Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Bantamweight

1. Dominick Cruz (19-1)
The “Dominator” was dominant once again as the start of the first cable-televised bantamweight title bout in UFC history. Desite suffering yet another hand injury in the process, Cruz earned a five-round unanimous decision -- his fourth in a row -- by holding off small-but-strong challenger Demetrious Johnson on Oct. 1.

2. Joseph Benavidez (15-2)
He might not get another shot at 135-pound gold any time soon, but Benavidez continues to bulk up his bantamweight resume. At UFC Live 5 on Aug. 14, the Team Alpha Male product turned in a solid unanimous decision performance against the heavy-hitting Eddie Wineland.

3. Urijah Faber (25-5)
Faber could not take the UFC bantamweight title from Dominick Cruz in July. However, "The California Kid" is never far from prominent competition: Faber will return to the Octagon on Nov. 19 at UFC 139 in San Jose, Calif., taking on former WEC champion Brian Bowles.

4. Brian Bowles (10-1)
Bowles' path back to the top of the 135-pound division just got tougher. The former WEC champion will return to action in pursuit of his third straight win since falling to Dominick Cruz, taking on another former WEC champion, Urijah Faber, at UFC 139 on Nov. 19.

5. Scott Jorgensen (12-4)
After clobbering Ken Stone in June, "Young Guns" returns to action at UFC 137 on Oct. 29. In opposition, he takes on longtime veteran Jeff Curran in his return to the UFC.

6. Demetrious Johnson (9-2)
“Mighty Mouse” was banged up but never beaten over 25 minutes in his Oct. 1 decision loss to dominant UFC bantamweight titleholder Dominick Cruz. While the defeat predictably amplified calls for Johnson to become the first member of the UFC’s 125-pound class, the Matt Hume pupil says his sights are set on 135 for the time being.

7. Miguel Torres (39-4)
He was defeated for only the fourth time in his 11-year career, but Torres’ loss to Demetrious Johnson on May 28 came by the narrowest of margins. The former WEC bantamweight champion’s dynamic ground work against powerful wrestler Johnson went unappreciated by the judges, as Torres came up on the wrong end of a much-debated unanimous decision.

8. Brad Pickett (20-5)
One of Britain's best, Pickett continues to hover just outside the circle of UFC bantamweight title contenders. That could change on Nov. 5, as he heads to more familiar surroundings in Birmingham, England, to battle tough Brazilian Renan "Barao" in an appealing pairing of developing contenders.

9. Masakatsu Ueda (14-1-2)
Ueda has returned to top form, rattling off four consecutive wins since his shocking submission loss to Shuichiro Katsumura in March 2010. On Sept. 14, the former Shooto 132-pound world champ moved up to the retiring Royler Gracie in Brazil; two divisions above his natural weight, Ueda walked away with a handy decision victory.

10. Takeya Mizugaki (15-6-2)
In need of a definitive win to maintain his spot among the world’s top 135-pounders, Mizugaki got exactly that on Sept. 24. In a display of aggression and tight boxing, the Japanese export blasted former WEC titleholder Cole Escovedo en route to a second-round stoppage on punches.

Other contenders: Renan “Barao”, Bibiano Fernandes, Zach Makovsky, Michael McDonald, Eddie Wineland.

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