Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

---

Bantamweight

1. Dominick Cruz (18-1)
The bantamweight championship is coming to cable, as Cruz will make the next defense of his 135-pound championship on Oct. 1, live on Versus. When UFC Live 6 emanates from Washington, D.C., "The Dominator" will be in an all-action bout with fast-rising challenger Demetrious Johnson in a potential thriller.

2. Joseph Benavidez (15-2)
He might not get another shot at 135-pound gold any time soon, but Benavidez continues to bulk up his bantamweight resume. At UFC Live 5 on Aug. 14, the Team Alpha Male product turned in a solid unanimous decision performance against the heavy-hitting Eddie Wineland.

3. Urijah Faber (25-5)
Faber could not take the UFC bantamweight title from Dominick Cruz in July. However, "The California Kid" is never far from prominent competition: Faber will return to the Octagon on Nov. 19 at UFC 139 in San Jose, Calif., taking on former WEC champion Brian Bowles.

4. Brian Bowles (10-1)
Bowles' path back to the top of the 135-pound division just got tougher. The former WEC champion will return to action in pursuit of his third straight win since falling to Dominick Cruz, taking on another former WEC champion, Urijah Faber, at UFC 139 on Nov. 19.

5. Scott Jorgensen (12-4)
After clobbering Ken Stone in June, "Young Guns" returns to action at UFC 137 on Oct. 29. In opposition, he takes on longtime veteran Jeff Curran in his return to the UFC.

6. Demetrious Johnson (9-1)
Following a hard-fought unanimous verdict over former WEC champion Miguel Torres in May, "Mighty Mouse" became the next challenger to the UFC bantamweight crown. The speedy Matt Hume pupil will try to be the man to foil surging champion Dominick Cruz on Oct. 1, live on the Versus network.

7. Miguel Torres (39-4)
He was defeated for only the fourth time in his 11-year career, but Torres’ loss to Demetrious Johnson on May 28 came by the narrowest of margins. The former WEC bantamweight champion’s dynamic ground work against powerful wrestler Johnson went unappreciated by the judges, as Torres came up on the wrong end of a much-debated unanimous decision.

8. Brad Pickett (20-5)
One of Britain's best, Pickett continues to hover just outside the circle of UFC bantamweight title contenders. That could change on Nov. 5, as he heads to more familiar surroundings in Birmingham, England, to battle tough Brazilian Renan "Barao" in an appealing pairing of developing contenders.

9. Masakatsu Ueda (13-1-2)
The former Shooto world champion showed further development in his MMA game when he met Shooto icon Rumina Sato on July 18. The gifted wrestler used crushing kicks to the body to stop Sato in the first round, demonstrating vastly improved striking in the ring.

10. Takeya Mizugaki (14-6-2)
Now 3-4 under Zuffa employ, the former WEC bantamweight title challenger has his back against the wall in an intensifying 135-pound division. Mizugaki will try to keep pace in rapid waters on Sept. 24, when he meets slick grappler Cole Escovedo at UFC 135.

Other contenders: Renan “Barao”, Hideo Tokoro, Zach Makovsky, Michael McDonald, Eddie Wineland.

Continue Reading » MMA Flyweight Rankings