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UFC bantamweight rankings: Who is the best bantamweight fighter?
Ciku Njuguna
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:18 PM
Who is the world's number one fighter in UFC's bantamweight category? The division is swarming with skilled and talented fighters eager to take the champion's throne. Stick around to learn more about the UFC bantamweight rankings for 2022.
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Although the lightweight division is the most popular, bantamweight athletes have acquired their fair share of fame and popularity. Over the years, legendary UFC champions have battled for glory within the 126-135 pounds (57.2-61.2 kg) weight class. Discover more about the greatest bantamweight UFC fighters in 2022.
Who are the UFC bantamweight champions of 2022?
Some of the best bantamweight fighters in the world in the male category include Sean Sugar O'Malley, Petr 'No Mercy' Yan, and Merab 'The machine' Dvalishvili. In addition, prolific fighters such as Irene Aldana, Holly Holm, Ketlen Vieira, and Julianna Pena carry the women's division.
We have used the official 2022 UFC bantamweight rankings by the Ultimate Fighting Championship website to bring you verified details of the number 1 UFC fighter right now. Meet the reigning male and female champions for the bantamweight weight class, Aljamain Sterling and Amanda Nunes.
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Aljamain Sterling
Aljamain Sterling is a renowned wrestling champion whose career began at Uniondale High School in 2004, which helped him to escape a life of crime. Since then, the Funk Master's martial arts skills have propelled him to win several titles, including the 2011 Ring of Combat: Bantamweight Championship, CFFC Bantamweight Championship (2011-2013), and the UFC Bantamweight Championship (2021 to date).
Amanda Nunes
Who is the UFC women's champion of 2022? Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter Amanda Lourenço Nunes holds the championship title for the bantamweight, the featherweight categories and the pound-for-pound top rank. Nunes's record includes 21 wins with an impressive 12-win streak record, one of the longest winning streaks in the UFC.
The top 5 male bantamweight boxers in the world
Who is the best bantamweight fighter in the world? UFC bantamweight rankings confirm that Dominick Cruz is one of the best bantamweight fighters of all time. According to Fightmatrix, the Dominator takes first place among the best fighters of all time with a 24-4-0 record and 7753 points.
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5. T.J. Dillashaw
What type of a fighter is T.J. Dillashaw? Dillashaw is known for his Muay Thai wrestling style and has won two bantamweight championship titles. T.F. Dillashaw has the most knockouts in bantamweight UFC.
4. Marlon Vera
Vera has fought to the top of the rankings with the magnificent flair of a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt holder. The Ecuadorian fighter currently holds a 20-7-1 record and a four-fight win streak.
3. Petr Yan
Has Petr Yan lost any fights in the UFC? Petr 'No Mercy' Yan lost the last three of his four matches since his 6th March 2021 bout against Aljamain Sterling. Despite this, he is ranked third in the bantamweight division with a 16-4-0 record with three first-round finishes.
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2. Merab Dvalishvili
The Machine and his freestyle fighting style currently boast an eight-fight winning streak that he hopes will continue. The Machine holds a 15-4-0 record with three knockout wins and one win by submission.
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1. Sean O'Malley
The first place in the 2022 rankings for the best fighter goes to Sean Sugar O'Malley. Sugar spoke to the media following doubts over the victory in his latest match against Petr Yan. He said,
“I knew it was a close fight and everyone was like, ‘Oh, Sean is even surprised he won.’ And I don’t really know where they got that from. I was just being in the moment. I always close my eyes after every fight. When you close your eyes, you can really feel more and be more in the moment. Then they announced my name and I smiled. I don’t know where they’re getting this narrative, like, ‘Oh, he was even surprised he won.’”
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UFC ranking for top male bantamweight fighters
Athlete's name | W-L-D | Wins by knockout | Wins by submission | Wins by decision |
Cory Sandhagen | 15-4-0 | 7 | 3 | - |
Rob Font | 19-6-0 | 8 | 4 | - |
Dominick Cruz | 24-4-0 | 7 | 1 | - |
Yadong Song | 19-7-1 | 8 | 3 | - |
Pedro Munhoz | 19-7-0 | 5 | 8 | - |
Ricky Simon | 20-3-0 | 6 | 4 | - |
Umar Nurmagomedov | 15-0-0 | 7 | - | - |
Chris Gutierrez | 18-3-2 | 9 | 8 | - |
Adrian Yanez | 16-3-0 | 10 | - | - |
Jack Shore | 16-1-0 | 4 | 8 | - |
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The top 5 women's bantamweight rankings
The bantamweight category carries some of the best female UFC fighters in 2022. These include Raquel Pennington, the record holder for most fights in the division (15) and significant strikes landed (841), Irene Aldana, Holly Holm, Ketlen Vieira and ESPN's 2021 Female Fighter of the Year award holder, Julianna Pena.
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UFC women's bantamweight rankings of 2022
Athlete's name | W-L-D | Wins by knockout | Wins by submission | Wins by decision |
Yana Kunitskaya | 14-6-0 | 7 | 1 | 6 |
Pannie Kianzad | 17-6-0 | 3 | - | - |
Macy Chiasson | 9-2-0 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
Karol Rosa | 16-4-0 | 4 | 2 | - |
Miesha Tate | 19-9-0 | 4 | 7 | - |
Julia Avila | 9-2-0 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
Lina Lansberg | 10-7-0 | 4 | - | - |
Norma Dumont | 7-2-0 | 2 | - | - |
Mayra Bueno Silva | 9-2-1 | 1 | 5 | - |
Josiane Nunes | 9-1-0 | 7 | - | 1 |
Which female has the best UFC record?
Amanda Nunes, better known as The Lioness, undoubtedly tops almost all UFC's bantamweight rankings in history. Her record for the most wins (15) has been immortalised in the Guinness World Records. Regarded as the goat of women's UFC, Nunes stunned the world in 2016 when she defeated one of the most famous female fighters, Ronda Rousey, in 48 seconds, sealing her position at the top of the game.
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After a defeating silence, the defeated action star released a statement to her fans announcing her retirement. She said,
“Returning to fighting and winning was my entire focus this past year. However, sometimes — even when you prepare and give everything you have and want something so badly — it does not work how you planned. I take pride in seeing how far the women’s division has come in the UFC and commend all the women who have made this possible, including Amanda.
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Impressive athletes in both male and female categories dominated the 2022 UFC bantamweight rankings. For example, athletes like Nunes and Sterling hold several sports records. In addition, despite retiring, former fighting champion Ronda Rousey was named in Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White's top all-time list.
READ ALSO: UFC lightweight rankings: Who is the best lightweight fighter?
Sportsbrief.com recently published an article on some highly ranked lightweight UFC boxers. The report covers the sport's top 10 greatest competitors and most prominent stars, including the number one lightweight UFC fighter and multiple title holder, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
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Fighters such as Sean Sherk, Eddie Alvarez, and Connor McGregor have distinguished themselves as the best boxers in their category. Find out more about the greatest UFC athletes in the lightweight class by clicking on the link above.
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