Image: John Brannigan/Sherdog.com illustration
Bantamweight
1. Sean O’Malley (17-1, 1 NC) UFC [1]
O’Malley silenced the doubters in emphatic fashion at UFC 292, as he finished Aljamain Sterling with an exquisite right hand and follow-up ground-and-pound in their bantamweight championship clash at TD Garden in Boston. “Sugar” already had all the makings of the promotion’s next big superstar, and now he has the hardware to go with it. Next up is a rematch with Marlon Vera — the only man to defeat him — in the UFC 299 headliner.2. Aljamain Sterling (23-4) | UFC [2]
Sterling was unable to impose his will in the UFC 292 headliner, as he fell victim to a beautiful Sean O’Malley right hand to relinquish the bantamweight crown at the TD Garden in Boston. That brings an end to Sterling’s nine-fight winning streak, but with a title reign that included three successful defenses, “Funk Master” has established himself as one of the sport’s top 135-pound talents. While Sterling indicated that UFC 292 would be his last fight at bantamweight, he admitted in the aftermath of his latest defeat that he might have to reconsider that decision.3. Merab Dvalishvili (16-4) | UFC [3]
If there was any question how Dvalishvili’s gas tank would hold up over a five-round fight heading into his UFC Fight Night 221 showdown with Petr Yan, there isn’t now. “The Machine” set a promotion record for takedowns attempted while outstriking the former bantamweight champion for 25 minutes in a clear-cut unanimous decision triumph in Las Vegas on March 11. Dvalishvili has won nine straight UFC bouts — eight at 135 pounds — but he’ll have to wait on a title shot while Marlon Vera rematches Sean O’Malley at UFC 299.4. Patrick Mix (19-1) | Bellator [4]
Mix continued to build his case as the world’s best bantamweight at Bellator 301, where he used his grappling to overwhelm Sergio Pettis and unify the 135-pound belt with a second-round submission victory. “Patchy” has won six consecutive outings since falling to Juan Archuleta in a bantamweight title bout at Bellator 246 in September 2020, and the New York native has the looks of a potentially dominant champion if the promotion continues operations into 2024 under PFL ownership.5. Henry Cejudo (16-3) | UFC [5]
Returning to action after three years away and looking to win back one of two UFC belts he never lost in the cage, Cejudo came up short against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288. By the eyeball test, however, the 36-year-old was quite competitive and appears to slot right in alongside the other top contenders in the UFC bantamweight division. “The Messenger” threatened another retirement in the wake of the loss, but it appears he will stick around. However, a relatively quick turnaround against Marlon Vera at UFC 292 was scrapped when Cejudo had to withdraw due to a shoulder injury.6. Petr Yan (16-5) | UFC [6]
Yan had no answer for Dvalishvili’s relentless pressure and pace in the UFC Fight Night 221 headliner, as he dropped a unanimous decision to “The Machine” at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas on March 11. Though Yan has lost four of his last five outings in UFC competition, that record is deceptive: Two of those setbacks were split decisions and another was the controversial disqualification loss to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259. “No Mercy” remains a top-tier bantamweight, though he may now be facing a longer road if he hopes to receive another title shot in the future.7. Cory Sandhagen (17-4) | UFC [7]
After a scheduled clash with rising star Umar Nurmagomedov fell through, Sandhagen took out his frustrations on Rob Font, using takedowns and top control to cruise to a clear-cut five-round verdict in the UFC on ESPN 50 headliner in Nashville. Since the bout was contested at a 140-pound catchweight, it doesn’t affect Sandhagen’s place in these rankings. However, the UFC tends to approach things differently, and with a three-fight winning streak over Font, Marlon Vera and Yadong Song, “Sandman” appears to be sitting pretty in the bantamweight division.8. Sergio Pettis (23-6) Bellator [8]
While Pettis looked impressive in outstriking Patricio Freire upon his return from knee surgery this past June, “The Phenom” was out of his depth against the grappling of Patrick Mix in their title unification bout at Bellator 301, as he fell victim to a rear-naked choke 1:51 into Round 2 of their co-main event bout. That snapped a six-bout winning streak for the UFC veteran, who had bested the likes of Freire, Kyoji Horiguchi and Juan Archuleta during that period.9. Marlon Vera (23-8-1) | UFC [9]
Vera earned a closely contested three-round verdict over replacement foe Pedro Munhoz at UFC 292, relying on his skilled striking to pull away for his fifth victory in six outings. While originally scheduled opponent Henry Cejudo would have provided marquee value, the win nonetheless helps “Chito” bounce back from a split-decision loss to Cory Sandhagen at UFC on ESPN 43 this past March. Thanks to a previous victory over new bantamweight champ Sean O’Malley, Vera will receive a rematch against “Sugar” in the UFC 299 main event.10. Yadong Song (20-7-1, 1 NC) UFC [10]
After losing his first main event, Song bounced back in style at UFC on ESPN 45, where he defeated Ricky Simon via fifth-round technical knockout on April 29. The Team Alpha Male product has won four of his last five outings within the Las Vegas-based promotion. He’ll get his third straight headlining assignment against Chris Gutierrez at UFC Shanghai on Dec. 9.Other Contenders: Deiveson Figueiredo, Rob Font, Raufeon Stots, Umar Nurmagomedov, Jonathan Martinez.
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