BEST UFC FIGHTERS OF ALL TIME – BANTAMWEIGHT

The bantamweight division of the UFC is one of the last additions of weight classes. The UFC’s bantamweight division, which groups competitors within 126–135 lb (61.3 kg). UFC got the bantamweight division from the WEC takeover. On October 28, 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC. The bantamweight category in the UFC has now reached its highest point as most of the fighters are bets in the world. Aljamain Sterling is the current UFC Bantamweight champion and Petr Yan is the interim champion.

TOP 10 UFC BANATAMWEIGHTS

10 Takeya Mizugaki

Takeya faced Reuben Duran in his first UFC fight and won the fight via decision. Takeya in his last fight faced Eddie Wineland on December 17, 2016, at Fox 22. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round and was subsequently released from the promotion. He still had a good run in the UFC in which he had seen many ups and downs.

9 Raphael Assuncao

Raphael Assuncao has been one of the veterans of the bantamweight division. Assuncao was expected to face Manvel Gamburyan on 19 March 2011 at UFC 128, but Gamburyan was forced out of the bout with a back injury and replaced by Erik Koch. He lost the fight via KO in the first round. He has been missing the action since March 2020. 

8 Jimmie Rivera

Rivera made his promotional debut and faced Marcus Brimage on July 18, 2015, at Fight Night 72, replacing an injured Ian Entwistle. He won the fight via KO in the first round. In August 2021, it was reported that Rivera finished his fight contract from UFC and was removed from the rankings pool. Jimmie started his UFC career with 5-0.

7 Uriah Faber

Uriah Faber is the real veteran of the division. He has been one of the first big bantamweights since the beginning of the weight class. Faber made his promotional debut against former WEC Bantamweight Champion Eddie Wineland on March 19, 2011, at 128. Faber won the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision. In October 2016, Faber announced that his next fight, against Brad Pickett on December 17, 2016, at Fox 22 in his hometown of Sacramento would be his last. Faber went on to win the fight by unanimous decision. In his last fight, he faced Faber faced Petr Yan on December 14, 2019, at UFC 245. He lost via knockout in the third round.

6 Marlon Moraes

In April 2017, it was announced that Moraes had signed with the UFC. He made his promotional debut against Raphael Assuncao at UFC 212 on June 3, 2017. He lost the back-and-forth fight via split decision. In his last fight, Moraes faced Merab Dvalishvili on September 25, 2021, at UFC 266. Despite knocking down Dvalishvili early in the bout, Moraes ultimately lost the fight via TKO in round two.

5 Cody Garbrandt

Garbrandt made his promotional debut against Marcus Brimage on January 3, 2015, at UFC 182. He won the fight via TKO in the third round. Garbrandt then faced reigning Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz on December 30, 2016, at UFC 207. Garbrandt won the fight by unanimous decision after knocking Cruz down two times and nearly finishing him in the fourth round, becoming the Bantamweight Champion. He faced Rob Font on May 22, 2021, in the main event at Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.

4 Petr Yan

Petr Yan signed a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in January 2018. Yan made his promotional debut against Teruto Ishihara on June 23, 2018, at Fight Night 132. He won the fight via technical knockout in the first round. Yan then faced former WEC and UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo for the vacant bantamweight championship on July 12, 2020, at UFC 251. He won the fight via technical knockout in the fifth round.

3 Henry Cejudo

On July 25, 2014, Cejudo signed with the UFC. He is the third Olympic gold medalist wrestler in company history, after Mark Schultz and Kevin Jackson. Cejudo faced Demetrious Johnson in a rematch for the Flyweight Championship title in the co-main event at UFC 227 on August 4, 2018. He went on to win the back-and-forth fight via split decision to become the UFC’s second Flyweight champion and first Olympic gold medalist to capture gold. He faced Marlon Moraes on June 8, 2019, at UFC 238 for the vacant Bantamweight Championship. Cejudo won the fight via TKO in the third round.

2 T.J. Dillashaw

Dillashaw officially made his UFC debut on December 3, 2011, in Las Vegas, Nevada at The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale. The fight was the final of the bantamweight tournament against John Dodson to determine the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 14. Dillashaw lost via TKO. Dillashaw went on to face Bantamweight champion and top 5 pounds for pound Renan Barao in the featured bout. In one of the biggest upsets in UFC and MMA history, Dillashaw won the fight dominantly, defeating Barao via TKO in the fifth round to become the new Bantamweight champion. He is also is the former two-time Bantamweight Champion.

1 Dominick Cruz

He is a two-time UFC Bantamweight Champion and was also the final bantamweight titleholder of World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC). As of September 27, 2021, he is #10 in the bantamweight rankings. World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Dominick Cruz defended his title against Faber. He then again won the belt from TJ Dillashaw. Even though he has lost 2 fights recently he is still regarded as the best bantamweight of all time.