Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Bantamweight

1. Merab Dvalishvili (21-4) | UFC [1]

Dvalishvili continued his impressive run through the bantamweight division at UFC 320, as he outworked Cory Sandhagen for a clear-cut unanimous decision triumph in the evening’s co-main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “The Machine” nearly called his shot by knocking out his opponent in Round 2, but the Georgian ultimately did what he always does: overwhelm through pace, pressure and grappling. Dvalishvili has 14 consecutive UFC triumphs — including three title defenses in 2025 — to his credit, making a credible case for consideration as bantamweight GOAT. He’ll go for defense No. 4 when he faces Petr Yan in the UFC 323 headliner on Dec. 6.

2. Petr Yan (19-5) | UFC [3]

Yan authored another solid performance in the UFC Abu Dhabi co-main event on July 26, as he ended Marcus McGhee’s four-bout promotional winning streak with a unanimous decision triumph. “No Mercy has followed a three-fight skid with three consecutive triumphs. The Russian wants another shot at bantamweight gold, and he’ll get it when he meets Merab Dvalishvili in a rematch at UFC 323.

3. Umar Nurmagomedov (19-1) UFC [4]

Nurmagomedov survived a second-round knockdown to outduel Mario Bautista at UFC 321, winning a three-round verdict at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 25. The Dagestani relied on his grappling, landing a total of 11 takedowns, to outwork his opponent and rebound from a title bout loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311. In the aftermath of his latest triumph, Nurmagomedov vowed to become UFC champion, and he figures to remain one of the top contenders at 135 pounds — no matter who holds the belt.

4. Sean O’Malley (18-3, 1 NC) UFC [2]

O’Malley repaired his ailing hip and changed his lifestyle ahead of UFC 316, but it was to no avail. Despite making some visible improvements, he was still no match for Merab Dvalishvili, who submitted “Suga” with a north-south choke in the third round of their rematch at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on June 7. Once targeted by the promotion as one of its breakout stars, O’Malley is now at a crossroads — especially as long as Dvalishvili reigns atop the bantamweight division.

5. Cory Sandhagen (18-6) | UFC [5]

Sandhagen started well against Merab Dvalishvili in the UFC 320 co-headliner, but he ultimately fell victim to his opponent’s renowned grappling and cardio in a unanimous decision defeat. The “Sandman” showed great heart by rallying back from a near stoppage in Round 2, but he was ultimately outstruck and taken down 20 times by the Georgian standout. At 33 years old, Sandhagen might have just seen his final championship opportunity come and go at UFC 320 — though he is likely to still have plenty of high-profile fights awaiting him in the months to come.

6. Mario Bautista (17-2) UFC [6]

Bautista saw an eight-bout promotional winning streak snapped at UFC 321, where he dropped a unanimous decision to former title challenger Umar Nurmagomedov at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 25. Despite landing a knockdown in Round 2, the MMA Lab product was unable to combat the relentless grappling of his Dagestani foe over the course of the 15-minute affair.

7. Kyoji Horiguchi (34-5, 1 NC) Rizin [7]

Horiguchi retained his flyweight crown at Rizin 49 “Decade,” taking a unanimous decision triumph against Nkazimulo Zulu on New Year’s Eve in Saitama, Japan. The UFC veteran is unbeaten in his last six outings and with a recent triumph over Sergio Pettis at bantamweight on his ledger, has shown the ability to have success at both 125 and 135 pounds in recent outings. Horiguchi was expected to remain at 125 pounds for his Octagon return, a UFC Baku showdown with Tagir Ulanbekov. However, the Japanese standout was forced to withdraw from the booking. That fight has been rescheduled for UFC Qatar.

8. Jose Aldo (32-10) UFC [8]

He did not compete at UFC Fight Night 261, but the “King of Rio” put in a royal appearance, walking out to the Octagon in street clothes and laying his gloves in the center of the cage as the Brazilian crowd roared its adulation. The emotional farewell served to confirm that his in-cage retirement at UFC 315 this May was the real deal, and if so, will leave fans with a final memory more befitting of his status as one of the greatest fighters in MMA history.

9. Deiveson Figueiredo (25-5-1) UFC [9]

“Deus da Guerra” served notice that he is far from a spent force, as he turned back red-hot rising contender Montel Jackson at UFC Rio in a clash that was much more one-sided than the split verdict implied. In snapping Jackson’s six-fight win streak and confounding the oddsmakers who had installed Figueiredo as a prohibitive underdog, the 37-year-old former flyweight champ righted the ship after back-to-back losses against Cory Sandhagen and Petr Yan, and left the UFC with a wealth of compelling matchups for his next outing.

10. Yadong Song (22-8-1, 1 NC) UFC [10]

Song returned to the win column at UFC Seattle, earning a technical decision against former two-division champion Henry Cejudo on Feb. 22. The 27-year-old “Kung Fu Kid” has won six of his last eight Octagon appearances, with his only two defeats during that stretch coming at the hands of perennial contenders Petr Yan and Cory Sandhagen.

Other Contenders: Sergio Pettis, Vinicius Oliveira, David Martinez, Jakub Wiklacz,Aiemann Zahabi.

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