Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

1. Miguel Torres (33-1)
Fans will be treated to the breakout bantamweight king one last time in 2008, as Torres will make the second defense of his WEC crown on Dec. 3 against Manny Tapia. With Tapia now recovered from the knee injury that nixed their proposed June bout, the Chicano showdown promises textbook 135-pound action.

2. Masakatsu Ueda (8-0-2)
While he did not lose his title in his first defense, Ueda failed to secure victory, as he fought Marcos Galvao to a split draw in their Sept. 28 contest at Shooto “Tradition 3.” However, Ueda remains the torchbearer for bantamweights on the other side of the ocean.

3. Brian Bowles (6-0)
Bowles has been nothing but stellar in his brief professional career. However, if the Georgia native wants to earn a crack at the winner of the Torres-Tapia bout, he will have to go through gritty Brazilian Will Ribeiro, whom he is penciled in against at WEC 37 in December.

4. Koetsu Okazaki (5-1-1)
Okazaki was quite simply outclassed by the stronger, more technical Ueda in their March 28 title showdown at Shooto “Back to our Roots 8.” What’s next for the Osaka, Japan, native remains uncertain, as he has never been much of a workhorse.

5. Atsushi Yamamoto (12-5-1)
After a hot-and-cold run as a bantamweight, Yamamoto returned to the featherweight division for the biggest fight of his career. An underdog against Hideo Tokoro at Dream 6 in September, Yamamoto’s improved stand-up earned him a unanimous decision.

6. Marcos Galvao (6-2-1)
After a solid if not exciting showing against Shooto world champion Ueda in September, “Louro” will return to WEC in 2009 and will likely face American Top Team product Rafael Rebello.

7. Takeya Mizugaki (10-2-2)
Mizugaki’s semi-final opponent in the Cage Force bantamweight tournament, Taiyo Nakahara, suffered an undisclosed injury and did not recover in time for Cage Force’s Nov. 8 show. As a result, Mizugaki will walk into the December final against graybeard grappler Masahiro Oishi.

8. Manny Tapia (10-0-1)
Fortunately for Tapia, the knee injury that forced him out of a WEC title bout against Torres on June 1 has healed. Now that “The Mangler” is off the shelf, he will challenge Torres for the 135-pound crown on Dec. 3.

9. Will Ribeiro (10-1)
He made a major splash in June with his victory over former WEC bantamweight champion Chase Beebe. Now that his WEC 37 bout with Bowles has been finalized for Dec. 3, Ribeiro will have a chance to step into a potential title clash early next year.

10. Chase Beebe (11-3)
The former WEC titleholder was surprised by hot Brazilian up-and-comer Ribeiro in their June 1 showdown and dropped a split decision. However, the future remains bright for Beebe, who, at 23 years old, still has considerable upside.