- Hellowhosthat
- Black Belt
- Member Since 2020.06.27
My MMA Rankings
Hellowhosthat Bantamweight rankings
Have to have fought in last 2 years to be ranked. Fighters still active who haven't fought are in kind of a mini-ranking at the bottom (50)
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1
- Sean O'Malley
- "Suga"
- 18-1-0, 1 NC
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1994 - USA - UFC Champion
Continues to be better than people thought he was. Superb striking in win over Chito, excellent range management and just consistently landing throughout the fight with powerful stuff that would likely get most lesser chinned men out of there. Accuracy excellent and keeps up good workrate, good at sniping when people make mistakes. Interesting to see if tries to throw stuff up from guard or work back up in the next fight he gets taken down with some regularity in.
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2
- Merab Dvalishvili
- "The Machine"
- 17-4-0
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1991 - Georgia - UFC
Obviously the absolute king of cardio, maybe of all time. Great wrestler, sometimes struggles with top control but hardly matters as he just takes people straight back down again. Does have a habit of getting caught early which might catch him out one day if he gets hit too hard to come back from and wear the guy down.
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3
- Cory Sandhagen
- "Sandman"
- 17-4-0
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1992 - USA - UFC
Technical marvel who's always on the cusp of a title shot. Fantastic all round fighter who has options to take the fight where he's stronger against most people. Fluid and varied on the feet with really good accuracy on his strikes, good takedowns and top control, no cardio issues and good fight IQ. Feels you have to be either somehow an even better all round fighter or a specialist who can take it where you want in order to beat him.
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4
- Petr Yan
- "No Mercy"
- 17-5-0
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1993 - Russia - UFC
Significance of his losing streak was always overplayed anyway given who the fights were against and how close a lot of them were, but he reminded everyone how good he is once he gets going at 299 with his usual display of finely balanced boxing, mixed in with well timed kicks, good defence, solid wrestling offence if he wants it and good takedown defence. Figures to be relevant at the top of the division for a while yet.
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5
- Patchy Mix
- "No Love"
- 20-1-0
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1993 - USA - Bellator Champion
Scarily developing ways to KO people standing as well as having some of the best backpacking and finishing from there in the game. Done pretty much everything he can in Bellator and now being pushed onto a rematch cycle of guys he's beaten already. I think his striking offence is evolving more quickly than his striking defence. Has a good jab and getting leg kicks involved but head movement not really elite when he's standing in range.
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6
- Henry Cejudo
- "Triple C"
- 16-4-0
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1987 - USA - UFC
Former double champ still looks at the level where he can compete at the top of the division, losing competitive fights to the divisional elite and having his moments. Faded against Merab but everyone does and highly competitive with Aldo. Should still be considered a threat against anyone.
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7
- José Aldo
- "Junior"
- 32-8-0
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1986 - Brazil - UFC
Rolled back the years in incredible performance against Martinez and looked as though he'd never been away. Still really fast, amazing combos and body punching, leg kicks still there, still checks them beautifully, still looks hard to takedown although can maybe still be held against the cage.
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8
- Yadong Song
- "Kung Fu Kid"
- 21-8-1, 1 NC
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1997 - China - UFC
Performance against Yan was respectable I think, just got slightly outstruck by a superior technical guy on the feet like he did against Corey. Really good with the hands, very fast for the division, able to drive a good pace in a fight and keep pressure coming forward. Good takedown defence from time spent at TAM makes him hard to keep off you if you're a wrestler.
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9
- Rustam Kerimov
- 19-1-0
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1992 - Russia - ACA
Almost seemed to be suffering from a bit of post failing to get into the UFC depression in his loss to Borisov and a couple of his other ACA return fights. However he looked like the old Kerimov in his smashing of Charles Henrique and that guy has arguably the best timed level changes in the world, does damage on the ground, has excellent mat returns and serviceable spinny **** (if a bit spammy) on the feet.
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10
- Umar Nurmagomedov
- 17-0-0
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1996 - Russia - UFC
Hopefully actually gets his top level fight that he's been pursuing soon. Easy to see why people avoid him as he's got the Nurmagomedov wrestling, with good range striking, nice spinny **** and decent power too. Also now proved he can fight through adversity after getting clipped. Formidable opponent.
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11
- Raufeon Stots
- "Supa" | 20-2-0
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1988 - USA - Bellator
Very solid run aside from the Mix fight but no shame in losing to that guy. Pretty fast on the feet, doesn't really hit hard but volume decent and does have a fast and solid head kick. Good wrestler with good control and good scrambles and ability to shut down other wrestlers.
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12
- Marlon Vera
- "Chito" | 23-9-1
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1992 - Ecuador - UFC
Title fight loss felt kind of inevitable. Probably shouldn't have been there in the first place but still a very solid guy with one of the best chins of all time and a really good work rate that can make life very difficult. Just a bit too straightforward on the feet to trouble guys that are really technically good.
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13
- Kyler Phillips
- "The Matrix" | 12-2-0
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1995 - USA - UFC
Stylish as **** striker, beautifully balanced, great movement and finding of angles with huge variety on his strikes. Very fast and accurate and picks his shots well, most people aren't going to be able to stand with him. Has a decently aggressive guard too, happy to throw up decent armbars and triangles. Looked like he'd really levelled up in his fight against Pedro.
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14
- Magomed Magomedov
- "Tiger" | 20-4-0
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1991 - Russia - Bellator
Great scrambler, capable of out scrambling even the likes of Sabatello. Really good squeeze on chokes and catches guillotines well. Good cage wrestling and the usual dagi trips. Closes distance quickly with punches up the middle where he brings his feet through with him and catches people over the top. Very competitive in rematch with Mix.
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15
- Deiveson Figueiredo
- "Deus da Guerra" | 23-3-1
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1987 - Brazil - UFC
Former 125 UFC champ doing well at 135 since stepping up. Seems to have carried power up and strength seems to have come with him also. Cardio and pace actually seems like it could be a little bit better without the big cut but hasn't really been pushed there yet. Very good grappler when he can get on top, good back takes and powerful squeeze on RNC's and guillotines. A little bit on the older side for someone in the lower weight classes.
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16
- Rob Font
- 20-8-0
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1987 - USA - UFC
Still a solid striker despite advancing a bit in years now. Boxing really good, can crack and is pretty patient. Takedown defence has been an achilles heel for him recently, difficult to see him really levelling up in that regard at this stage of his career.
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17
- Sergio Pettis
- "The Phenom" | 23-6-0
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1993 - USA - Bellator
Improved since leaving the UFC, still wonder if he might be better as a flyweight but seems happy to stay at Bantam for now. Enjoys a speed and technical range striking over most guys and grappling is decent enough unless he's in there with a Mix or someone. Still seems to lack power despite meme spinning back fist against Kyoji but a quality point fighter who knows what to do to impress the judges.
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18
- Jonathan Martinez
- "Dragon" | 19-5-0
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1994 - USA - UFC
This guy seems to be the peak exponent of the Factory X style, great leg kicks, solid hands, good TDD solid BJJ. Very calm with a good fight IQ. Couldn't deal with a more technical guy in Aldo who was faster than him. Did hang in there and show good toughness. Seems when his leg kicks aren't in the equation it affects him a lot.
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19
- Mario Bautista
- 14-2-0
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1993 - USA - UFC
MMA Lab dude who's one of the best in the division when it comes to setting a pace. Managed to outwork someone like Ricky Simon. Good at chipping away at the legs and with strikes and wearing guys down. Just hard to impose anything on.
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20
- Kai Asakura
- 21-4-0
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1993 - Japan - RIZIN Champion
Wildly exciting fighter who occasionally gets shut down by wrestling but seems to be getting better at that. I actually think he'd be better at defending wrestling in a cage rather than a ring. Really hard hitter, cracks well to the body and has taken guys as good as Kyoji Horiguchi and Juan Archuleta out.
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21
- Said Nurmagomedov
- 18-3-0
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1992 - Russia - UFC
Spin kicking, neck snatching son of a gun. Pretty close loss to Martinez has aged well and he's looked great recently outside that fight, although Saidyokub did put it on him for a while. Seems to have something from everywhere that would make him a threat though and I think he's better from the bottom than your average Dagi grappler.
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22
- Fabricio de Andrade
- "Wonder Boy" | 9-2-0, 1 NC
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1997 - Brazil - ONE Championship Champion
Amazing striker for MMA so of course Chatri decides to put him in a striking match against one of the best pure strikers in a striking fight which he loses. Hopefully he doesn't waste his career doing that as he's a great bantamweight MMA fighter with absolutely lovely pressure and body punching who's able to wear guys down and then start ripping up top too for some spectacular finishes.
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23
- Ricky Simón
- 20-5-0
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1992 - USA - UFC
Surprisingly not that competitive with Bautista, on a bit of a skid after forcing his way into the main event scene. Doesn't really seem close to being done though and his mix of ploughing in with overhands and mixing it with the wrestling will still be enough to beat a lot of guys because he's very good at it, just might struggle if he needs to find an alternative path to victory.
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24
- Pedro Munhoz
- "The Young Punisher" | 20-9-0, 2 NC
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1986 - Brazil - UFC
Always going to be a tough challenge for up and comers and a good gauge of where they're at. Pretty much impossible to finish although you can land on him a lot and get ahead of him on points if you're quick. Leg kicks are still there and it's still hard for other leg kickers to beat him in that style of fight. BJJ really good but doesn't really use it.
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25
- Juan Archuleta
- "Spaniard" | 29-5-0
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1987 - USA - Bellator/RIZIN
Not always the most exciting fighter but a very effective one. Pushes a good wrestling pace and has the cardio to keep it up, movement and striking is decent enough although his instinct is generally to wrestle. Hard to take and hold down if that's what you want to do to him. Think he's more suited to fighting in a cage than a ring so he can use it to his advantage.
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26
- Mehdi Baydulaev
- 17-2-0
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1996 - Russia - ACA
Developed into an absolute grappling monster and just kicking into his prime. Taking everyone down and just choking them the **** out. 135 is a competitive division in ACA but this dude seems destined for the title.
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27
- Saidyokub Kakhramonov
- 11-3-0
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1995 - Uzbekistan - Karate Combat
Doing Karate Combat at the moment but always hankering back for a return to the UFC on social media. One of the most ridiculous releases in UFC history as he's an exciting guy who fights at a stupidly high pace with great grappling control, also puts plenty out there striking. Was absolutely putting it on Said Nurmagomedov before making one mistake and getting guillotined then utterly destroyed a Brazilian with a decent record in his first MMA fight post-release
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28
- Rakhim Midaev
- "Ronin" | 12-2-0
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1995 - Russia - RCC
Took a massive risk fighting Ignatiev who's an elite fighter a weight class up, didn't quite pay off but still looked good in the fight. Fantastic fighter at bantamweight who's an exciting striker throwing **** like flying axe kicks at people and has excellent grappling to mix in with it if he wants to take it there. Not many people in the world who'll beat this guy at 135.
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29
- Chris Gutierrez
- "El Guapo" | 20-5-2
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1991 - USA - UFC
Factory X guy with a Factory X style, Jonathan Martinez has surpassed him for me but he's got those great leg kicks and the timing to land them. Has a nice spinning elbow that he throws too, struggled when stepped up against higher level competition to this point though.
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30
- Montel Jackson
- "Quik" | 13-2-0
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1992 - USA - UFC
Massive hands Montel is very big for the weight and can crack. Good offensive wrestler although did show some frustration defensively when he fought Johns. Seems to be over that and winning again although he's yet to really test himself against someone truly top tier. Has a chance to prove himself against Said.
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31
- Dominick Cruz
- "The Dominator" | 24-4-0
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1985 - USA - UFC
Picks and chooses his fights these days. Relies on speed and agility to move around the cage and mix the pot shots with the wrestling but that's going to get tougher given his age and injury history. Still looks fairly competitive when he fights but leaves big gaps in activity after every loss.
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32
- John Lineker
- "Hands of Stone" | 37-11-0, 1 NC
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1990 - Brazil - ONE Championship
Lost a weird less than one day notice fight against Shinya Aoki but not really reflective of current form. Lost the series with Andrade who's really good, had to come back from behind against Kim but got it done, really good performance to shut down the impressive Loman before that.
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33
- Victor Henry
- "La Mangosta" | 24-6-0, 1 NC
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1987 - USA - UFC
Grizzled vet making the most of late career UFC run after being a well kept secret for years. Breaks dudes by fighting at a high pace with good boxing which builds over the course of a fight, stays in the face of people as they slow down and he doesn't. Catch wrestling background means he's a perfectly competent grappler too, fine staying safe against decent level BJJ guys.
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34
- Farid Basharat
- "Ferocious" | 12-0-0
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1997 - Afghanistan - UFC
This guy is improving at a rapid pace. Every time I think he's in for a tough test he levels up and passes it with flying colours. Really good offensive wrestling and top control to shut down a good fighter in Lapilus. I initially thought he was the lesser of the brothers, but I don't think that's the case anymore.
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35
- Danny Sabatello
- "The Italian Gangster" | 14-4-0
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1993 - USA - Bellator
Relentless wrestler/grappler with great chain wrestling, scrambling and back takes. Cardio really good, can keep a really high pace throughout a fight. Runs into issues when he comes into good wrestlers who shut down his scrambling, anyone who's less than excellent there will generally get outpaced and outscrambled. Striking nothing to write home about but doesn't have any interest in using it anyway.
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36
- Pavel Vitruk
- 19-6-1
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1990 - Ukraine - ACA Champion
Enjoying the best run of his career which has lead him to become the champ in ACA. Patient and fights pretty well off the back foot, very good at get ups and seperating which is important in Russia, wrestlers don't like it when they take him down and he just pops back up and shoves them off. Was down in my opinion when he caught Borisov with the knee, but he still caught him and he's still got the belt.
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37
- Oleg Borisov
- 26-7-1
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1985 - Russia - ACA
Former ACA champ who you can rely on to always fight the same way. Very roided and the juice seems to have done his gas tank well, just walks forward all fight putting pressure on people and throwing. Not really a KO artist but he'd got a solid chin and it's just a lot to deal with for people, throws some level changes in too just to keep things varied and can do it for 5 rounds no problem. Getting old but not really looking any worse, was up against Vitruk before getting caught with a knee that would have KO'd anyone.
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38
- Aiemann Zahabi
- 11-2-0
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1987 - Canada - UFC
Seems a different fighter after his post covid comeback. Sits down on shots well and generally lands the more eye catching ones if dudes try to point fight him. Does carry power if he can land clean. Takedown defence pretty solid, maybe getting a bit old to make a proper run into contention though.
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39
- Adrian Yanez
- 17-5-0
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1993 - USA - UFC
Very fast hands and very crisp boxing but some limitations starting to come to the fore now he's mixing it with higher class opponents. Leg kicks seem to be an issue as he places a lot of weight on his front foot to let his hands go but in all fairness Martinez is very good at those. Good power, better when patient with it and not just trying to sling for the fences though.
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40
- Daniel Marcos
- "Soncora" | 15-0-0, 1 NC
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1993 - Peru - UFC
Impressive volume, fights at a really good pace. I thought he lost to Davey but no shame in that against a guy of that quality. Handled the step up from Peruvian regionals to the UFC expertly really. Solid everywhere.
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41
- Davey Grant
- "Dangerous" | 13-7-0
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1985 - England - UFC
Tough as ****, really good grappler with creative subs. Throws hard on the feet, not always the most refined but does land and has decent power. Willing to go to war which is always mean you're going to get cracked a bit yourself too. Very close decisions in losses to both Yanez and Marcos with a solid argument for Davey winning.
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42
- Douglas Silva de Andrade
- "D'Silva" | 29-5-0, 1 NC
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1985 - Brazil - UFC
Getting to a dangerous age for someone in this division but holding up okay until proven otherwise. Very tough to get out of there, strong, decent cardio considering how ripped he is at the weight.
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43
- Javid Basharat
- "The Snow Leopard" | 14-1-0, 1 NC
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1995 - Afghanistan - UFC
Looked great until he fought Zahabi, but then seemed a bit pitter patter when someone pressured him. Good technical striker, wrestler and top grappler, but doesn't hit very hard and maybe lacks a bit of explosion in the takedowns against a guy with a good sprawl.
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44
- Taylor Lapilus
- "Double Impact" | 19-4-0
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1992 - France - UFC
Very underrated guy who really jumped levels in his time away from the UFC. Very fast, very good hands and keeps a good pace, takedown defence is improved but wasn't enough for Basharat, should be better against wrestlers he can style on on the feet.
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45
- Soo Chul Kim
- 22-7-1
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1991 - South Korea - RIZIN
On a very good run since returning, stayed nice and active, avenged his comeback loss against Park and his other loss against Archuleta was razor thin. Plenty of finishes outside of that. Good leg kicks and really dings the overhands in hard when he throws them. Has a nice guillotine which he uses as a device to stand up as well as an attempted sub.
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46
- Cody Garbrandt
- "No Love" | 14-6-0
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1991 - USA - UFC
Chin obviously terrible, nowhere near the fighter he was when he was the UFC champ. Still fast and still carries power in his hands and if he can detonate a hook on someone's chin he can always get the KO. Good wrestler when he uses it but doesn't seem to have the gas tank to use it as a style. Not really comfortable off his back. Comments of getting vertigo on the mat after the Figgy fight a concern. More than capable of clearing up lower level UFC guys but struggle to see him beating anyone in and around the rankings again.
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47
- Magomed Bibulatov
- "Chaborz" | 21-3-0
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1988 - Russia - ACA
Settled up at 135 now he's back at ACA. Won the title there but lost it having been unable to deal with heavy forward pressure against Borisov. When he can keep the pressure off he's a very good striker with nasty spin kicks and he can wrestle a bit too.
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48
- Makharbek Karginov
- "Alanskiy Bars" | 17-4-0
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1992 - Russia - ACA
Really good technical striker who was on a good run until he ran into the beast that is Mehdi Baydulaev. Not really a finisher, but good at managing range well and landing accurate and technically good strikes.
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49
- Cody Stamann
- "The Spartan" | 21-6-1
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1989 - USA - UFC
Past prime but still pretty decent. Very close fight with D Silva which he had a solid argument for winning. Pretty unfortunate in some of his matchups as he's a former ranked guy he tends to get matched up pretty tough.
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50
- Josiel Silva
- "Açougueiro" | 19-7-0
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1991 - Brazil - ACA
Very good fighter, stepped up from flyweight a couple of years ago and is carrying his abilities with him. Was competitive with Kerimov which is impressive in itself and then managed to beat Dudaev which is super impressive. Always loved his hands, has a super dangerous left hook but turns all his punches over quickly.
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51
- Raoni Barcelos
- 18-5-0
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1987 - Brazil - UFC
Clearly past prime but still a dangerous customer especially if he can get on top on the ground. Seems slower than he used to be on the feet and does get hit more. Losses are all to respectable people but was having issues with Quinonez before he turned it around which he probably wouldn't have done in his prime.
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52
- Daniel Santos
- "Willycat" | 11-2-0
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1995 - Brazil - UFC
Chuteboxe pressure boy, looks like he might always have issues with good counter fighters as he did with Arce but his forward pressure and volume is a lot to deal with if you don't have the accurate counter striking to come forward. Nice and dynamic with the striking too.
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53
- Sergey Morozov
- 19-5-0
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1989 - Kazakhstan - UFC
Solid fighter, puts a pace on people, decent striking and grappling up to a certain level. Fallen short when he's faced guys in the higher middle of the division.
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54
- John Castañeda
- "Sexi Mexi" | 21-6-0
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1991 - USA - UFC
Cardio merchant who pushes a very good pace with very high volume. If he can get himself on the front foot and control the pace of the fight he's a serious problem. When guys have been able to get him on his back foot he's less of an issue.
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55
- Miles Johns
- "Chapo" | 14-2-0, 1 NC
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1994 - USA - UFC
Solid fighter, used to be more known for wrestling and still has that in his arsenal but nowadays more known for activity based striking game. Does seem to struggle when someone can put him on the back foot and drown him like Castaneda did.
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56
- Jean Matsumoto
- 15-0-0
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1999 - Brazil - UFC
Handling regular step up in competition getting into the majors really well and looking like the real deal. Able to fend off a sustained wrestling attack from a cardio machine in Argueta and find a sub. Already knew he's a good, balanced striker who fights at a good pace, but showing the ability to dig deep to pull a win out shows another level to his game.
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57
- Dan Argueta
- "The Determined" | 9-2-0, 2 NC
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1993 - USA - UFC
Excellent level of workrate, brings it hard every minute of the fight. Constantly shooting and looking at getting and keeping control. Strong, striking not great but just looking to pile into clinches and shots anyway. Struggles a little to keep position sometimes but can get away with it to an extent due to cardio. Does allow guys too much opportunity to get back into a fight because of it sometimes though.
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58
- Kyung Ho Kang
- "Mr. Perfect" | 19-10-0, 1 NC
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1987 - South Korea - UFC
Finally getting more active, good grappler with nice back takes and chokes from there. Experienced without having too much mileage on him. Seems to struggle a bit with high pressure guys.
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59
- Garrett Armfield
- 10-3-0
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1996 - USA - UFC
Very impressive lately since signing for the UFC. Tough debut against Onama a weight class up but desroyed Kazama and then an especially impressive win against a solid guy like Brad Katona. Looks hard hitting and strong at 135.
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60
- Brad Katona
- "Superman" | 13-3-0
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1991 - Canada - UFC
Two time TUF winner bounced back from first UFC run to take the title in BRAVE and then get some impressive wins on the way to winning TUF, especially excellent fights with Valiev and Gibson. Surprising loss to Armfield, but Brad is generally speaking a solid all round fighter with competent striking and good grappling and cardio, even if he's not generally a finisher.
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61
- Muin Gafurov
- "Tajik" | 18-6-0
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1996 - UFC - Tajikistan
Not been drawing any easy outs in the UFC so far with Castaneda and Said. Looked great during his run to the LFA title and was towards the top of the division in ONE. Loss to Anheliger on the contender series was weird but he says he was ill and given the rest of his career I tend to bellieve him.
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62
- Rinya Nakamura
- "Hybrid" | 9-0-0
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1995 - Japan - UFC
Phenomenal prospect who just hasn't had the tests to rank him too high yet but dominating the guys he has fought. Wrestling is obviously excellent and top control and positioning is top notch. Has good power on the feet too which makes him a scary proposition.
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63
- Timur Valiev
- "Lucky" | 18-4-0, 1 NC
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1990 - Russia - ACA
A bit screwed over by the judges on his return to ACA for some reason. Very close fight with Katona on the TUF semis before that didn't give him a UFC contract when it felt like he should have got another chance. Not really living up to his nickname lately.
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64
- Vinicius Oliveira
- "Lok Dog" | 20-3-0
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1995 - Brazil - UFC
Stupidly talented but also a bit ********. Lost a couple of fights over the years which he should have won but showboated and got cracked. Has been known to nearly get finished doing it, then take the fight back over and get cracked doing it again. Hugely explosive and powerful with great finishing possibilities. Good cardio and heart, feels like he can be a contender if he can dial everything in.
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65
- Sebastian Przybysz
- "Sebić" | 12-3-1
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1993 - Poland - KSW
Stuck in an endless loop with Wiklacz where they're clearly the best two bantamweights in KSW and have to fight each other endlessly. Good 5 round fighter with good wrestling, top control and good output on the feet.
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66
- Tony Gravely
- 23-9-0
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1991 - USA - Free Agent
Pretty tough UFC release as Tony was only losing to competition in the top half of the division and was pretty competitive in the fights. He's got a good workrate, mixes the striking and the grappling together well and has solid cardio.
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67
- Ronnie Lawrence
- "The Heat" | 8-2-0, 1 NC
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1992 - USA - UFC
Think he's still signed to the UFC even though he said he was taking a bit of time off. The kind of grappler who has very good success with his grappling against non wrestlers but seems to get outwrestled himself against good wrestlers.
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68
- Da'Mon Blackshear
- "Da Monster" | 14-6-1
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1994 - USA - UFC
Was always a good BJJ guy on the regionals and he's not looking out of place at all in the UFC. Has decent enough striking go back the grappling up but that's his bread and butter.
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69
- Payton Talbott
- 8-0-0
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1998 - USA - UFC
Absolutely flying through the eye test at the moment. Had been a bit of a slow starter and was prone to dropping the first round before coming back, but just got straight on the gas against Saaiman and got him out of there. That's going to be important moving forward as he can't afford to be constantly dropping the first round once he gets involved with competition in and around the rankings.
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70
- Cody Gibson
- "The Renegade" | 19-10-0
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1987 - USA - UFC
Worked very hard for a long time to get back to the UFC and it's hard no to root for the dude to do well. Fast starter who's very good in the first couple of rounds but then does fade pretty badly late in the fight. Has some issues with takedown defence against good wrestlers sometimes but if he can keep it on the feet he's god good pressure and volume to get ahead.
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71
- Aleksandr Podlesniy
- 21-8-2
-
Ukraine - ACA
I didn't personally think he deserved the decision against Valiev, but even running him close enough to get a debateable decision is a credit to him. Another tight win over another good fighter in Tsiptauri a couple of fights before that. Does a good job of staying mobile when taken down which makes him quite hard to keep there for guys who like to rack up control time.
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72
- Cristian Quiñonez
- "Problema" | 18-5-0
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1996 - Mexico - UFC
This guy is very good offensively but a bit of a liability defensively. Gives decent guys trouble with his offence and can dominate lower level guys, but has a bit of a grappling hole when he's taking on guys at a higher level.
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73
- Caolán Loughran
- "The Don" | 9-1-0
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1996 - Ireland - UFC
Strong offensively, short which means he has to work to get into range and lacks head movement which means he can get tagged up getting there but hasn't really looked hurt yet. Strong cage wrestling and top game and throws hard when he gets in close. Really good hooks to the body to wear guys down.
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74
- Bekzat Almakhan
- "The Turan Warrior" | 11-2-0
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1997 - Kazakhstan - UFC
Did himself pretty proud in his loss to Umar, managing to get a drop against a top guy before being unable to deal with his grappling. Regional career very good although did have more trouble with Mastromarini than he should have. Typical kind of Kazakh in/out striking style mixed in with good grappling.
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75
- Khurshed Kakhorov
- "Killer" | 12-1-0
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1992 - Germany - PFL
Showed a big improvement in his game over the course of the 2023 PFL Europe season to win the tournament beating solid guys like Mlambo and Taleb in the process. Seems to have improved on his defensive wrestling a lot since Brett Johns dominated him and looks good and strong with the offensive wrestling.
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76
- Naoki Inoue
- 17-4-0
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1997 - Japan - RIZIN
Very good grappler and sub threat, unfortunate to be let go from the UFC when he was very young during the great flyweight purge but has built a good career for himself in RIZIN. Takes a very solid wrestler with a good base to be able to shut him down and even then it's not always straightforward.
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77
- Ali Taleb
- 10-1-0
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1997 - Sweden - PFL
Seems like he might have a bit of an issue with takedown defence and getting stuck on the bottom. Puts really good pressure on going forward ont the feet and bangs really hard as Lokdog found out when he showboated against him. Just a concern that he was put on his back quite a lot by someone like Abzakh. Still probably favourite to win the first season of PFL Mena.
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78
- Marcus McGhee
- "The Maniac" | 9-1-0
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1990 - USA - UFC
Very explosive and athletic fighter who's having a dominant start to UFC life although it has to be said you'd find it hard to match him up easier than he got matched up in his first three fights. Power on the feet with decent speed and mixes some unorthadox stuff in too, also some good offensive BJJ and chokes.
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79
- Luan Lacerda
- 12-3-0
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1993 - Brazil - UFC
Nova Uniao product looked very competitive against Cody Stamann in his UFC debut but then surprisingly uncompetitive against Blackshear. Loads of sub wins on the regionals but hasn't managed to do that at the highest level just yet.
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80
- Rani Yahya
- 28-12-1, 1 NC
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1984 - Brazil - UFC
Was always one dimensional even in his prime, but nowadays he doesn't have the gas tank to push for takedowns for long. Slower than he used to be so more hittable on the feet and is generally going to get gradually beaten up by decent strikers. If he can get on top the BJJ is still going to be there but it's just tough to see him getting there against anyone decent now.
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81
- Ricky Turcios
- "Pretty Ricky" | 12-3-0
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1993 - USA - UFC
All action, all heart, dude will bring a scrap for a full 15 minutes at a high pace and battle you all the way. Sometimes has weird performances like the one against Zahabi when he thought he was doing a kata for some reason. Bit weird and a bit fun in all dimensions.
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82
- Yuki Motoya
- 35-12-0, 1 NC
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1989 - Japan - RIZIN
Vastly experienced grappler who had a bit of a penchant for picking up wins over UFC vets until he ran into Vince Morales. Really great sub game with a variety of potential finishes on the ground. Not a great wrestler but usually finds a way of getting most people on the ground even if it's a bit messy and he's on the bottom. Likely to lose striking exchanges against most people who are good there.
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83
- Alatengheili
- "The Mongolian Knight" | 17-9-2
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1991 - China - UFC
I have to do my best not to get my Chinese UFC bantams mixed up, but Alateng is tough and willing to stay in fights, likes to come forward to get into the wrestling. Striking nothing special but decent takedowns and chips away on the top. Gets hit a bit by leg kicks.
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84
- Brian Kelleher
- "Boom" | 24-15-0
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1986 - USA - UFC
It's been a while since Brian has had a good win and although he's been in with good competition he's been getting finished easily by them. Add to that him having pretty recently had serious neck surgery it looks like he's a fighter on the way down.
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85
- Victor Hugo
- "Striker" | 25-4-0
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1992 - Brazil - UFC
Decent takedown defence and get ups against Falcao to expand on good DWCS win. Strikes pretty well off the back foot and has good knees. On a very solid win streak but hasn't really faced much top competition during it.
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86
- Cameron Saaiman
- "MSP" | 9-2-0
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2000 - South Africa - UFC
I thought he'd got into the UFC a year too early and it's proving to be the case. Just doesn't seem physically developed enough to deal with some of the stronger dudes. Does have very good cardio, is skilled and tough but just seems at a physical disadvantage.
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87
- Brady Hiestand
- "Bam Bam" | 7-2-0
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1999 - USA - UFC
Got to the top level pretty young and having to learn on the job a bit. He's got good cardio and I like that he pushes the pace of his fights. Seems to be improving, hasn't really got any signature wins at this stage.
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88
- Aoriqileng
- "The Mongolian Murderer" | 25-11-0, 1 NC
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1993- China - UFC
Massive experience on the Chinese scene before coming to the UFC. Pretty solid fighter at a mid level, brings a good pace, likes to get on top and work from there. If he can't get on top it's a pretty long night for him.
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89
- Raul Rosas Jr.
- "El Niño Problema" | 8-1-0
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2004 - USA - UFC
Realistically into the UFC far too young but they seem to be able to dig out some guys who came in as late replacements to fight other people and aren't any higher level fighters than guys he'd face on the regionals for him to beat. Puts on a rough pace early, faded against the first more experienced guy to survice that, will have to see what happens next time he's in that position.
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90
- Serhiy Sidey
- 10-2-0
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1996 - Canada - UFC
Robbed in the Taveras rematch for me, though probably didn't beat him as closely as I thought he would do. Serhiy was always a really good pressure boxer on the Canadian regionals with excellent cardio and volume which he used to break guys and collect titles across Candian promotions.
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91
- Kleydson Rodrigues
- "KR" | 8-4-0
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1995 - Brazil - UFC
Isn't turning out to be what he looked like he could be on the contender series. He's powerful, fast, got really good output, offensive variety and the cardio to keep it up on the feet.Takedown defence absolutely sucks and he's far too passive on his back, doesn't even try to get up, just holds guard and when looks to do something sub or sweep wise it's terrible. Huge grappling hole. Should be able to style on some strikers, but they'd need to have pretty poor wrestling.
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92
- Jose Johnson
- "Lobo Solitario" | 16-8-0
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1995 - USA - UFC
Supposedly dropping to flyweight but we'll see how that cut goes. He's the kind of guy who's a good hammer but not a great nail, if he can get confident in a fight he's got power and decent offensive grappling, but quite often gets caught early before he can get going.
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93
- Ramon Taveras
- "The Savage" | 10-2-0
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1994 - USA - UFC
Can crack but I'm not sure how good he is. I didn't think he beat Sidey in their rematch but the judges must have thought the more eye catching shots in. Probably not going to last too long at UFC level I don't think.
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94
- Pedro Falcão
- "Pedrinho" | 16-4-0
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1992 - Brazil - UFC
Little bit one dimensional but pretty good at pressing forward, trying to get a double and trying to either clinch trip off the cage or get to the back if he can't. Striking doesn't really seem to be anything special and doesn't really seem to have an alternative to his main gameplan.
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95
- Benardo Sopaj
- "The Lion King" | 11-3-0
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2000 - Albania - UFC
Very talented, great start to his fight against Lokdog on short notice, just couldn't keep the pace and started getting trashed when he couldn't get him out of there. Time will tell if that was just a short notice thing or an issue with adversity in generals.
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96
- Chad Anheliger
- "The Monster" | 13-7-0
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1986 - Canada - UFC
Really lacks athleticism but is a tough dude with good volume and pushes a decent workrate, good enough to expose lower level prospects who shouldn't be in the UFC, but liable to be dominated by anyone better than that.
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97
- Carlos Vera
- "Pequeno" | 11-4-0
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1987 - Ecuador - UFC
Eventually got into the UFC after being in his mid 30's on team prospects on TUF. Good grappler with an active guard who seems to have put most of his attribute points into that. Looks like he's tough to finish even for decent guys.
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98
- Saimon Oliveira
- 18-5-0
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1991 - Brazil - UFC
Very much at the lower level of UFC guys to me, was a choke hunter on the regionals and pretty good at it, but the guys at a higher level don't seem to be falling for his set ups and he doesn't seem to have much to fall back on.
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99
- Yanis Ghemmouri
- "The Desert Warrior" | 12-2-0
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1995 - France - UFC
Not able to get anything going against Gomis but had looked quite impressive pre-UFC in his natural bantamweight division which he's now returning to. Stepped up his finish rate in his last couple of pre UFC fights and got some solid regional guys out of there.
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100
- Raulian Paiva
- 21-5-1
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1995 - Brazil - Guerrero Fight Championship
Missed weight a lot at flyweight, then moved up to bantamweight, signed to fight Valiev in UAE Warriors, missed weight there and had to cancel that and then had a draw with a random can in Brazil so who knows what's going on with him. Seems a long time ago that he had a (debateable) win over Kyler Phillips.
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101
- Johnny Munoz Jr.
- "Kid Kvenbo" | 12-4-0
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1993 - USA - Free Agent
The kind of fighter who looks pretty good against lesser competition but skills seem to erode when he tries to impose them on anyone better.
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102
- Taichi Nakajima
- 17-13-1
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1989 - Japan - RIZIN
Very experienced, fought in Russia as well as Japan. Picked up some good wins in RIZIN and Pancrase and it's tended to take guys towards the top of the division to beat him. Comes forward and tries to engage and can wrestle a bit too.
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103
- Angel Pacheco
- 7-3-0
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1992 - USA - UFC
Very tough but that's not always a good thing at the top level, kind of feels like he'll just take a lot of damage against tough guys.
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104
- Rachid Haz
- 14-3-0
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1992 - Spain - PFL
Didn't manage to win PFL Europe so giving PFL Mena a crack. Fights well when gets to come forward. Puts decent pressure on and wrestling is okay. Takes back pretty well. Might be a bit chinny.
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105
- Elias Boudegzdame
- "Smile" | 19-8-0
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1993 - Algeria - PFL
Rubbish takedown defence but a very good sub game. Goes for subs very aggressively and prone to losing position. Tends to run into trouble against higher level guys who are just a bit more careful with the grappling and just shut him down when they get on top.
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106
- Gaston Bolaños
- "The Dreamkiller" | 7-4-0
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1992 - Peru - UFC
No idea how this guy ended up in the UFC when he wasn't even anywhere near the top of the division in Bellator, he must be well connected. He's not even that great a kickboxer and his overall game is lacking.
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107
- Steven Koslow
- "Obi Won Shinobi The Pillow" | 6-1-0
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1997 - USA - UFC
Arguably the worse nickname in the entire sport. Pretty funky grappling style, but went from fighting cans even by regional standards with it straight to the UFC. Did have some decent scrambles with Saaiman early before he started getting broken, but I'm not overly confident he can impose his style of grappling at this level.
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108
- Charalampos Grigoriou
- "The Ferocious" | 8-4-0
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1992 - Cyprus - UFC
Can crack if he can land but good lord did he every have a horrible UFC debut against Anheliger, where he looked completely bereft of ideas when he came up against any kind of adversity.
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109
- Jesse Butler
- 12-5-0
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1992 - USA - UFC
A featherweight on the regionals, made a short notice debut getting annihilated by Jim Miller and now drops all the way to bantamweight. Was a pretty solid guy at 145 on the regionals, with decent power and offence, but this cut seems a bit extreme and we'll have to see how it goes for him. Could jump up a bit if he wears the cut well.
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110
- Toshiomi Kazama
- "Silent Finisher" | 10-4-0
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1997 - Japan - UFC
Fun grappling style but a bit out of his depth in the UFC so far, seems to have far too much of a habit of getting chinned.
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111
- Tatsuya Ando
- 14-4-1
-
1990 - Japan - Shooto
In over his head at featherweight in RUFC but showed he was tough as **** and it's going to be hard for people at bantamweight to finish him. Throws back well himself and has plenty of finishes.
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112
- Vinicius Salvador
- "Fenômeno" | 14-7-0
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1996 - Brazil - UFC
Style of having long unorthodox offence didn't work that well at the upper echelons in flyweight so I really don't see how it's going to work at bantamweight. Offensively pretty fun, but defensively awful and better guys defensively don't seem threatened by his wild offence at all.Tries absolutely ******** stuff like rabonas in an MMA fight sometimes.
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113
- Tariq Ismail
- "Desert Storm" | 8-1-0
-
1990 - Canada - PFL
Pretty boring pressure dude fighting out of Tri-star. Presses forward, looks to get guys into the cage and be dull from there. Has an okay jab, but doesn't look anything special.
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114
- JP Buys
- "Young Savage" | 9-6-0
-
1996 - South Africa - Free Agent
A bit of a meme punching bag in the UFC, don't know why he thought it would go any better at bantamweight, especially against someone like Montel Jackson. Looks like a long way back for him.
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115
- Xavier Alaoui
- "The Breadman" | 14-6-0
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1991 - Canada - PFL
Fairly competent guy who's settled into fighting in the Middle East over the years. Pretty well balanced striking when on the front foot, doesn't look so good when gets pushed back. Offensive grappling good, defensive grappling poor. Takedown defence not good and gives back far too often.
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116
- Casey Kenney
- 16-4-1
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1991- USA - UFC
Not ranked as hasn't fought in 2 years.
No idea why this dude suddenly dissapeared during his prime. Splits to Dominick Cruz and Song Yadong are hardly the end of the world.
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117
- José Alday
- "El Pochito" | 13-7-2
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1991 - Mexico - FAC
Got pretty close to the UFC having had a fairly close fight with Saimon Oliveira, then got looked at on looking for a fight but got knocked out by Eduardo Dantas. Gone inactive since which is a shame because he was always a good member towards the top of what was a solid Combate Global division in the late 2010s
My Summary