UFC Bantamweight Division Rankings

Top UFC Bantamweight Fighter Rankings:

1. Dominick Cruz – (19-1, 2-0 UFC, 7-1 WEC) – Cruz is 9-0 since cutting to bantamweight with two successful title defenses in the WEC and two in the UFC. A cardio machine who has won titles at 145 and 155 lbs in his pro MMA career, Cruz is known for picking his opponents apart, but he rarely ever is able to finish them. The first-ever UFC Bantamweight Champion will make coach TUF 15 opposite of his biggest rivals, Urijah Faber, whom he beat by unanimous decision at UFC 132. Faber is interestingly enough the only man to ever beat him, in a fight for the WEC 145 lbs belt in 2007.

2. Urijah Faber – (26-5, 2-1 UFC, 9-3 WEC) – After a loss to Cruz at UFC 132, Faber bounced back to defeat Brian Bowles with a rear naked choke in a top contender bout at UFC 139. With the win Faber will now coach on TUF 15 opposite Cruz with another title shot to come. Faber is the only man to ever defeat Cruz as a pro, scoring a 1st round submission at WEC 26 over four years ago.

3. Scott Jorgensen – (13-4, 2-0 UFC, 7-3 WEC) – Jorgensen's streak of 5 straight wins was snapped at WEC 53, but he has bounced back with consecutive wins over Ken Stone and Jeff Curran. The former Boise State wrestler has a 9-3 combined UFC/WEC record with the 7 wins in 8 fights and will face Renan Barao on the UFC 143 fight card in February 2012.

4. Renan Barao – (27-1, 2-0 UFC, 2-0 WEC) – Barao is now 4-0 combined in the WEC & UFC winning his UFC debut over Cole Escovedo and defeating Brad Pickett at UFC 138. With 27 wins in 28 career fights, no other fighter on this list holds as impressive a record, and his lone blemish was a split decision loss in his pro debut back in 2005. Now facing top-level competition in each fight, it will be interesting to see how he responds over time as a title shot could come if he defeats Jorgensen at UFC 143.

5. Michael McDonald – (14-1, 3-0 UFC, 1-0 WEC) – McDonald came to the WEC as the Tachi Palace Fights Bantamweight Champion and won his lone WEC fight before the merger. He has since started his UFC career with three consecutive victories, and at 14-1 as a pro, has avenged his lone career loss which came to Cole Escovedo. Keep an eye on this youngster at 135 lbs as he seems prepared to make a run on this list and may be a win away from a title shot.

Dominick Cruz (left) was crowned the WEC Bantamweight Champion when he defeated Brian Bowles (right) at WEC 47. Cruz became the first-ever UFC Bantamweight Champion in defeating Scott Jorgensen at WEC 53 in December 2010.

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6. Brian Bowles – (10-2, 2-1 UFC, 5-1 WEC) – Brian Bowles shocked the MMA world at WEC 42 when he got the 1st round KO victory over Miguel Torres to become the WEC Bantamweight Champion in August 2009. However his first title defense saw Bowles suffer a broken hand and Cruz take the 135 belt. He won his first two UFC fights only to fall to Urijah Faber at UFC 139 as he looks to once again try to climb the 135 lb ladder.

7. Miguel Angel Torres – (39-4, 2-1 UFC, 6-2 WEC) – Formerly near the top of every best MMA pound for pound list, Torres lost two staright WEC fights before bouncing back with three wins in his past four fights. While he turns 31 in late January, Torres has over 40 fights under his belt and has finished just one opponent since 2008.

8. Yves Jabouin – (17-7, 2-1 UFC, 1-2 WEC) – In a sports world of "what have you done for me lately" Jabouin has done one thing few others in the division can claim, win fights. While his modest two fight win streak includes two spilt decision wins, he is 2-0 as a bantamweight and may be a win or two away from being a contender in the division.

9. Eddie Wineland – (18-8-1, 0-2 UFC, 5-2 WEC) – With four straight wins to close his WEC career, Wineland has dropped consecutive fights to top-notch competition in Urijah Faber and Joseph Benavidez in the UFC. While few remember that he is a former WEC Bantamweight Champion, Wineland has lost just 4 of his last 20 professional fights.

10. Brad Pickett – (20-5, 0-1 UFC, 3-1 WEC) – Brad "One Punch" Pickett defeated Ivan Menjivar at WEC 53 leaving him with a 3-1 WEC record. He fought just once in 2011 for the UFC, a loss to Barao, and while he hasn't done much of late the lack of UFC experience in the 135 lb division keeps Pickett on the list - for now.