Bantamweight
1. T.J. Dillashaw (15-3)
Dillashaw finally got his showdown with former Team Alpha Male training partner Cody Garbrandt at UFC 217 and overcame nearly being stopped in the opening round to knock out “No Love” and take back the bantamweight title. After a brief flirtation with a superfight against reigning flyweight king Demetrious Johnson, Dillashaw will instead settle for a return date with Garbrandt at UFC 227 on Aug. 4 in Los Angeles.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. The good news for “No Love” is that he will get to run it back against Dillashaw at UFC 227 in August.3. Dominick Cruz (22-2)
How quickly we forget the intimate 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 (27-5)
Assuncao just keeps winning. Whether that nets him a bantamweight title shot remains to be seen. The 35-year-old Brazilian tasted victory for the 11th time in 12 Octagon appearances at UFC 226, where he captured a unanimous verdict over Rob Font. Assuncao’s run includes a victory over reigning 135-pound king T.J. Dillashaw, so he should have a keen interest in the UFC 227 headliner between the Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt on Aug. 4.5. Marlon Moraes (21-5-1)
Moraes made an emphatic case to become the bantamweight division’s No. 1 contender in waiting with his 33-second knockout of Jimmie Rivera at UFC Fight Night 131 in Utica, New York. The former World Series of Fighting champion has won 16 of his last 17 bouts, and his only defeat during that time was a contentious split decision setback against Raphael Assuncao at UFC 212. Depending on the status of Dominick Cruz, Moraes could be in line to face the winner of the T.J. Dillashaw-Cody Garbrandt rematch at UFC 227 on Aug. 4.6. Jimmie Rivera (21-2)
Rivera probably never imagined his 20-fight winning streak would come to an end in such devastating fashion. A left high kick and follow-up punches from Marlon Moraes put away Rivera just 33 seconds into the UFC Fight Night 131 main event in Utica, New York. After compiling an impressive resume over the years, Rivera remains a viable Top-10 bantamweight despite the shocking nature of his setback to Moraes and could easily vault back into contention with a couple quality victories. His next assignment comes against John Dodson at UFC 209 on Sept. 8.7. John Lineker (31-8)
Lineker was in prime form against Brian Kelleher at UFC 224, where he eventually put away his American counterpart with a brutal left hook 3:43 into the third frame of their featured encounter. “Hands of Stone” has won eight of his last nine inside the Octagon, with his only defeat during that time coming at the hands of reigning 135-pound king T.J. Dillashaw. The heavy-handed Brazilian figures to be in line for a highly ranked opponent in his next appearance.8. Darrion Caldwell (12-1)
Other than one perplexing hiccup against Joe Taimanglo, Caldwell has been nearly flawless since transitioning to MMA in 2012. The former NCAA wrestling champion from North Carolina State University authored one of his finest performances to date at Bellator 195, where he submitted Leandro Higo inside of a round to defend his Bellator MMA bantamweight crown. It was the first time Higo had been forced to tap in 22 professional bouts. Caldwell’s next appearance will not be a 135-pound title defense. Instead, he will return to featherweight to headline Bellator 204 against UFC castaway Noad Lahat on Aug. 17.9. Kyoji Horiguchi (24-2)
If you thought a showdown with fellow UFC veteran Ian McCall would slow Horiguchi’s momentum, think again. The Japanese standout needed just nine seconds to score a knockout victory against “Uncle Creepy” in a 134-pound affair at Rizin Fighting Federation 10 on May 6. Horiguchi has now won nine fights in a row, and the only person to defeat him in his last 19 contests is reigning UFC flyweight king Demetrious Johnson. The American Top Team representative will get back to work when he faces Hiromasa Ogikubo in a 132-pound contest at Rizin 11 on July 29.10. John Dodson (20-9)
Dodson finally managed to win one of the close ones at bantamweight. After dropping split verdicts to John Lineker in 2016 and Marlon Moraes in 2017, “The Magician” prevailed in a split decision triumph over Pedro Munhoz at UFC 222. Dodson recently inked a new four-fight contract with the Las Vegas-based promotion and will return to the Octagon against Jimmie Rivera at UFC 209 on Sept. 8.Other Contenders: Bryan Caraway, Brett Johns, Pedro Munhoz, Cody Stamann, Aljamain Sterling.
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