Bantamweight
1. Cody Garbrandt (11-0)
Following his thrilling bantamweight title win over Dominick Cruz at UFC 207 in December, Garbrandt was one of the first rising talents to be heavily pushed by the new WME-IMG ownership of the UFC, as the group lined up “No Love” against former Team Alpha Male training partner T.J. Dillashaw as opposing coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter 25.” Unfortunately, their season-culminating date at UFC 213 was scuttled when Garbrandt's back injury continued to flare up, knocking him out of the fight.2. Dominick Cruz (22-2)
Having not lost a pro MMA fight in nearly 10 years and with a career full of success against Team Alpha Male, Cruz looked to be in the driver’s seat headed into his bantamweight title defense against Cody Garbrandt at UFC 207. The sentiment was further enhanced when Cruz’s pre-fight trash talk seemed to truly rattle and upset his challenger. Instead, Garbrandt put on an incredible display, as he bested Cruz in his own trademark style, dropping “The Dominator” over 25 minutes and earning a unanimous decision to take Cruz’s 135-pound crown.3. T.J. Dillashaw (14-3)
“The Ultimate Fighter 25” was supposed to end with a dramatic, charged showdown between former teammates Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt over the UFC bantamweight championship. Once held by Dillashaw, the 135-pound title is now worn by his former Team Alpha Male compatriot. However, a nagging back injury knocked Garbrandt out of his title defense, leaving Dillashaw desperate for a major bout. He has since called out UFC flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson for a date at 125 pounds.4. Raphael Assuncao (24-5)
Assuncao is 8-1 as a bantamweight, with all nine of those bouts coming in the UFC. His lone loss came at UFC 200 in July to former divisional ruler T.J. Dillashaw, a man over whom he owns a prior win. In spite of the Atlanta-based Brazilian's undeniable success, he will need to keep acing stiff tests if he wants a UFC title shot. Next up for Assuncao is a particularly intriguing bout, as he will welcome fellow top-five talent and former World Series of Fighting champion Marlon Moraes to the promotion at UFC 212 on June 3 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.5. Marlon Moraes (18-4-1)
Given World Series of Fighting's dubious-but-lucrative pay structure for some fighters, former WSOF bantamweight champion Moraes is likely sacrificing some coin in making the leap to the UFC. However, Moraes has repeatedly expressed his desire to fight the best in the world. He will get a baptism by fire in his UFC debut: Moraes will square off with fellow elite Brazilian Raphael Assuncao in a contest with considerable merit at UFC 212 on June 3.6. Jimmie Rivera (20-1)
Let Rivera provide a lesson in how to get what you want in the modern UFC. With a perfect 4-0 Octagon record and the promotion headed to Long Island, New York, the New Jersey-born, NYC-based Rivera wanted to be a part of the bill -- and prominently so. What did he do? He called out 22-1 banger Thomas Almeida for an all-action bantamweight clash on Twitter, got his would-be opponent's consent and put the heat on the UFC to make it official. Rivera got his wish and will go for his 20th straight win at UFC on Fox 25 in July.7. Bryan Caraway (21-7)
With back-to-back wins over Eddie Wineland and Aljamain Sterling, Caraway put himself in bantamweight title contention. However, ahead of his scheduled bout with Jimmie Rivera on Jan. 15, Caraway was once again struck by the injury bug, leading him to pull out of the fight and take a familiar place on the sideline.8. Thomas Almeida (22-1)
Almeida scored a nasty knockout win over Albert Morales in front of his hometown crowd in November, but Morales did not exactly represent top-10 opposition. That changes for “Little Tom” next time out: The 25-year-old Brazilian has agreed to take on fellow ranked bantamweight Jimmie Rivera at UFC on Fox 25 in Long Island, New York, on July 22. Their 135-pound clash is big on relevance and potential action.9. John Lineker (29-8)
A win at UFC 207 over former bantamweight king T.J. Dillashaw likely would have punched Lineker’s ticket to a title bout in the Octagon. Instead, the massive-hitting Brazilian had his six-fight winning streak snapped by Dillashaw, who grounded and savagely pounded on Lineker for 15 minutes. Though soundly defeated, Lineker remains one of MMA’s most devastating punchers; and in a lopsided defeat to Dillashaw, he showed off exactly the kind of physical toughness that figures to make him an elite 135-pound fixture for the foreseeable future.10. Aljamain Sterling (13-2)
Sterling rebounded from a two-fight skid in April, earning a workmanlike unanimous verdict over Brazilian jiu-jisu ace Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes. It will be two Brazilian opponents in a row for “Funkmaster Aljo,” who has signed onto the UFC 214 card for July 29 in Anaheim, California, facing off with former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao, who makes his return to the division.Other Contenders: Iuri Alcantara, Darrion Caldwell, Eduardo Dantas, John Dodson, Eddie Wineland.
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