Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Bantamweight

1. T.J. Dillashaw (15-3)

Dillashaw lost his UFC bantamweight title by the slimmest of margins in January 2016, dropping a split decision to two-time champion Dominick Cruz. It took him nearly two years, but now “Killashaw” is back on top of the bantamweight world: At UFC 217, he finally got his showdown with former Team Alpha Male training partner Cody Garbrandt and overcame nearly being stopped in the opening round to knock out “No Love” and take back the UFC title. A Garbrandt rematch or a showdown with someone like Jimmie Rivera seemed most apt, but the newly minted champ called out flyweight kingpin Demetrious Johnson for what would be a monumental superfight.

2. Cody Garbrandt (11-1)

Through five minutes of his UFC 217 co-main event on Nov. 4, Garbrandt looked well on his way to both defending his UFC bantamweight title for the first time and knocking out former teammate turned rival T.J. Dillashaw. Then, Round 2 came and Dillashaw cracked him with a right hand, pounded him out, took his title and handed him the first loss of his career. Whether or not “No Love” gets an immediate title rematch in 2018 remains to be seen.

3. Dominick Cruz (22-2)

How quickly we forget how intimate a role injuries play in Cruz’s career. After a slew of knee and groin injuries limited Cruz to just one fight in over four years, we were blessed when he stepped into the Octagon three times in 2016. However, in the wake of his UFC title loss to Cody Garbrandt in December, he complained of plantar fasciitis limiting his mobility; and when he was lined up in a title eliminator situation against Jimmie Rivera at UFC 219, he sustained a broken arm that knocked him out of the cage once again.

4. Raphael Assuncao (26-5)

Few men in the entire sport, let alone the UFC, are a less desired opponent than Assuncao. If you want to see why, look at the veteran’s handiwork in his Nov. 11 bout with little-known prospect Matthew Lopez, whom he dominated for nearly 12 minutes before savagely knocking him out. The Atlanta-based Brazilian is now 10-1 as a UFC bantamweight, and the only man to beat him is current champion T.J. Dillashaw -- someone over whom Assuncao also owns a win. Naturally, Assuncao called out the new champ following his Lopez triumph, though a rubber match between the two is hardly on the priority list for Dillashaw or the UFC.

5. Marlon Moraes (20-5-1)

Moraes’ long-awaited UFC debut did not go the way he wanted in June, as he lost a razor-thin split decision to fellow Brazilian Raphael Assuncao. However, the “Magic” man wasted zero time in reversing his promotional fortunes. Following wins over John Dodson and Aljamain Sterling, Moraes continues to get intense callouts from rising contender Jimmie Rivera, laying the groundwork for an outstanding 135-pound encounter if it ever happens.

6. Jimmie Rivera (21-1)

A brutal victim of circumstance, Rivera won 20 straight pro MMA fights to put himself into position as a UFC bantamweight contender. When “El Terror” was lined up to face two-time UFC champ Dominick Cruz, “The Dominator” broke his arm; and when Rivera received an outstanding and exciting replacement in big-hitting Brazilian John Lineker, the bout was scuttled during fight week after “Hands of Stone” needed to have an infected wisdom tooth removed. Rivera tried to call out fellow contender Marlon Moraes, conceding to various catchweights to no avail. If nothing else, the arduous process has given Rivera the chance to vent and use his voice, embedding himself in the consciousness of fickle fight folks.

7. Bryan Caraway (21-7)

The UFC bantamweight division has been beset by injuries over the last few weeks, and based on recent history, it was unfortunately safe to assume that Caraway would be among the afflicted. After losing out on a chance to tangle with Jimmie Rivera in January, “Kid Lightning” sustained his second injury of 2017, knocking him out of a Dec. 9 date with once-beaten Luke Sanders. Andre Soukhamthath faced “Cool Hand Luke” in his stead and stopped the Tennessee native in the second round.

8. John Lineker (30-8)

A broken jaw courtesy of T.J. Dillashaw in December 2016 put Lineker on the sideline for most of 2017, but “Hands of Stone” was eager to make up for lost time. After hammering out a decision over Marlon Vera in November, Lineker looked to make a quick turnaround, stepping in for an injured Dominick Cruz against elite contender Jimmie Rivera at UFC 219 on Dec. 30. Dismayingly, disaster struck for Lineker during fight week, as an infected wisdom tooth necessitated emergency surgery, knocking Lineker out of what would have been the biggest fight of his career.

9. Thomas Almeida (22-2)

Sure, Almeida has lost two of his last three bouts, but those defeats came to former champion Cody Garbrandt and perhaps a soon-to-be title challenger in Jimmie Rivera; there is no shame in those setbacks. With that said, coming off of his wild, woolly brawl with Rivera in July, you would think “Little Tom” might want a tune-up bout. Perish the thought. Almeida, 26, has signed on to face fellow fight-ending threat Rob Font at UFC 220 on Jan. 20 in the latter’s own Boston backyard.

10. Kyoji Horiguchi (23-2)

Horiguchi is unquestionably one of the finest flyweights in the world, but lest you forget he began his career as a Shooto 132-pound world champion, the Japanese standout was made the focal point of Rizin’s bantamweight grand prix. During the New Year’s season, in the span of 48 hours, Horiguchi demolished three solid opponents. After stopping the previously undefeated Gabriel Leite de Oliveira and Manel Kape, he put away bantamweight King of Pancrase Shintaro Ishiwatari for the second time in his career. The only man to defeat the two-division standout over his last 18 bouts is Demetrious Johnson, the best fighter in the sport.

Other Contenders: Darrion Caldwell, Eduardo Dantas, Brett Johns, Pedro Munhoz, Aljamain Sterling.

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