Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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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” has been on the shelf since besting Moraes as he recovers from shoulder surgery. However, it appears flyweight is no longer in his plans, as he relinquished the 125-pound belt in late December.

2. Marlon Moraes (23-6-1)

In his first fight since coming up short against Henry Cejudo at UFC 238, Moraes edged former featherweight champion Jose Aldo via split decision in a featured contest at UFC 245. The bout was close enough that a rematch could be in the offing, but regardless, Moraes displayed solid composure when faced with the constant pressure of his opponent. “Magic” has won five of his last six Octagon appearances, with his only other defeat coming via controversial split decision against Raphael Assuncao in his promotional debut.

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 was supposed to welcome Frankie Edgar to 135 pounds in the UFC Raleigh co-main event on Jan. 25, but that seems unlikely after “The Answer” absorbed a considerable amount of damage in a loss to Chan Sung Jung on Dec. 21.

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. Assuncao will get a marquee matchup in his next outing when he locks horns with ex-champ Cody Garbrandt at UFC Columbus on March 28.

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. Petr Yan (14-1)

Yan was frighteningly efficient at UFC 245, as he floored former WEC champion Urijah Faber three times en route to a knockout victory 43 seconds into the third frame. The Russian’s six-fight winning streak is currently the longest in the bantamweight division, and also includes the likes of Jimmie Rivera and John Dodson. After battering Faber, Yan used his post-fight interview to call out Henry Cejudo, referring to the two-division UFC champion as “Triple Clown.”

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. Jose Aldo (28-6)

Aldo didn’t show any negative effects from the cut to 135 pounds, as he moved well and attacked throughout his bout against Marlon Moraes at UFC 245. Unfortunately for the Nova Uniao standout, he dropped a somewhat contentious split decision in his bantamweight debut. Aldo may be in line for a rematch against Moraes, but regardless of what the future holds, it seems that he can be competitive if he chooses to remain at 135 pounds.

10. 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.

Other Contenders: Jimmie Rivera, Urijah Faber, Pedro Munhoz, Darrion Caldwell, Demetrious Johnson.

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