I know last time I wrote that I'd be putting out men's flyweight rankings but that was before I really looked into it. uhh.. Looking over at FightMatrix's top 10 fighters, I've seen barely half of them fight. I've never even heard of the guy at #2. So, sorry Demetrious Johnson, but I'm not going to be able to accurately rank #2-5 in your division. Look out for him on the P4P list though.
So, let's move on to the Bantamweights.
Honorable mention:
Cody Garbrandt, Brian Bowles, Joseph Benavidez, Eddie Wineland
5. Urijah Faber
Years Active: 2003-present
Record: 35-10
Big League Record: 20-9
Championships: GC (2x, 2 defenses), KOTC (5 defenses), WEC (featherweight, 5 defenses)
Title Fight Record: 15-8 (9-4 at bantamweight)
vs champs record: 6-8
vs top 5 record: 1-4
Notable Wins: Dominick Cruz, Jens Pulver (x2), Brian Bowles, Raphael Assuncao
Urijah Faber put the little guys on the map at a time when the UFC didn't have anyone under 170 lbs competing. The golden locks, butt chin, and "Going Back to Cali" walkout helped sell the former college wrestler to the public. Later in his career, he became the Jim Kelly of MMA. Need a credible title contender at a moment's notice? Call Urijah. His rivalry with Dominick Cruz helped push Cruz to new heights and his Alpha Male gym became a mecca for smaller fighters like T. J. Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt. It's hard to know where to rank Faber because he had so many accomplishments at both bantamweight and featherweight. He also recently came out of retirement and scored a quick KO. At 40, there probably isn't much tread left on the tires, but he's always a draw and a surefire bet for an action fight.
4. Renan Barao
Years Active: 2005-present
Record: 34-8-1
Big League Record: 11-7
Championship: UFC (3 defenses)
Title Fight Record: 4-2
vs champs record: 4-2
vs top 5 record: 2-2
Notable Wins: Urijah Faber (x2), Eddie Wineland, Cole Escovedo, Michael McDonald
Renan Barao lost his first professional fight, then ripped off the 3rd longest win streak in MMA history. That streak took him from the 291st ranked lightweight in the world to a year at the top of the bantamweight division. They weren't all tomato cans, either. During that time he defeated Urijah Faber twice, and WEC champs Cole Escovedo and Eddie Wineland. He also had one of the most amazing submissions during his win over Brad Pickett. However, after he got that second career loss (as a major favorite), the wheels seem to have fallen off. He has gone 2-5 since then and hasn't had a finish win since December 2014. While the end of his career has knocked some luster off of him, Barao's ferocious start firmly plants him as one of the greatest bantamweights of all time.
3. Miguel Angel Torres
Years Active: 2000-2016
Record: 44-9
Big League Record: 8-6
Championship: WEC (3 defenses)
Title Fight Record: 4-2
vs champs record: 1-2
Notable Wins: Chase Beebe, Takeya Mizugaki, Manny Tapia
Before Urijah Faber, there was Miguel Torres. While Renan Barao was in the middle of his crazy long win streak, Torres was at the height of his. While Torres longest win streak was "only" 20, he was 37-1 at one point in his career. He was Fight Matrix's #1 ranked Bantamweight for four years running. I'd imagine that not too many MMA fans know of Torres though. He only went 2-2 in the UFC and his heyday was 10-15 years ago. However, the Mexican mullet lives on at #3 on my list.
2. T.J. Dillashaw
Years Active: 2010-present
Record: 16-4
Big League Record: 12-4
Championship: UFC (2x, 2 defenses)
Title Fight Record: 5-2
vs champs record: 4-2
vs top 5 record: 2-1
Notable Wins: Renan Barao (2x), Cody Garbrandt (2x), Raphael Assuncao
T.J. came into the MMA world's wider consciousness on season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter. (The first TUF alum that I've ranked so far) Being a member of team Alpha Male made him one of the favorites and he made it all the way to the finals before losing to John Dodson. Dillashaw was an injury replacement and heavy underdog when he got a title shot against Renan Barao. Little did we know that it was the beginning of the Dillashaw era. He dropped Barao in the first round and dominated for four more rounds before finishing the fight via TKO in the fifth. Dillashaw proved it wasn't a fluke by defending his title twice, including against Barao. He was stripped of his title in 2019 due to EPO and won't be able to return until 2021. He'll be 35 then, so we'll see if he's able to utilize his movement heavy style to return to the ranks of the elite.
1. Dominick Cruz
Years Active: 2005-present?
Record: 22-2
Big League Record: 12-2
Championships: UFC (2x, 3 defenses) WEC (1 defense)
Title Fight Record: 9-2
vs champs record: 5-2
vs top 5 record: 3-1
Notable Wins: Urijah Faber (2x), T.J. Dillashaw, Demetrious Johnson, Joseph Benavidez (2x)
The oft injured Dominator has twice been ranked as the #1 bantamweight by Fight Matrix, spanning roughly 3 years. However, he's only fought 4 times since beating Demetrious Johnson in October 2011. It makes you wonder how differently his career would have panned out to this point if he had been able to be in the cage more often. Even so, he's the #1 bantamweight on my list. His first career loss (to Urijah Faber) only helped to season him as he won his next nine title fights. His "welcome back" destruction of Takeya Mizugaki proved that he was still at the top of his game. He won his title back from TJ Dillashaw, defended it once, lost it in a battle to Cody Garbrandt and has been injured ever since. I hope we get to see Cruz back soon, if only out of curiosity. At 34 years old, it will be interesting to see if he's still able to successfully employee his herky jerky style that relies on movement and speed.
So, let's move on to the Bantamweights.
Honorable mention:
Cody Garbrandt, Brian Bowles, Joseph Benavidez, Eddie Wineland
5. Urijah Faber
 |
| photo credit: Sherdog |
Record: 35-10
Big League Record: 20-9
Championships: GC (2x, 2 defenses), KOTC (5 defenses), WEC (featherweight, 5 defenses)
Title Fight Record: 15-8 (9-4 at bantamweight)
vs champs record: 6-8
vs top 5 record: 1-4
Notable Wins: Dominick Cruz, Jens Pulver (x2), Brian Bowles, Raphael Assuncao
Urijah Faber put the little guys on the map at a time when the UFC didn't have anyone under 170 lbs competing. The golden locks, butt chin, and "Going Back to Cali" walkout helped sell the former college wrestler to the public. Later in his career, he became the Jim Kelly of MMA. Need a credible title contender at a moment's notice? Call Urijah. His rivalry with Dominick Cruz helped push Cruz to new heights and his Alpha Male gym became a mecca for smaller fighters like T. J. Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt. It's hard to know where to rank Faber because he had so many accomplishments at both bantamweight and featherweight. He also recently came out of retirement and scored a quick KO. At 40, there probably isn't much tread left on the tires, but he's always a draw and a surefire bet for an action fight.
 |
| photo credit: USA Today |
Years Active: 2005-present
Record: 34-8-1
Big League Record: 11-7
Championship: UFC (3 defenses)
Title Fight Record: 4-2
vs champs record: 4-2
vs top 5 record: 2-2
Notable Wins: Urijah Faber (x2), Eddie Wineland, Cole Escovedo, Michael McDonald
Renan Barao lost his first professional fight, then ripped off the 3rd longest win streak in MMA history. That streak took him from the 291st ranked lightweight in the world to a year at the top of the bantamweight division. They weren't all tomato cans, either. During that time he defeated Urijah Faber twice, and WEC champs Cole Escovedo and Eddie Wineland. He also had one of the most amazing submissions during his win over Brad Pickett. However, after he got that second career loss (as a major favorite), the wheels seem to have fallen off. He has gone 2-5 since then and hasn't had a finish win since December 2014. While the end of his career has knocked some luster off of him, Barao's ferocious start firmly plants him as one of the greatest bantamweights of all time.
3. Miguel Angel Torres
 |
| photo credit: WEC |
Record: 44-9
Big League Record: 8-6
Championship: WEC (3 defenses)
Title Fight Record: 4-2
vs champs record: 1-2
Notable Wins: Chase Beebe, Takeya Mizugaki, Manny Tapia
Before Urijah Faber, there was Miguel Torres. While Renan Barao was in the middle of his crazy long win streak, Torres was at the height of his. While Torres longest win streak was "only" 20, he was 37-1 at one point in his career. He was Fight Matrix's #1 ranked Bantamweight for four years running. I'd imagine that not too many MMA fans know of Torres though. He only went 2-2 in the UFC and his heyday was 10-15 years ago. However, the Mexican mullet lives on at #3 on my list.
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| photo credit: Getty Images |
2. T.J. Dillashaw
Years Active: 2010-present
Record: 16-4
Big League Record: 12-4
Championship: UFC (2x, 2 defenses)
Title Fight Record: 5-2
vs champs record: 4-2
vs top 5 record: 2-1
Notable Wins: Renan Barao (2x), Cody Garbrandt (2x), Raphael Assuncao
T.J. came into the MMA world's wider consciousness on season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter. (The first TUF alum that I've ranked so far) Being a member of team Alpha Male made him one of the favorites and he made it all the way to the finals before losing to John Dodson. Dillashaw was an injury replacement and heavy underdog when he got a title shot against Renan Barao. Little did we know that it was the beginning of the Dillashaw era. He dropped Barao in the first round and dominated for four more rounds before finishing the fight via TKO in the fifth. Dillashaw proved it wasn't a fluke by defending his title twice, including against Barao. He was stripped of his title in 2019 due to EPO and won't be able to return until 2021. He'll be 35 then, so we'll see if he's able to utilize his movement heavy style to return to the ranks of the elite.
1. Dominick Cruz
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| photo credit: UFC |
Record: 22-2
Big League Record: 12-2
Championships: UFC (2x, 3 defenses) WEC (1 defense)
Title Fight Record: 9-2
vs champs record: 5-2
vs top 5 record: 3-1
Notable Wins: Urijah Faber (2x), T.J. Dillashaw, Demetrious Johnson, Joseph Benavidez (2x)
The oft injured Dominator has twice been ranked as the #1 bantamweight by Fight Matrix, spanning roughly 3 years. However, he's only fought 4 times since beating Demetrious Johnson in October 2011. It makes you wonder how differently his career would have panned out to this point if he had been able to be in the cage more often. Even so, he's the #1 bantamweight on my list. His first career loss (to Urijah Faber) only helped to season him as he won his next nine title fights. His "welcome back" destruction of Takeya Mizugaki proved that he was still at the top of his game. He won his title back from TJ Dillashaw, defended it once, lost it in a battle to Cody Garbrandt and has been injured ever since. I hope we get to see Cruz back soon, if only out of curiosity. At 34 years old, it will be interesting to see if he's still able to successfully employee his herky jerky style that relies on movement and speed.
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