UFC bantamweight rankings: Top 10 gets major shakeup after UFC Abu Dhabi

Jose Aldo will go down as one of the greatest featherweights of all time. However, he has also carved out a legacy as an elite bantamweight and he added to that in May when he came out of retirement and scored a rock-solid victory over rising star Jonathan Martinez. “Junior” looks to be sticking around at least for one more fight. That means since he is an active fighter again he lands a spot on our latest UFC bantamweight rankings.

After three years away from the sport, former two-division champion Henry Cejudo made his Octagon return in May. Unfortunately, he was unable to extend his UFC win streak to seven when he fell by unanimous decision to champion Aljamain Sterling. In defeat, he showed he still has elite-level talent and is willing to climb the ladder to the top.

However, he was dominantly beaten by Sterling’s pal Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298. At this point, it is unclear if Cejudo will continue his career with him well out of the title picture now.

Yadong Song has been one of the better fighters in the division over the last five years. In that time he is 9-3-1, has beaten some established stars at bantamweight, and has only suffered defeats to some very good fighters, including Cory Sandhagen.

A low point came again in March when despite looking strong early, he could not score the biggest win of his career when he was outworked late against former champion Petr Yan.

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Marlon Vera is legitimately one of the best bantamweights on the planet. And his knockout wins over a pair of UFC immortals, Frankie Edgar and Dominick Cruz, stamped his place in the weight class. Unfortunately, in the biggest opportunity of his career, he was handily beaten by his biggest rival Sean O’Malley. He then followed that up with a tough loss to former flyweight king Deiveson Figueiredo.

It has sent “Chito” into a free fall in our UFC bantamweight rankings in 2024.

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It isn’t common to jump into the top 10 after just one fight in a division, however, these are very different times in the world of MMA and Deiveson Figueiredo’s victory over Rob Font at UFC Austin was impressive. Most around the sport scored all three rounds for the Brazilian and he showed not only could he take big punches at 135 pounds but his power traveled up with him to bantamweight.

The former flyweight champion then added to that with a submission win over former division champ Cody Garbrandt, and a big victory over Marlon Vera in July. “Deus da Guerra” is not far off from a title opportunity in his new weight class.

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Petr Yan has lost three straight bouts for the first time in his career heading into his clash with Song Yadong at UFC 299. Another loss could have dropped him out of the top 10 and into irrelevancy. However, after a tough first round, the former champion showed the impressive all-around skills he has by outworking a red-hot fighter and scoring victory in a must-win fight.

Despite his setbacks to TJ Dillashaw and Petr Yan, Cory Sandhagen is still was of the most dangerous fighters in the division. He showed that at UFC Vegas 61 when he sliced open rising star Yadong Song with an elbow and eventually got a fourth-round TKO from a doctor stoppage.

At UFC San Antonio he put on another display of his elite talent in a highly anticipated affair with Marlon Vera where he won nearly every round and pushed himself right back toward the front of the contender line. Unfortunately, his momentum hit a Umar Nurmagomedov wall at UFC Abu Dhabi when he suffered a disappointing unanimous decision loss to the Russian.

Umar Nurmagomedov has quickly become a fighter to watch in the UFC bantamweight division. Not just because he shares a last name with one of the best fighters in promotion history, but because he has evolved into an elite talent with world-champion potential.

He has been impressive over his first six bouts in the UFC and continued that showing in August with a huge win over top-five stalwart Cory Sandhagen. The win showed that the Russian is more than just a gifted wrestler. He is a well-rounded threat that is a challenge in every facet of the game.

Merab Dvalishvili is without a doubt the best wrestler in the entire division. Part of his grappling dominance comes from a relentless style and gas tank that really is second to none. However, he also offers up a high striking output that keeps opponents off balance and out of rhythm.

While the former champion Peter Yan put up as strong a resistance as any opponent has to the Georgian in 2023, his endless gas tank and heart continue to be one of the most impressive weapons in the division. “The Machine” followed that effort up with another impressive win when he was able to decisively beat another former champ, Henry Cejudo at UFC 298. A title shot is now next for the red-hot fighter.

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Sean O’Malley has been a divisive talent in the UFC since he first entered the company. Many have questioned his rise by claiming he received favorable matchups and avoided certain competition. Nevertheless, “Sugar” worked his way up to a title fight and took home the gold. He is a pressure player who rises to the occasion and is one of the best snipers in the business.

He showed that again at UFC 299 when he was able to pummel uber-tough challenger Marlon Vera for five straight rounds in their main event title fight. He will next face the red-hot wrestling machine known as Merab Dvalishvili.

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