WEC Bantamweight Division Rankings

Top WEC Bantamweight Fighter Rankings:

1. Dominick Cruz - (15-1; 5-1 WEC) - Now 5-0 as a bantamweight with his lone career loss coming to Urijah Faber at 145 lbs, Cruz has truly earned the title of WEC Bantamweight Champion. After seemingly taking the first two rounds against Brian Bowles @ WEC 47, Bowles did not answer the bell for Round 3 with a broken hand giving Bowles his first career loss and Cruz the 135 pound belt. While he had already topped Joseph Benavidez at WEC 42, Cruz defeated Benavidez again at WEC 49, this time by split decision. Cruz will defend his WEC belt in the WEC's final event at WEC 53 in December with the winner becoming the first ever UFC Bantamweight Champion.

2. Joseph Benavidez - (13-2; 5-2 WEC) - Benavidez dropped his first career professional fight to Dominick Cruz at WEC 42 but returned with a win @ WEC 45 over Rani Yahya then again in defeating Miguel Angel Torres at WEC 47. Benavidez got the rematch he wanted with Cruz atop the WEC 50 fight card with the WEC's 135 pound belt on the line, but lost to Cruz once again, this time by split decision. He returned at WEC 52 and showed why he is one of the best 135 pound fighters in the world in beating up and submitting Wagnney Fabiano.

3. Urijah Faber (24-4) – Faber submitted Rafael Assuncao at WEC 46 to earn his WEC 48 title shot, but was soundly beaten by Aldo in a 5-round unanimous decision. After the loss to Aldo, Faber & the WEC decided it was time to drop down to 135 pounds, and Faber responded well in submitting Takeya Mizugaki atop the WEC 52 fight card. With Team Alpha Male teammate Joseph Benavidez also ranked in the Top 5 of the 135 pound weight class, Faber may be the first to get a title shot for the UFC Bantamweight Championship belt.

4. Scott Jorgensen - (11-3; 7-2 WEC) - With 5 straight wins and 7 wins in his last 8 fights, all within the WEC, Scott Jorgensen has not only opened some eyes in the 135 pound division, but he has also earned a title shot as reward for his efforts. Jorgensen picked up wins over Chad George at WEC 47 and WEC 48 over Antonio Banuelos, then followed both wins up with a uninimous decision victory over Brad Pickett at WEC 50. Jorgensen will get a shot at Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz in December at WEC 53.

5. Brian Bowles - (8-1; 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 new WEC Bantamweight Champion in August 2009. However his first title defense saw Bowles suffer a broken hand and Cruz take the 135 belt. Many are eager to see Bowles return to the Octagon as he will look to once again climb the ladder in a deep 135-pound division, and his layoff has opened the door for several fighters to surpass him in the Bantamweight rankings.

Dominick Cruz was crowned the new WEC Bantamweight Champion when he defeated Brian Bowles at WEC 47 in March.

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6. Miguel Angel Torres - (38-3; 6-2 WEC) - After 17 straight victories and with a 37-1 MMA record Torres was near the top of most every list of the best pound for pound fighters in the sport. Torres' loss to Bowles at WEC 42 was quite the surprise, but following it with a loss to Joseph Benavidez in a fight where Torres had a 11 inch reach advantage was likely even more of a stunner. Torres bounced back after 6 months off to defeat Charlie Valencia at WEC 51 and is rumored to be making his UFC debut on the UFC 126 fight card in early 2010.

7. Eddie Wineland - (17-6-1, 4-2 WEC) - With 3 straight wins against WEC competition Wineland seems to be making his move to once again compete for the 135-pound belt. While few remember that he is a former WEC Bantamweight Champion, Wineland has won 14 of his last 16 professional fights. Wineland is expected to face Ken Stone, a WEC/UFC newcomer who is 9-1, on the WEC 53 fight card in December.

8. Demetrious Johnson - (7-1; 2-1 WEC) - Johnson defeated Nick Pace at WEC 51 and was very impressive in his submission victory over Damacio Page at WEC 52 and will head into the UFC merger riding a 2-fight win streak. Johnson is truly a fighter to keep an eye on in the 135 pound division.

9. Takeya Mizugaki - (13-5-2; 2-3 WEC) - While Mizugaki opened a lot of eyes in defeat at WEC 40 in losing a Unanimous Decision to Miguel Torres, he followed it with a split decision win over Jeff Curran and a loss to Scott Jorgensen at WEC 45 to drop his WEC record to 1-2. A win over Rani Yahya at WEC 48 got Mizugaki back on track but Urijah Faber choked him unconscious at WEC 52 leaving Mizugaki barely a part of the Top 10 bantamweights list.

10. Damacio Page - (15-5; 3-2 WEC) - Damacio "The Angel of Death" Page dropped his second WEC fight at WEC 52 when Demetrious Johnson scored the suprising submission victory. After over a year off since his win over Will Campuzano at WEC 43 and 7 months between fgights before that, it will be interesting to see if Page remains relevant in the UFC's new bantamweight division with more events and seemingly more talent entering the Octagon.

Just Missed the Cut...

Antonio Banuelos - Banuelos first appeared in the WEC at WEC 5 in 2002 and has fought 14 times with the WEC going 9-5 and winning 3 of his last 4 fights. He is currently rumored to be facing Miguel Angel Torress on the UFC 126 fight card in early 2010.

Brad Pickett - Despite his win over Demetrious Johnson at WEC 48, Pickett falls into the "what have you done for me lately" category after his loss to Jorgensen at WEC 50 in August. If Pickett can put together a few wins he can definitely make some noise in the UFC's new 135 pound division.

Joseph Benavidez overcame a 11 inch reach disadvantage to top Miguel Torres at WEC 47.