Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

---

Bantamweight

1. T.J. Dillashaw (16-4)

Few could have expected Dillashaw to fall to Henry Cejudo in just 32 seconds at UFC Brooklyn. While the reigning bantamweight champion is adamant that the stoppage was early — he called it “complete bulls—t” at the post-fight press conference — it’s unclear if he will be granted a rematch at 125 pounds. Dillashaw, who had won eight of nine bouts prior to facing Cejudo, remains the No. 1 fighter in the world at bantamweight and figures to have a number of interesting options for his next Octagon appearance, even if the Olympic gold medalist isn’t one of them.

2. Marlon Moraes (22-5-1)

Moraes continued his upward trend in emphatic fashion in the UFC Fortaleza headliner, as he tapped out Raphael Assuncao with a guillotine in the opening round of a pivotal bout between bantamweight contenders. Not only did the former World Series of Fighting Champion avenge a controversial loss to Assuncao, but his fourth consecutive UFC triumph has him primed to challenge T.J. Dillashaw — assuming the reigning 135-pound king doesn’t chase a return date with Henry Cejudo.

3. Cody Garbrandt (11-2)

Once fast-tracked to the top of the bantamweight division as one of the promotion’s favored stars, Garbrandt likely will not sniff another title shot as long as T.J. Dillashaw holds the belt. That, of course, is a product of back-to-back knockout losses to his rival, the most recent coming in the opening stanza at UFC 227. It is nonetheless important to remember that the 27-year-old “No Love” began his career with 11 consecutive triumphs. He’ll return to the Octagon at UFC 235 for another interesting matchup against Pedro Munhoz on March 2.

4. Raphael Assuncao (27-6)

Winning 11 of 12 bouts didn’t get Assuncao a title shot, and after a devastating first-round submission defeat to Marlon Moraes in the UFC Fortaleza headliner, the Ascension MMA product is even further down the pecking order. Assuncao edged Moraes via contentious split decision in their first meeting in June 2017, but the former World Series of Fighting titlist rocked him with a pair of overhand rights before eliciting a tapout with a mounted guillotine just 3:17 into round one. Assuncao is still a difficult style matchup for much of the division, but it’s entirely possible that the 36-year-old has already seen his best days.

5. Jimmie Rivera (22-2)

It definitely wasn’t one for the record books, but coming off a brutal head-kick KO loss to Marlon Moraes, Rivera will take a victory any way he can get it. The Team Tiger Schulmann representative returned to the win column at UFC 228 with a nondescript decision triumph over former flyweight title challenger John Dodson. Regardless of the nature of the win, Rivera has won six of seven in the Octagon and remains one of the top talents in the division. “El Terror” will next lock horns with Aljamain Sterling at UFC on ESPN 1 in Phoenix on Feb. 17.

6. 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 was scheduled to square off against former champion Dominick Cruz at UFC 233, but not only did Cruz suffer an injury, but the Jan. 26 event was canceled. Lineker was then supposed to meet Cory Sandhagen at UFC on ESPN+1 in Brooklyn but had to withdraw from the event.

7. Kyoji Horiguchi (26-2)

Horiguchi was stymied by the wrestling of Darrion Caldwell for the better part of two rounds at Rizin 14, but the former UFC flyweight title challenger rallied to submit the reigning Bellator titlist with a guillotine choke in the third frame. Horiguchi’s 11th straight triumph earned him Rizin’s inaugural bantamweight crown and continued to cement his place among the world’s top lighter weight competitors. With Rizin and Bellator planning to collaborate on additional cross-promotional ventures in the future, more interesting matchups could be on the horizon for the Japanese standout. Up next will be a showdown with former UFC competitor Ben Nguyen at Rizin 15 on April 21.

8. Darrion Caldwell (12-2)

A conservative wrestling-based approach worked well for Caldwell for two rounds against Kyoji Horiguchi, but “The Wolf” faltered in the third stanza to lose via guillotine choke. The former NCAA national champion missed out on a chance to become a bantamweight champion in two promotions, but he remains the 135-pound titlist in Bellator MMA, where he has lost just once in 11 appearances.

9. Aljamain Sterling (16-3)

After entering the UFC as a red-hot prospect, Sterling had become something of a forgotten commodity of late. The “Funk Master” reminded the division that he remains a dangerous presence at UFC 228 with a wicked kneebar finish of Cody Stamann, who had been victorious in his first three Octagon appearances. Sterling has bounced back nicely from a 67-second knockout loss to Marlon Moraes this past December and has won four of his last five promotional appearances. Next, Sterling will meet Jimmie Rivera at UFC on ESPN 1 in Phoenix on Feb. 17.

10. John Dodson (20-10)

Dodson was content to let Jimmie Rivera lead in their UFC 228 encounter, and ultimately it cost him, as he dropped a lackluster decision to “El Terror.” The Jackson-Wink MMA stalwart has seen mixed results since moving to bantamweight, posting a 3-3 mark following an extended run as a 125-pound contender. Dodson will attempt to slow the rise of surging Russian prospect Petr Yan at UFC Fight Night Prague on Feb. 23.

Other Contenders: Manny Bermudez, Cody Stamann, Pedro Munhoz, Bryan Caraway, Alejandro Perez.

Continue Reading » Flyweight