MMA Fighter Rankings: Bantamweight
On the first Wednesday of every month, theScore's MMA editors compile a list of the top 10 fighters in each of the major weight classes.
Rankings
Heavyweight | Light Heavyweight
Middleweight | Welterweight
Lightweight | Featherweight
Bantamweight | Flyweight
Women: Bantamweight | Strawweight
Bantamweight
| Ranking | Fighter |
|---|---|
| 1 | T.J. Dillashaw |
| 2 | Dominick Cruz |
| 3 | Renan Barao |
| 4 | Urijah Faber |
| 5 | Raphael Assuncao |
| 6 | Aljamain Sterling |
| 7 | Takeya Mizugaki |
| 8 | Marlon Moraes |
| 9 | Bibiano Fernandes |
| 10 | Thomas Almeida |
- T.J. Dillashaw solidified his place atop the division with a complete dismantling of former champion Renan Barao at UFC on FOX 16. After a relatively competitive first round, Dillashaw ran roughshod over Barao, battering The Baron with heavy artillery until the fight was called off 35 seconds into the fourth round.
- As for Dillashaw's next challenge, former champion Dominick Cruz will likely get a shot at the Team Alpha Male product as soon as his knee injury heals. A specter looming over the division, Cruz never lost the 135-pound title, but instead had his career derailed by a series of injuries. In his lone bout since 2011, Cruz needed just 61 seconds to demolish Takeya Mizugaki.
- Undefeated 24-year-old prospect Thomas Almeida is 3-0 in his brief UFC tenure, breaking into the top 10 with a vicious second-round stoppage of the leather-tough Brad Pickett at UFC 189.
- Urijah Faber may not have his next fight lined up, but he'll be plenty occupied coaching opposite interim featherweight champion Conor McGregor on the next season of "The Ultimate Fighter."