The Current State of The UFC Bantamweight Division

 The Current State of The UFC Bantamweight Division

   

Since the last time we’ve talked about the UFC’s Bantamweight division a lot has happened. Some wild shenanigans went on in the championship fight between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling. If you haven’t heard which of course you have but Yan went for broke with his knee on Sterling’s head when he was grounded. Can't do that apparently. There might have been some confusion between communications between Yan and his corner to throw the knee but at the end of day it happened. Not here to say if the knee was wrong for Yan or anything like that. Come on we are watching two men half naked standing in a steel cage doing a fighting simulation of a fight to the death. Don’t have a lot of ground on the higher moral ground. Nonetheless the knee was illegal which seemed intentional which  disqualified Yan making Sterling the new Bantamweight champion. There were more matchups at Bantamweight in the last two weeks but that was the big moment. We will get into more of the UFC 259 bantamweight matchups and bantamweight implications at every part of the UFC’s 135 pound weight class. We’ll talk about it all. 

Aftermath of UFC 259 & UFC Fight Night Vegas 22 

Bantamweight had a good amount of showcasing in the last two weeks. The first matchup at UFC 259 was in the Early Prelims. Trevin Jones knocked Mario Bautista out cold in the second round. Jones was coming off a no contest after his win was overturned when USADA found marijuana in his system. Jones was once again an underdog in what he saw was his new debut. Down one round Jones delivered with the knockout to get that win USADA took from him. It was a lower Bantamweight fight but it’s a good win in a young career for Jones. UFC 259 showed many top 15 matchups at Bantamweight. The first one between at the time 14th ranked Song Yadong against Kyler Phillips. Phillips was a heavy underdog coming into the fight. He showed early that it was a mistake by Sportsbooks. Phillips landed a huge head kick early in the round that would put most out. Yadong stayed up but was clearly affected. That gave Phillips the confidence he needed to show he was in the fight. Phillips continued to stay in the fight with great combination on the rattled Yadong. Phillips won a unanimous decision with his first win over a top 15 opponent, and extended his winning streak to four. Phillips will look to get bigger fights in the top 15. He’s only 25 he could be around awhile.  The second top 15 fight in the Bantamweight division was 11th ranked Dominick Cruz vs Casey Kenney. Cruz was coming off a two fight losing streak that extended two year between them. The Cruz story is simple, great champion but injury prone. The former champion looked to get back to his winning ways by taking on former Flyweight Casey Kenney. Kenney since joining the UFC was 5-1 since March of 2019. He was unranked but still a threat with an all around game. Cruz won by split decision which made me wonder what fight one judge was watching with the 29-28 Kenney decision. Cruz definitely won that fight on the feet where the fight took place. Either way Cruz looked good, and if he can stay somewhat healthy could definitely be in bigger fights soon. The final fight for Bantamweights at UFC 259 was the defending champion Petr Yan vs the challenger Aljamain Sterling. The fight was a very high pace fight all the way up to controversial knees by Yan. Personally had Yan winning the fight 29-28 going into the fourth. Yan was winning that round if you ask me as well. That would have him three rounds to one going into the final round. The knee didn’t need to happen. Yan was stuffing Sterling’s takedowns then of course winning on the feet. Yan was doing well. It's unfortunate that he had to lose the title the way he did. Which has a huge impact on the division since the title changed hands in a controversial way. That means they’ll definitely be a rematch holding up the division. Sterling stated he will fight Yan again after he feels better from what seemed to be like a concussion afterwards. We will run the fight back which is an important part here. 

UFC Fight Night didn’t have any major impact on the Bantamweight division but it had a couple of Bantamweight fights. The first being on the early prelims between Rani Yahya and Ray Rodriguez. At 36 years old Yahya got his 21st career submission over Rodriguez. His first win in about 2.5 years it’s a big win for him. Rodriguez at 33 suffers his second loss making 1-3 in his last four. A major loss because at 33 there’s not a lot to fight for him. Then finally the second fight for Bantamweight on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night on the main card between Jonathan Martinez vs Davey Grant. Grant looked to be losing the fight going into the second. Martinez was stunning Grant turning him around with leg kicks to Grant’s front leg; it wasn’t looking good for Grant. That changed quickly when Grant landed a night ending knockout blow. Giving him the upset and comeback win. That’s a three fight winning streak. A very big win for Grant but sends Martinez back to the drawing board. At 26 with how the division is looking right now Martinez has time to rebound he’ll be alright. A lot of fights to review over the last two weeks but we got through it. 

Rankings 20-16 by MMA Rankings 

20 Said Nurmagomedov 

19 Casey Kenney 

18 Raoni Barcelos 

17 Sean O’Malley 

16 Song Yadong

The UFC Bantamweight division is circling with talent ready to get their chance at the 135 pound strap. Outside the top 15 the story remains the same. The 20th ranked Said Nurmagomedov lost to the 18th ranked Raoni Barcelos back in 2019 but has responded since with a win over Mark Streigl. Nurmagomedov is 3-1 since joining the UFC back in 2018. He is looking for an opponent who will have options with fighters above him in the rankings. Casey Kenney who we talked about earlier just lost to Dominick Cruz at UFC 259. Maybe he should go after Nurmagomedov. It makes sense for the rankings, you aren’t reaching in the rankings for levels above you, and it’s a good matchup. Kenney doesn’t need a win but a win is always nice. A finish win can show the UFC you are more than ready for top 15 matchups again. A fighter that is looking for a fight however after three have been canceled on him in the last three months is Raoni Barcelos. Barcelos has a unanimous decision win over Nurmagomedov in December of 2019. He’s won since but he can’t get a fight. Maybe the fight with Kenney would be good. For Kenney it’s going up in the rankings. He put up a good showing against Cruz, a former champion people will remember him for that. Could be a good fight for Barcelos to see if he’s ready for top 15. Barcelos could see the fight as a risk considering he’s already advertised himself for top 15 fights. Another matchup Barcelos could take is the Song Yadong matchup who was just knocked out of the top 15 after losing to Kyler Phillips. Yadong still can be a top 15 fighter after Phillips performance Barcelos could be the perfect test for him outside the top 15. Yadong is just right outside the top 15, a win over him impressive enough that could get Barcelos in the top 15. It’s a great matchup considering styles. Barcelos is a grappling expert while Yadong is more of a standing type of guy. It’s a good fight for both of them. The only man scheduled for a fight from the 20-16th ranked UFC Bantamweights is the always fun Sean O’Malley. O’Malley will be taken on former UFC who at points was a very high hopes prospect Thomas Almeida. After being knocked out by Cody Garbandt Almeida hasn’t been the same losing three of his last four. O’Malley coming off a loss to Marlon Vera where it looked like he hurt his foot mid fight in which he did. O’Malley is plagued with injuries but looks to get back into the superstardom he was so close to before any of his injuries. A crazy knockout win over Almeida will get the train going again. A lot of fun match making opportunities at Bantamweight especially at 20-16 part of the rankings. 

Rankings 15-11 by UFC 

15 Marlon Vera 

14 Kyler Phillips 

13 Cody Stamann 

12 Merab Dvalishvili 

11 Jimmie Rivera 

Now here we go some top 15 fun we are about to get into. The 15th ranked Marlon Vera is coming off a loss against UFC legend Jose Aldo. Aldo ranked fifth in the Bantamweight rankings. The fight proved Vera wasn’t ready for that type of talent just yet. Vera has a win over O’Malley which puts him on the map but he does need to get going again to regain momentum. For me newcomers to the top 15 Kyler Phillips would make sense. Phillips is coming off an upset win over Yadong who was top 15 when he beat him at UFC 259. Vera is coming off a loss to a top 5 fighter he needs to go down in the rankings to get momentum. Phillips can get another quality top 15 win. Vera is 28 and Phillips 25 so it’s not like a loss for either one is devastating seems to be a great matchup. The UFC has a top 15 fight which is important already booked on May 1st between 13th ranked Cody Stamman against 12th ranked Merab Dvalishvili. The bout was scheduled for December but was cancelled. Dvalishvili is on a five winning streak with a win over John Dodson in that run. Stamman has had problems finding fights the last two years. He’s had four fights cancelled on him in the last two years. He lost to Jimmie Rivera his last time out but didn’t look terrible against a top 10 opponent at the time. Stamman has a background in division II wrestling which he will have to use in this matchup with Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili has constant cardio with a silver medal in Sambo grappling. Then a black belt in Judo to boot. It’s a tough matchup for Stamman but the winner will certainly be hunting for a top 10 matchup next. The 11th ranked Jimmie Rivera could be the odd men out but he does have options. He could take a fight against Marlon Vera or Kyler Phillips if he wants to give them the opportunity. He does need a win after a tough loss to Pedro Munhoz a couple weeks ago. He beat Cody Stamman back in July of 2020 so going back to the well may be the answer. Taking someone in that 12-15 range could be perfect for him. You still beat a top 15 fighter while getting back to the win column. Another fighter for Rivera is Raphael Assunção who is on a three fight losing streak. He’s also ranked a spot higher than Rivera. It’ll tell us where both are in their careers who’s the contender and who’s the pretender. You have to admit Bantamweight has a lot of fun matchups that can be made. 

Rankings 10-6 

10 Raphael Assunção

9 Dominick Cruz

8 Pedro Munhoz 

7 Frankie Edgar 

6 Marlon Moraes 

We have some veterans in the top 10 looking to make some quick work to get back to title contention if it’s already not past their time. The 10th ranked Raphael Assunção was mentioned before for me it’s hard to put him up against any of these top 10 guys. He’s on a three fight losing streak. That’s why the Jimmie Rivera fight makes so much sense to me. For example Cruz at his age with injuries why would he go back again in the rankings for a fight? The same thing for Edgar. Edgar actually seems like the only fight you could make for Assunção in the top 10. Especially after his devastating loss to Cory Sandhagen. However Edgar already beat Munhoz. He should take a fight against Marlon Moraes or Dominick Cruz. The Assuncao fight seems too far back in the rankings with no real gain. The Cruz fight would be fun for a generation for those two to meet up. Marlon Moraes on the other hand is coming off of two top 5 losses to Rob Font and Cody Sandhagen. A fight with Edgar wouldn’t be bad for him either. A big name passed his prime and a win here can get you right back into title contention. He’s already fought Raphael Assunção twice; we don’t need to see the trilogy unless you want Moraes to get a win that bad. For Munhoz who is coming off a win so is Cruz so they get a higher ranking fight in the next bout. Give Cruz the Edgar fight for the fans and Cruz the higher ranking fight. A win for Cruz shows he can still compete with the best. A win for Edgar shows that he’s just not ready to go away. You get rid of the non title challenger of those two veterans. Then give Munhoz the fight against Marlon Moraes. Moraes is on a two fight losing streak. The Munhoz matchup is good for his style. They’ll stand more which is a fun fight for fans. Munhoz is coming off a win against Rivera. A win over Moraes will throw him in the title picture. A win for Moraes could give him his confidence back ready to take on the top 5 again. However there are so many good matchups you can make in the top 10 it’s crazy you really can’t go wrong if you’re Dana White. 

Rankings 5-C 

5 TJ Dillashaw 

5 Jose Aldo 

4 Cody Garbrandt 

3 Rob Font 

2 Cody Sandhagen 

1 Petr Yan 

C Aljamain Sterling 

The UFC top 5 is so much fun just couldn't wait to talk about all the fun fights to make. The UFC rankings don’t have TJ Dillashaw in their rankings after his two year suspension but he’s got to be in there. They also don’t have the former champion Henry Cejudo who will probably make a return at 135. He was already on Instagram with a fake face off with Aljamain Sterling after UFC 259. We all kind of knew he wouldn’t stay retired. Nonetheless first things first Sterling needs to run it back with Yan. That’s the fight to make for the championship anything else would be unjustified. Now for who’s next after Yan and Sterling finish their business? Well the UFC seems to be making a fight between Cody Sandhagen and TJ Dillashaw which sounds great to me. Sandhagen has been on a roll since his loss to Sterling. The thrilling knockout of Edgar showed Sandhagen is on another level right now he needs a number one contender bout. Yes Dillashaw being that number one contender can leave a bad taste in your mouth. However there’s no denying his striking ability before he was knocked out by Cejudo in his championship loss. No one in the top 5 is scheduled for a fight which makes matchmaking way more fun but we need answers. With no answers Dillashaw can get right back into the title picture. Sandhagen vs Dillashaw should be the number one contender fight. Then the loser of Sterling and Yan should fight Rob Font next. Font with his win over Moraes he’s ready for top of the line competition. Font should wait to fight the loser. Someone will need a fight after losing the title fight in a packed division. He can benefit from being patient. Then schedule Garbrandt against Jose Aldo. Garbrandt was removed from the Flyweight championship fight after an injury but apparently Deiveson Figuerido can be a good Flyweight champion. They were sending Garbrandt down for a name at the weight class. The division now has a champion and one who will defend it. Aldo is coming off a win over Vera. Garbrandt is coming off a knockout against Assunção. The Aldo fight makes a lot of sense for Garbrandt stock. A win over Aldo puts him a fight or two away from the championship once again. Especially after the steroid positive test by Dillashaw it’s like those losses never happened.  Now what do you do with Cejudo? Who does throw a monkey wrench into everything. For me if Cejudo wants a shot at the championship you give it to him after Yan and Sterling. Then the winner of Sandhagen and Dillashaw has to wait. The loser of Sandhagen and Dillashaw could fight Font or the winner of Aldo Garbrnadt. They can also get the loser of the title fight. Wow there’s so many fun fights to make. We can make it real fun into a tournament which would make sense at this point but the UFC isn’t fun like that. The championship fight is clear everything around the title isn’t. Patients can help fighters like Font. However someone like Sandhagen or Dillashaw you should want to get going fast. There can be plenty of number one contenders at 135; it's just who is going to do a little bit more to get the next shot. 

Matt The Matchmaker 

Now my favorite part especially with a division without any matches really made. Time for me to play matchmaker. The fights that are already booked for a matchup obviously that’ll be their matchup. However it’s my job to make the guys who don’t have fights just like I’m the UFC matchmaker. 

20 Said Nurmagomedov vs 19 Casey Kenney 

19 Casey Kenney vs 20 Said Nurmagomedov

18 Raoni Barcelos vs 16 Song Yadong

17 Sean O’Malley vs Thomas Almeida (March 27th UFC 260) 

16 Song Yadong vs 18 Raoni Barcelos 

15 Marlon Vera vs 14 Kyler Phillips 

14 Kyler Phillips vs 15 Marlon Vera 

13 Cody Stamann vs 12 Merab Dvalishvili (May 1st UFC Fight Night) 

12 Merab Dvalishvili vs 13 Cody Stamann (May 1st UFC Fight Night) 

11 Jimmie Rivera vs 10 Raphael Assunção

10 Raphael Assunção vs 11 Jimmie Rivera 

9 Dominick Cruz vs 7 Frankie Edgar 

8 Pedro Munhoz vs 6 Marlon Moraes 

7 Frankie Edgar vs 9 Dominick Cruz 

6 Marlon Moraes vs 8 Pedro Munhoz 

5 TJ Dillashaw vs 2 Cody Sandhagen

5 Jose Aldo vs 4 Cody Garbrandt

4 Cody Garbrandt vs 5 Jose Aldo 

3 Rob Font vs loser of Sterling/ Yan 

2 Cody Sandhagen vs 5 TJ Dillashaw 

1 Petr Yan vs C Aljamain Sterling 

C Aljamain Sterling vs Petr Yan 

Henry Cejudo vs winner of Yan/Sterling 

Conclusion 

The Bantamweight division is in a little bit of a hold up at the top. Yan and Sterling do need to run it back which may take some time to rematch. Leaving time for other contenders to make their name known. However if Cejudo comes back expect him to hold up the division some more since he’ll get a title shot immediately. However Cejudo does defend when he is an active fighter so after that the division will be free again. There are many great fights you can make in the meantime. Guys like Rob Font can benefit from the lay off but may have to fight so he doesn’t get lost in the movement. The Bantamweight division is really fun but does leave some room for the UFC to mess up fun fights. In reality they should do a tournament but that’s just too much fun and the easiest way to figure the 135 division out. Either way the next couple of years 135 has no excuses for no big fights. Get that championship defended and get it rolling. 

By Matthew Doherty