UFC bantamweight rankings: Evaluating the 10 best 135-pound fighters in the UFC

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 had much to prove in his division debut last year and answered a lot of questions in his victory over the rankings stalwart. He then followed that up in the UFC 300 card opener with a submission win over former champion Cody Garbrandt. “Figgy” is very much here to stay at 135 pounds.

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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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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 prospect with world-champion potential.

He has been impressive over his first five bouts in the UFC and continued that consistent dominance with another dominant win at UFC Vegas 87. Nurmagomedov has earned a chance against one of the studs in the bantamweight top five and could push himself into serious title contention with a big win in the summer.

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.

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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. Then at UFC Nashville, he scored a third straight win with another dominant showing, this time over Rob Font.

Love him or hate him, Sterling is one of the best bantamweight fighters in division history. While his title win was controversial, there was no doubt about his victories in a Yan rematch and against former two-time champion TJ Dillashaw. Then he forever cemented his place with an impressive win over former pound-for-pound star Henry Cejudo.

However, all good things come to an end and Sean O’Malley definitively brought a finish to his title reign with a second-round TKO loss at UFC 292. The loss made him take his talents to 145 and he earned his first win in the weight class at UFC 300. If he intends to make that his permanent home he will eventually fall out of these rankings.

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 for sure next.

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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.

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