Bantamweight
1. Miguel Torres (Pictures) (33-1)
In the first defense of his WEC bantamweight crown, Torres showed why he’s putting the 135-pound division on the map. Torres featured all facets of his game in a potential “Fight of the Year” match with Yoshiro Maeda (Pictures), as he stopped the accomplished Japanese featherweight by grotesquely swelling his eye shut and affirmed his status as the top 135-pound fighter in the world. The 27-year-old Torres has won 15 fights in a row.

2. Masakatsu Ueda (Pictures) (8-0-1)
Likely one of the best fighters you’ve never heard about, the Shooto 132-pound world champion garnered global attention with victories over Atsushi Yamamoto (Pictures) and Koetsu Okazaki (Pictures). Now, Ueda will have to keep pace with his American counterparts. He needs to impress in his Sept. 28 title defense against Marcos “Louro” Galvao, who was destroyed by the WEC’s Brian Bowles (Pictures) in his stateside debut in December.

3. Brian Bowles (Pictures) (6-0)
Another Bowles fight resulted in another sterling performance from the unassuming Georgia native. In his Aug. 3 bout with the rugged Damacio Page (Pictures), Bowles handled himself like a veteran, locking up a crisp guillotine choke for a first-round submission victory. The victory shoots Bowles from fifth to third in the Sherdog.com rankings. With three superb victories in the WEC, one can only assume that if Manny Tapia (Pictures)’s knee isn’t ready to rock later this year, Bowles will be the man to challenge Torres for the bantamweight crown.

4. Koetsu Okazaki (Pictures) (5-1-1)
Okazaki was quite simply outclassed by the stronger, more technical Ueda in their March 28 title showdown. What’s next for the Osaka, Japan, native remains uncertain, as he has never been much of a workhorse and may not get back into the ring until the latter part of the year.

5. Atsushi Yamamoto (Pictures) (11-5-1)
He did not get a chance to challenge for the Shooto world title, as Ueda knocked him off in a January title eliminator. Nonetheless, Yamamoto is in line for a high-profile affair at Dream 6 on Sept. 23 in Saitama, Japan, where he will take on Japanese superstar Hideo Tokoro (Pictures) in what should make for a thoroughly entertaining bout.

6. Marcos Galvao (Pictures) (6-2)
It has been a long eight months for “Louro,” as the touted Brazilian was embarrassed in a TKO loss to the upstart Bowles in December. Galvao will not be taking a tune-up in his next match, however, as the Nova Uniao product will meet Ueda for the Shooto 132-pound world championship on Sept. 28 in Tokyo.

7. Takeya Mizugaki (Pictures) (9-2-2)
The frontrunner in Greatest Common Multiple’s 135-pound Cage Force tournament showed why he’s the lead dog in the bracket on June 22. He throttled Daichi Fujiwara (Pictures) so thoroughly that Fujiwara did not even know he was knocked out, prompting him to rise and attempt to attack a victorious Mizugaki while he posed for photographers. Mizugaki will meet Taiyo Nakahara (Pictures) in the Cage Force tournament semi-finals on Sept. 27.

8. Manny Tapia (Pictures) (10-0-1)
Tapia’s latest battle has him rehabbing from surgery in wake of the knee injury that scuttled his June 1 fight against WEC bantamweight champion Torres. Upon his return, Tapia figures to challenge for the WEC crown.

9. Will Ribeiro (Pictures) (9-1)
Although he came in with a bit of buzz, few expected the former Brazilian boxing champion to best former WEC titleholder Chase Beebe (Pictures) in their June 1 bout. However, Ribeiro showed off his hands, as well as the latest developments in his all-around MMA game, and took a split decision.

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