Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

---

Bantamweight

1. Henry Cejudo (16-2)

After a shaky first round, Cejudo turned up the heat on Marlon Moraes in the UFC 238 main event, winning via third-round technical knockout to become the fourth simultaneous two-division champion in the history of the Las Vegas-based promotion. It’s difficult to deny the Olympic gold medalist as one of the sport’s pound-for-pound best given recent wins over Demetrious Johnson, T.J. Dillashaw and Moraes. “The Messenger” plans on defending on both his flyweight and bantamweight belts – and he even has designs on making an eventual move to 145 pounds. All those plans will likely have to wait until 2020 as Cejudo recovers from shoulder surgery.

2. Marlon Moraes (22-6-1)

The former World Series of Fighting champion looked well on his way to capturing UFC gold after battering Henry Cejudo with leg kicks in the opening stanza of their UFC 238 title clash. However, as Cejudo picked up the pace, Moraes faded and eventually succumbed to ground-and-pound at the 4:51 mark of the third frame. That ended a four-fight winning streak for the man known as “Magic,” whose run included impressive finishes of Aljamain Sterling, Jimmie Rivera and Raphael Assuncao. Next up, Moraes will welcome ex-featherweight king Jose Aldo to 135 pounds at UFC 245.

3. Cory Sandhagen (12-1)

It’s difficult to look good against Raphael Assuncao, but Sandhagen had enough rangy striking and crafty grappling to emerge with a unanimous decision triumph against the Brazilian veteran in their UFC 241 matchup. That makes four consecutive bantamweight wins and five overall in UFC competition for the Elevation Fight Team representative, who has established himself as an interesting contender at 135 pounds. Sandhagen has been active the past two years, winning six bouts since January 2018, a stretch that includes his final Legacy Fighting Alliance appearance. Sandhagen will welcome Frankie Edgar to 135 pounds in the UFC Raleigh co-main event on Jan. 25, provided that Edgar comes out of a short-notice matchup with Chan Sung Jung at UFC Busan on Dec. 21 in relatively good condition.

4. Raphael Assuncao (27-7)

Assuncao was competitive at usual at UFC 241, but he was ultimately unable to solve Cory Sandhagen, losing a unanimous decision in a preliminary bantamweight bout in Anaheim, Calif., on Aug. 17. After winning 11 of 12 Octagon appearances from August 2011 to July 2018 without getting a title shot, the 37-year-old Brazilian has dropped back-to-back fights to Marlon Moraes and Sandhagen.

5. Aljamain Sterling (18-3)

Sterling put forth perhaps the most complete performance of his career to date at UFC 238, as he relied on speed, movement and a varied striking arsenal to take a unanimous verdict over Pedro Munhoz in a pivotal matchup of bantamweight contenders. “Funk Master” has won four straight at 135 pounds, and after back-to-back wins over Top 10 contenders in Muhnoz and Jimmie Rivera, looks poised to challenge for UFC gold in the near future. A marquee matchup with Frankie Edgar at Madison Square Garden was rumored to be in the works, but wrist surgery forced Sterling to pull out of that proposed contest.

6. Kai Asakura (14-1)

There was no hangover for Asakura after his shocking upset of Kyoji Horiguchi this past August, as he routed Yuta Sasaki in just 54 seconds at Rizin 19. That makes six consecutive triumphs for the rising Japanese star, who was supposed to get a rematch with Horiguchi — this time with the bantamweight strap on the line — at Rizin’s New Year’s Eve event. However, Horiguchi injured his knee and pulled out of the fight, vacating his title in the process. Asakura will now square off against Manel Kape for Rizin’s vacant 135-pound championship on Dec. 31.

7. Kyoji Horiguchi (28-3)

Horiguchi’s winning streak was bound to come to an end eventually, but few expected it would come at the hands of the previously unheralded Kai Asakura. Fortunately for Horiguchi, his belt was not on the line in the Rizin 18 headliner, although it was undoubtedly disappointing to see his 13-bout run come to an end. Horiguchi was going to have a chance to avenge that defeat in a rematch with Asakura on New Year’s Eve, but the American Top Team member pulled out of the contest and vacated his Rizin and Bellator belts after suffering a serious knee injury that could keep him out for up to a year.

8. Petr Yan (13-1)

Yan continues to justify the hype that has grown around him since he entered the UFC. The 26-year-old Russian garnered his fifth straight Octagon triumph at UFC 238, taking a hard-fought division over Jimmie Rivera. In a closely contested battle, Yan landed the more memorable offense, dropping his opponent on two different occasions and landing other shots that might have dropped a lesser man. Yan will square off against Urijah Faber in a pivotal matchup at UFC 245 on Dec. 14.

9. John Lineker (32-9)

Lineker nearly stopped Muin Gafurov in the opening round at One Championship “Dawn of Valor,” but his opponent proved to be resilient enough to make it to the final bell. Nonetheless, the heavy-handed Brazilian emerged with a unanimous decision triumph in his debut with the Singapore-based promotion. The former UFC competitor has won three of his last four bouts, a streak that could easily be longer were it not for a contentious split decision setback to Corey Sandhagen at UFC Fight Night 150 on April 27. Lineker will now be fighting at 145 pounds in One’s bantamweight division, so the clock is ticking on his eligibility in the 135-pound rankings.

10. Jimmie Rivera (22-4)

Rivera’s slump continued at UFC 238, as he dropped a unanimous decision to surging Russian contender Petr Yan. While it was Rivera’s third loss in his last four outings, he looked better than he had in previous defeats, even outlanding his opponent by a 73-to-56 count in significant strikes. However, two knockdowns for Yan were a major deciding factor in demise of the Team Tiger Schulmann member. Rivera will return to action against Marlon Vera at UFC 247.

Other Contenders: Urijah Faber, Pedro Munhoz, Darrion Caldwell, Cody Garbrandt, Demetrious Johnson.

Continue Reading » Flyweight