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Bantamweight
1. Henry Cejudo (16-2)
After a shaky first round, Cejudo turned up the heat on Marlon Moraes in the UFC 238 main event, winning via third-round technical knockout to become the fourth simultaneous two-division champion in the history of the Las Vegas-based promotion. It’s difficult to deny the Olympic gold medalist as one of the sport’s pound-for-pound best given recent wins over Demetrious Johnson, T.J. Dillashaw and Moraes. “The Messenger” plans on defending on both his flyweight and bantamweight belts – and he even has designs on making an eventual move to 145 pounds.2. Marlon Moraes (22-6-1)
The former World Series of Fighting champion looked well on his way to capturing UFC gold after battering Henry Cejudo with leg kicks in the opening stanza of their UFC 238 title clash. However, as Cejudo picked up the pace, Moraes faded and eventually succumbed to ground-and-pound at the 4:51 mark of the third frame. That ended a four-fight winning streak for the man known as “Magic,” whose run included impressive finishes of Aljamain Sterling, Jimmie Rivera and Raphael Assuncao.3. 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, and he’ll attempt to slow the rise of Cory Sandhagen at UFC 241 on Aug. 17.4. Aljamain Sterling (18-3)
Sterling put forth perhaps the most complete performance of his career to date at UFC 238, as he relied on speed, movement and a varied striking arsenal to take a unanimous verdict over Pedro Munhoz in a pivotal matchup of bantamweight contenders. “Funk Master” has won four straight at 135 pounds, and after back-to-back wins over Top 10 contenders in Muhnoz and Jimmie Rivera, looks poised to challenge for UFC gold in the near future.5. Kyoji Horiguchi (27-2)
Make that 12 consecutive wins for Horiguchi, who made short work of fellow UFC veteran Ben Nguyen in a 132-pound catchweight affair at Rizin 15. The American Top Team representative improved to 9-0 within the Japanese promotion by avoiding an early rear-naked choke attempt and then asserting himself on the feet for an impressive first-round technical knockout victory. Horiguchi next has a rematch with Darrion Caldwell — whom he defeated on New Year’s Eve to claim Rizin bantamweight gold — lined up for Bellator 222 at Madison Square Garden.6. Petr Yan (13-1)
Yan continues to justify the hype that has grown around him since he entered the UFC. The 26-year-old Russian garnered his fifth straight Octagon triumph at UFC 238, taking a hard-fought division over Jimmie Rivera. In a closely contested battle, Yan landed the more memorable offense, dropping his opponent on two different occasions and landing other shots that might have dropped a lesser man. In a crowded and talented division, Yan believes he is deserving of the next title shot.7. Cory Sandhagen (11-1)
Sandhagen’s finishing streak came to an end at UFC Fort Lauderdale, but the lanky Elevation Fight Team representative picked up the biggest win of his career to date in the form of a split verdict over John Lineker. Sandhagen was able to withstand the offensive onslaught from the body-punching Brazilian, a trial by fire that solidifies him as a talent to watch in the bantamweight division. Prior to going the distance against Lineker, Sanhagen had scored stoppages of Austin Arnett, Yuri Alcantara and Mario Bautista in his first three Octagon appearances. He’ll face an even more difficult task at UFC 241, when he squares off against Brazilian veteran Raphael Assuncao.8. John Lineker (31-9)
Lineker had a good showing against Cory Sandhagen at UFC Fort Lauderdale – 10 of 17 judges tracked by MMADecisions.com awarded the bout to “Hands of Stone” – but it wasn’t quite enough to earn the nod from the cageside judges, as the hard-hitting Brazilian dropped a close split decision. Lineker had won eight of none entering the contest, and his stock won’t fall much for losing a competitive bout to an up-and-coming talent. After complaining about a lack of activity in recent years, Lineker will step in on short notice to face Rob Font in a rematch at UFC Greenville on June 22.9. Jimmie Rivera (22-4)
Rivera’s slump continued at UFC 238, as he dropped a unanimous decision to surging Russian contender Petr Yan. While it was Rivera’s third loss in his last four outings, he looked better than he had in previous defeats, even outlanding his opponent by a 73-to-56 count in significant strikes. However, two knockdowns for Yan were a major deciding factor in demise of the Team Tiger Schulmann member.10. Pedro Munhoz (18-4)
Muhnoz had a three-bout winning streak snapped at UFC 238, dropping a unanimous decision to Aljamain Sterling in what could very well have been a bantamweight title eliminator bout. Muhnoz was game throughout the contest, walking his foe down and attacking with kicks to the legs and body, but he could never force Sterling to engage in the type of firefight he desired. Despite that setback, “The Young Punisher” has won seven of his last nine Octagon appearances.Other Contenders: Darrion Caldwell, Cody Garbrandt, Rob Font, Manny Bermudez, John Dodson.
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