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Bantamweight
3. Henry Cejudo (17-2)
Cejudo became only the second fighter in promotion history to successfully defend titles in two divisions at UFC 249 when he defeated Dominick Cruz via second-round technical knockout in the evening’s co-main event at VyStar Veteran’s Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. After the victory, the Olympic gold medalist made a surprising retirement announcement, citing a desire to start a family. Retirements often don’t last in MMA, but if it holds up, “Triple C” ends his career with a six-fight winning streak that includes triumphs over Demetrious Johnson, T.J. Dillashaw, Marlon Moraes and Cruz.2. Marlon Moraes (23-6-1)
In his first fight since coming up short against Henry Cejudo at UFC 238, Moraes edged former featherweight champion Jose Aldo via split decision in a featured contest at UFC 245. The bout was close enough that a rematch could be in the offing, but regardless, Moraes displayed solid composure when faced with the constant pressure of his opponent. “Magic” has won five of his last six Octagon appearances, with his only other defeat coming via controversial split decision against Raphael Assuncao in his promotional debut.3. Cory Sandhagen (12-1)
It’s difficult to look good against Raphael Assuncao, but Sandhagen had enough rangy striking and crafty grappling to emerge with a unanimous decision triumph against the Brazilian veteran in their UFC 241 matchup. That makes four consecutive bantamweight wins and five overall in UFC competition for the Elevation Fight Team representative, who has established himself as an interesting contender at 135 pounds. Sandhagen has been active the past two years, winning six bouts since January 2018, a stretch that includes his final Legacy Fighting Alliance appearance. Sandhagen was supposed to welcome Frankie Edgar to 135 pounds in the UFC Raleigh co-main event on Jan. 25, but that bout was scrapped after “The Answer” accepted a short-notice fight against Chan Sung Jung in December.4. Raphael Assuncao (27-7)
Assuncao was competitive at usual at UFC 241, but he was ultimately unable to solve Cory Sandhagen, losing a unanimous decision in a preliminary bantamweight bout in Anaheim, Calif., on Aug. 17. After winning 11 of 12 Octagon appearances from August 2011 to July 2018 without getting a title shot, the 37-year-old Brazilian has dropped back-to-back fights to Marlon Moraes and Sandhagen. Assuncao is expected to face former 135-pound king Cody Garbrandt at UFC 250 on June 6.5. 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.6. Petr Yan (14-1)
Yan was frighteningly efficient at UFC 245, as he floored former WEC champion Urijah Faber three times en route to a knockout victory 43 seconds into the third frame. The Russian’s six-fight winning streak is currently the longest in the bantamweight division, and also includes the likes of Jimmie Rivera and John Dodson.7. Jose Aldo (28-6)
Aldo didn’t show any negative effects from the cut to 135 pounds, as he moved well and attacked throughout his bout against Marlon Moraes at UFC 245. Unfortunately for the Nova Uniao standout, he dropped a somewhat contentious split decision in his bantamweight debut. Despite the defeat, Aldo caught the eye of reigning 135-pound champ Henry Cejudo, but Aldo’s scheduled clash with the Olympic gold medalist was scrapped due to the coronavirus pandemic.8. John Lineker (32-9)
Lineker nearly stopped Muin Gafurov in the opening round at One Championship “Dawn of Valor,” but his opponent proved to be resilient enough to make it to the final bell. Nonetheless, the heavy-handed Brazilian emerged with a unanimous decision triumph in his debut with the Singapore-based promotion. The former UFC competitor has won three of his last four bouts, a streak that could easily be longer were it not for a contentious split decision setback to Corey Sandhagen at UFC Fight Night 150 on April 27.9. Jimmie Rivera (22-4)
After authoring a 20-bout professional winning streak from 2009 to 2017, Rivera has hit a rough stretch with losses in three of his last four Octagon appearances. All of those defeats came against top-flight competition, however. Rivera was scheduled to return to action against Marlon Vera at UFC 247 in Houston on Feb. 8, but “El Terror” was forced to withdraw from the bout due to injury.10. Pedro Munhoz (18-4, 1 NC)
Munhoz had a three-fight winning streak snapped at UFC 238, when he dropped a unanimous verdict to Aljamain Sterling. A victory in that bout would have put “The Young Punisher” near the top of the list of bantamweight contenders, but the 33-year-old has nonetheless been one of the top performers in the division in recent years, posting an 7-2 record since 2016 that includes triumphs over Cody Garbrandt, Bryan Caraway and Rob Font.Other Contenders: Manel Kape, Kai Asakura, Kyoji Horiguchi, Darrion Caldwell, Demetrious Johnson.
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