Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Bantamweight

1. Cody Garbrandt (11-0)

Garbrandt may not have excelled in the war of words with the silver-tongued Dominick Cruz prior to UFC 207, but “No Love” was more than ready come fight time. For 25 minutes, the undefeated Garbrandt authored a brilliant performance against Cruz, outboxing and outwrestling the stylish, technical “Dominator,” as he took the UFC bantamweight title and installed himself as the top 135-pounder in the world after a sensational 4-0 campaign in 2016.

2. Dominick Cruz (22-2)

Having not lost a pro MMA fight in nearly 10 years and with a career full of success against Team Alpha Male, Cruz looked to be in the driver’s seat headed into his bantamweight title defense against Cody Garbrandt at UFC 207. The sentiment was further enhanced when Cruz’s pre-fight trash talk seemed to truly rattle and upset his challenger. Instead, Garbrandt put on an incredible display, as he bested Cruz in his own trademark style, dropping “The Dominator” over 25 minutes and earning a unanimous decision to take Cruz’s 135-pound crown.

3. T.J. Dillashaw (14-3)

In the wake of Cody Garbrandt’s surprising and thrilling title capture against Dominick Cruz, the new champ said he is content to run the fight back and give Cruz a rematch. Former Team Alpha Male cohort Dillashaw disagrees. Dillashaw arguably won his bout with Cruz in which he dropped the UFC title in January 2016. His outing against rugged Brazilian John Lineker at UFC 207 was brutal and dominant, as he savagely grounded-and-pounded Lineker over a lopsided 15 minutes to assert his candidacy for another UFC title shot.

4. Marlon Moraes (18-4-1)

At World Series of Fighting 34 in New York, Moraes made his third appearance of 2016 and notched his fifth WSOF bantamweight title defense. He dropped Josenaldo Silva early in the bout before his Brazilian countryman injured his knee in a scramble, giving Moraes the TKO win. The victory was the 13th straight for Moraes, who enters free agency as one of the most appealing talents in the entire sport.

5. Jimmie Rivera (20-1)

Rivera has won 19 straight bouts, has not lost a pro fight in over eight years and is coming off a sound domination of Urijah Faber in September. Now, “The Terror” can vault even further into UFC bantamweight title contention when the promotion heads to Phoenix on Jan. 15. There, he takes on Bryan Caraway in a pairing of emerging 135-pound contenders.

6. Raphael Assuncao (23-5)

With both fighters established at 135 pounds and looking towards a title shot, Assuncao-Aljamain Sterling seemed like a perfect bout for the UFC Fight Night card on Dec. 9 in Albany, New York, until Sterling pulled out with an injury. UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby clearly liked his handiwork: Instead of finding new bouts for either man, Assuncao-Sterling has been rescheduled for UFC on Fox 23 on Jan. 28 in Denver.

7. Bryan Caraway (21-7)

Caraway earned his breakthrough win in May, taking a split decision over the previously unbeaten Aljamain Sterling. “Kid Lightning” will now return to action on Jan. 15 in Phoenix, where he takes on fellow rising contender Jimmie Rivera in a bout with significant implications for the UFC’s 135-pound title picture.

8. Aljamain Sterling (12-1)

Sterling’s hot streak toward 135-pound contendership was cooled in May, when Brian Caraway gave him his first career loss via split decision. Raphael Assuncao seemed like a perfect, competitive pairing for a bounce-back bout, but Sterling was forced out of their Dec. 9 date in Albany, New York. Fortunately, the match will stay intact, just later than expected, with Assuncao-Sterling rescheduled for the UFC’s return to Denver on Jan. 28.

9. Thomas Almeida (22-1)

When Cody Garbrandt sent him to sleep in less than three minutes in May, it marked the first time Almeida had lost a pro fight. How would the 25-year-old prospect respond to his first loss when he returned to action in front of his hometown crowd in Sao Paulo, Brazil? Almeida put on a show on Nov. 19, battering Alberto Morales en route to a brutal second-round stoppage.

10. John Lineker (29-8)

A win at UFC 207 over former bantamweight king T.J. Dillashaw likely would have punched Lineker’s ticket to a title bout in the Octagon. Instead, the massive-hitting Brazilian had his six-fight winning streak snapped by Dillashaw, who grounded and savagely pounded on Lineker for 15 minutes. Though soundly defeated, Lineker remains one of MMA’s most devastating punchers; and in a lopsided defeat to Dillashaw, he showed off exactly the kind of physical toughness that figures to make him an elite 135-pound fixture for the foreseeable future.

Other Contenders: Darrion Caldwell, Eduardo Dantas, Joe Taimanglo, Eddie Wineland, Rani Yahya

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