Nov. 11 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

6. Miguel Torres (38-3)
Torres will be one of the first WEC talents to receive major UFC exposure. The former WEC bantamweight titleholder will make his Octagon debut on Super Bowl weekend, when he meets Antonio Banuelos on the main card at UFC 126 on Feb. 5 in Las Vegas.

7. Takeya Mizugaki (13-5-2)
The first time Mizugaki headlined a WEC event, he turned in a barnburner with Miguel Torres at WEC 40. The second time, however, was a harder pill to swallow. Former featherweight ace Urijah Faber made a successful bantamweight debut against the Japanese import at WEC 52, taking Mizugaki’s back and choking him unconscious inside the first round.

8. Rani Yahya (15-6)
A lackluster effort against Takeya Mizugaki in April, coupled with a growing difficulty to make 135 pounds, has Yahya eying a featherweight return. He will step back up to 145 pounds to take on “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung at UFC “Fight for the Troops 2” on Jan. 22.

9. Masakatsu Ueda (11-1-2)
Desperately needing an impressive win to erase the memories of his March upset loss to Shuichiro Katsumura, Ueda was on point in his May 30 bout with WEC veteran Akitoshi Tamura. The former Shooto world champion used all phases of his game -- developing striking included -- to take a well-appointed unanimous decision.

10. Wagnney Fabiano (14-3)
Fabiano was viewed as an imminent title contender when he cut down to 135 pounds. That is clearly not in the cards. After a pair of lackluster wins, Fabiano was dominated en route to another surprising submission loss, this time to Joseph Benavidez at WEC 52.

Other contenders: Demetrious Johnson, Zach Makovsky, Michael McDonald, Brad Pickett, Eddie Wineland.

* With his Nov. 11 loss to Demetrious Johnson, previously seventh-ranked Damacio Page falls from the top 10.