Consensus Rankings:   Official  |  Member Designed  |  This Ranking Updated 1 month, 3 weeks ago  |  All By WestenShelton

1. 1

   

   Merab Dvalishvili

   "The Machine"

   17-4-0

   Top tier wrestler. Absolutely relentless, cardio through the roof, and he can hold his own standing though he may not be elite there. Once he gets guys down it is very tough for them to get up. he almost got KO'd standing, so some vulnerability, but once hes got his wrestling going, hes unstoppable.
   
   -super weird fight vs. Aldo. He could not take him down, but was able to keep him against the cage most of the fight. His cardio was insane, at elevation, and Aldo didn't do much. Might have been a different fight in Vegas, but his cardio can definitely win him fights. I'm just less sold on his wrestling being unstoppable now.
   
   -Showed vs. Yan that he is the real deal. He is the cardio king, plus strong as hell which is rare. His stand up looks better than ever, and his constant pressure makes him tough to stop. He is a total dawg, and seems like the clear best in the division right now.
   

2. 2

   

   Sean O'Malley

   "Suga"

   18-1-0, 1 NC

   Sean is LONG for a bantamweight, huge reach advantage over anyone. I only saw his stand up, but his accuracy is incredible. Dude looks like a future champ. To be fair, he was not fighting a great fighter when I saw him, would be interested to see him tested.
   
   -Vs. Paiva, O'Malley showed off once again how insane his accuracy and power are. He is so tough to beat standing. Once again, his opponent wasn't the absolute best, so it's tough to judge him fully, but the raw tools are there easily.
   
   -Weird fight vs. Munhoz. He just couldn't get in close and took a fair bit of leg kicks. I still think he is more skilled, but it was definitely concerning that someone just staying away and leg kicking was so puzzling for him.
   
   -Had a much better performance vs. Petr Yan. He showed he can stand with anyone. He doesn't work the body or legs enough, so he can get predictable, but great length and speed standing, pretty accurate, and he showed decent, though not perfect, get up game and takedown defense. Enough where I doubt he gets controlled consistently. About the only guy to wrestle him is Yan who doesn't usually do that though, so I'd be curious to see him against stronger wrestlers, but he deserves respect for sure.
   
   -Knocked out Aljo. Showed that he is elite standing, and the defensive grappling seems to be getting better.
   

3. 3

   

   Petr Yan

   "No Mercy"

   17-5-0

   -Elite. Best stand up striker in the division, well rounded, not sure if anyone in this division can beat him. 5 round fights are to his advantage because he learns and adapts as fights go on.
   
   -Interesting fight vs. O Malley. He outstruck him, and used some wrestling to IMO win, but he did struggle with the length, and got tagged more than I've seen. 3 round fights can put him at a big disadvantage because he really takes a bit in R1. Still one of the best stand up fighters in the division, but he has enough holes where he isn't unbeatable.
   
   -Tough loss vs. Merab. He couldn't deal with the pressure from Merab, and some of the wrestling. He is still very skilled and technical, but Merab seems to just be that good.
   

4. 4

   

   Yadong Song

   "Kung Fu Kid"

   21-8-1, 1 NC

   Killer stand up guy. Fast, focused, disciplined. And solid and defensive. And still very young
   
   -Beat the hell out of Julio Arce. His strikes are so explosive it's ridiculous. I continue to have him ranked higher than his actual rank because he looks so damn good in there. Still haven't seemed him tested with wrestling, but he is right up there with almost anyone standing, and he is still so young. His patience and fight IQ is especially impressive given his age, and that power like his can easily be intoxicating for many fighters.
   
   -Another insanely good performance vs. Marlon Moraes. He has power, he has speed, he is incredible. I haven't seen him face a lot of wrestling, but in a stand up war, I probably have him over just about anyone.
   
   -Honestly might have been beating Sandhagen early, but got cut by an elbow, and that changed the fight. He showed good takedown defense and grappling, and man he is powerful. Only 24, he is a future champ IMO. But still a bit more growth to do.
   
   -Insanely impressive performance vs. Simon. He is so crisp standing, has power, athleticism, and his defensive grappling was excellent. Not many holes. He might be getting better, and the cut probably hurt him vs. Sandhagen.
   
   -Beat Gutierrez. Had to rely on wrestling. Couldn't really get through standing. But the wrestling is an interesting addition to his skillset.
   

5. 5

   

   Patchy Mix

   "No Love"

   19-1-0

   Extremely skilled ground technician. Very good grappler, and can stand a bit too. Known for his guillotines. Bellator.
   
   -vs. Horiguchi, he still isn't top tier standing, but his grappling is absolutely elite. Once he gets a hold, he cannot be escaped from. Has some Aljo Lite vibes.
   
   -Amazing performance vs. Magomed. His stand up remains not bad (though, not much movement).. But the grappling is incredible. His size for this division is a nice edge too.
   
   -Knocked out Stots with a nasty knee. He uses his size well, and he is big for this division. His stand up doesn't look as technical, but he seems to be able to use it well enough to get most fights to the ground, and he is seemingly unstoppable on the ground.
   
   -Another awesome win vs, Pettis. His wrestling was solid, and then he always manages to get to the finish. All the people above him have absolutely elite stand up, and I think thats the only way to beat him.
   

6. 6

   

   Aljamain Sterling

   "Funk Master"

   24-4-0

   Elite BJJ guy. When he gets your back, there is no escape. Has passable stand up to get to those moments but not elite. Very close fight vs. Yan, I think Yan wins the rematch but Sterling is very good.
   
   -He absolutely handled TJ dillashaw. Dilla came in hurt, but he took care of business in every way. He is good enough standing, and the grappling is top tier.
   
   -Vs. Cejudo, he utilized his reach to pepper Cejudo with some damage. Wasn't able to do much in the grappling department, but was able to avoid getting put on the ground for very long. Hes just good enough at everything. And he has great reach and size.
   
   -Lost vs. O Malley. Got caught. Was on his way to grinding out another victory early, but he does leave small openings. Still very well rounded and skilled, but theres also several openings in his stand up game, and he does rely on his size edges a lot.
   

7. 7

   

   José Aldo

   "Junior"

   31-8-0

   Not unstoppable like the old days, but still a supremely talented stand up fighter, who can pick away at you and keep things standing. Still well rounded, solid defense, just not quite as elite anymore.
   
   -Aldo showed how much he still has vs Rob Font. Got touched by the jab early, but then found his range and timing, and just landed a bunch of brutal counter attacks, could wrestle still too, he is just so well rounded. I still think he is a step below the best, but he has my respect still, and can probably still beat almost anyone except Yan.
   
   -vs. Merab, he just didn't do much. Did an amazing job stopping takedowns, but didn't throw much. Fight was at elevation which may have been an issue.
   

8. 8

   

   Umar Nurmagomedov

   17-0-0

   Had an excellent performance vs. Nate Maness. Showed his daginstain skills, but he also has some really nice kicks in particular standing. His opponents are so worried about takedowns, it makes him tough to stop standing too. Very good prospect.
   
   -Crazy win vs. Raoni Barcelos. He likes to stand and he just looks so explosive standing. He is an athlete, but then he still has the wrestling. He might be even better than this, but I still just need to see him fight better guys. Unfortunately a lot of guys are saying no to fighting him.
   

9. 9

   

   Henry Cejudo

   "Triple C"

   16-4-0

   Lost vs. Sterling in a competitive fight. His size feels slightly detrimental at this division. But he still has top tier wrestling, and pretty good stand up.
   

10. 10

    

    Cory Sandhagen

    "Sandman"

    17-4-0

    Long, impressive stand up fighter. Landed some nice blows on Dillishaw, and his defense, avoiding the ground was great. Tried a lot of wild ****. Great defense. Maybe could go for more leg kicks and body blows. Liked him a lot. Against Yan he showed he still has plenty of holes standing however, but he is one step short of being the best.
    
    -Had a great performance vs. Song Yadong. Might have been outclassed early, but he landed a great elbow that cut Song open, which basically changed the fight. Showed good grappling. Takedowns weren't super effective, but it's clear he is still getting better. Has all the skills. Isn't quite as powerful standing, but the elbows are a game changer,
    
    
    -Beat Vera pretty easily. Technical stand up movement, decent volume, and most importantly, good wrestling and GNP. He is a tough out, but seems a solid step below the best.
    
    -He apparently hurt himself, so just wrestled vs. Font, but dominated him with the wrestling. He is really well rounded and good, but I have felt like this talented division is getting to his level though.
    

11+

11. 11

    

    Deiveson Figueiredo

    "Deus da Guerra"  |  23-3-1

    Beat Rob Font nicely. He still might be a bit small for this division, but he has all the skills. Slick stand up, still has power, and he can mix in wrestling. Definitely interested in seeing more at this division.
    

12. 12

    

    Marlon Vera

    "Chito"  |  23-9-1

    Very good stand up fighter, has power, kicks and punches. When he gets taken down, he can do damage from the ground, but I also wasn't mega impressed with his takedown defense, he can get taken down with his kicks. Could leave some tough decisions to judges who don't respect working from the back enough, but he is definitely very good and finishes alot of fights.
    
    -More of the same vs. Font. It's concerning how many strikes he will take in a fight, but his chin is insane. And he has power and excellent kicks. Hes very good, but his style doesn't feel like it'll work vs. fighters with elite power.
    
    -More of the same. Got taken down a few times by Cruz but avoided damage and even tried a submission. Got outstruck in every round, badly in some, but landed all the big ones, including a nasty KO. He is always dangerous, but I still question him vs. the absolute best because of the volume. 5 rounds is probably ideal for him too.
    
    -Had a tough time with Sandhagen. It's just the same issue, he doesn't have enough volume. And he got taken down several times again. He has serious holes, but lots of talent. Needs to change his mindset a bit.
    
    -Nice performance vs. Munhoz. He put out some nice volume for him, Wasn't dominant, but great jab and boxing work overall.
    

13. 13

    

    T.J. Dillashaw

    17-5-0

    Had been out of UFC for a bit after failing a drug test. Extremely well rounded fighter. Diversified his strikes a lot, lots of leg kicks, take downs, some ground and pound. Struggled a bit with the length of Sandhagen, but proved he is a top tier guy still. Barely survived Sandhagen though, and I'm not sure how I'd bet in a rematch.
    
    -Lost badly to Aljo. He came in with a ****** up shoulder, and I'm worried about his age + the long term damage at such a tough and competitive division. I'm not counting him out once he is healthy, but I have concerns.
    

14. 14

    

    Dominick Cruz

    "The Dominator"  |  24-4-0

    Former champ, considered the greatest bantamweight ever. Against Munhoz he showed why. He got rocked in the first round, but adjusted well, and cleaned up on the feet in rounds 2 and 3. I assume he is well rounded, but didn't get to see anything besides stand up and some clinch here. His adjustments, smarts, and technical stand up ability are very valuable.
    
    -More of the same vs. Vera. His movement is so unique it throws people off, but 3 rounds are probably ideal because of it. Used wrestling in spots. Had great striking, but got caught a few times by Vera, and was eventually taken out, but still very good.
    

15. 15

    

    Ricky Simón

    20-5-0

    Excellent wrestler and grappler. Polished stand up as well, with some power. Seems well rounded and good at everything, though I'd say more comfortable wrestling over standing. I'm not sure if any of his game is at the very top echelon of the division, but it is all upper tier for sure.
    
    -More of the same vs. Jack Shore. Showed tenacious wrestling, though he couldn't do tons with it. Has nice power in his hands and grappling as well. Just a really solid fighter. Definitely not as elite standing as some of the best in the division.
    
    -Lost vs. Song, he just isn't on that level standing, but still has tons of skills.
    

16. 16

    

    Demetrious Johnson

    "Mighty Mouse"  |  25-4-1

    Incredible fighter. Serious skills in all regards, stand up, wrestling, BJJ. Was losing early due to getting out wrestled, but kept it standing and knocked out Moraes from there. He might be the most skilled fighter in MMA, but since he is currently fighting at 135, it is an issue that he is clearly a small 125er even.
    

17. 17

    

    Raufeon Stots

    "Supa"  |  20-2-0

    Bellator interim champ. Had a bit of everything, some nice stand up, wrestling. Can stop takedowns. Just very well rounded and good.
    
    -Won vs. Sabatello. Hedid a good job overall stopping takedowns, but he showed his well rounded skills once again. Very solid, athletic fighter.
    
    -Lost vs. Mix. Got knocked out. One criticism I have is he doesn't seem to have tons of power in his hands usually, which can make some of the more powerful guys willing to take one to give one.
    
    -Beat Sabaetello again. More of the same. He is well rounded. Wasn't dominant, but no serious weaknesses besides maybe takedown D.
    

18. 18

    

    Javid Basharat

    "The Snow Leopard"  |  14-1-0, 1 NC

    Crazy impressive performance on DWCS. Showcased good stand up chops, takedowns, ground work, and he finishes all his wins. He looked like the real deal, and he took out a guy I thought was decently tough and mostly made it look easy.
    
    -Looked good again vs. trevin Jones. His stand up is extremely crisp. Lands good shots, though his power didn't look amazing, but this is the first fight he didn't finish. He did get tagged a few times as well, but he is smart and talented standing. Showed a bit of takedown defense too.
    
    -Had an excellent performance vs. Tony Gravely. Once again showed great takedown defense, showed some wrestling and grappling of his own, and then is just so technical and crisp standing. He has all the skills needed to be great. Top tier cardio too.
    
    -Once again, has all the skills, great elusiveness. I do wonder if his lack of power hurts him down the road, but he has tons of talent.
    
    -Was in a close first round with Henry, and then it ended on a low blow. He looks solid standing, but he isn't wowing me in that realm compared to the very best.
    

19. 19

    

    Sergio Pettis

    "The Phenom"  |  23-6-0

    Bellator champ. Beat Horiguchi with a crazy spinning back fast, but was getting beat badly before that. Seemed hesitant standing, has well rounded offense and defense, but this is a deep division, and I think he loses to a lot of UFC guys.
    
    -Beat Pitbull. He looked very solid standing, pretty crisp boxing, and had good defense all around. Throws out the spinning stuff tactically too. Bellator champ.
    
    -Lost to Mix. Was taken down and finished, but the stand up did look very crisp before that, and Mix is very good. Very talented.
    

20. 20

    

    Rob Font

    20-8-0

    Great stand up fighter. Relies heavily on the jab, which can make it tough for opponents to get started and can win him a lot of fights on points. His power probably wasn't enough to scare off the most elite chin/stand up guys, which gave him issues vs. Aldo. He is well rounded and tough, but still far from the top tier.
    
    -More of the same vs. Vera. Had insane volume, but wasn't hurting Vera enough, because Vera has such a good chin. Vera was able to hurt Font badly multiple times. Still very good, but power vs. the best is an issue given his style. Also did 1 takedown but couldn't keep it for long.
    
    -Did great vs. Yanez. Got hit a bit early, but he has a chin, and showed power I hadn't really seen yet. Still very technical, high output guy, not an easy out.
    
    -Lost pretty badly to Sandhagen. Just couldn't stop the takedowns at all, and couldn't get up either.
    
    -Lost to figueirdo. Takedown D wasn't perfect, and he got hit by power shots each round. He is still solid, but this feels like his ceiling.
    

21. 21

    

    Pedro Munhoz

    "The Young Punisher"  |  20-9-0, 2 NC

    Vicious power. He rocked Dom Cruz and I thought he could have finished it. But as the fight went on, his stand up got a bit exposed for how wild it is, and he had problems coming up with different answers. Interesting fighter, but does seem a little too highly ranked by UFC currently.
    
    -Fight with O Malley ended early because of an eye poke. He didn't look incredible before that, but he was smart. Stayed at range and pretty much exclusively leg kicked him. It was a close fight, I kind of think he would have lost, but tough to say.
    
    -Sneaked out a win over Gutierrez. Still has power. Very patient and defensively sound. Not overwhelming, but a tough out for anyone.
    
    -More of the same vs. Vera. He put up a solid fight, had good volume, but just wasn't quite on Vera's level.
    

22. 22

    

    Chris Gutierrez

    "El Guapo"  |  20-5-2

    Extremely skilled stand up fighter. Not as explosive as some others, I think he is a little too famous for leg kicks, and got into them too much, but his striking is actually quite disciplined. Has some wrestling ability, and good defensive abilities all around. Strong fighter, though seemed a touch away from the top tier.
    
    -Looked crisp standing vs. Batgarel. Nice evasiveness and did a good job mixing up strikes. Won with a spinning backfist. Very good fighter.
    
    -Had an incredible performance vs. Edgar. He crushed him, and I still think Edgar has serious skills even in older age. Great, technical stand up, and power. He has serious ability.
    
    -Lost vs. Munhoz, but it was close. Got cracked once, and then just didn't do any big combos from there. His lack of power outside of spinning stuff was kind of an issue, but still very technical and well rounded.
    
    -Dominated Alatangheili. Stayed at range perfectly. Mostly avoided takedowns, and hammered the leg kicks.
    
    -Showed how dangerous he can be standing vs. Song, had Song go to wrestling instead. But also, his takedown D just didn't hold up vs. Song.
    

23. 23

    

    Adriano Moraes

    "Mikinho"  |  20-5-0

    ONE champ. BJJ black belt. Good cardio, good movement standing, but he is not elite there. Had some issues getting takedowns vs. yuyu but eventually caught him in a submission. Solid fighter.
    
    -Lost to DJ. Looked pretty good before that, wrestling and grappling and stand up were all on point, but he began to get outclassed standing by DJ as the fight went on. Still very good.
    

24. 24

    

    Yuya Wakamatsu

    "Little Piranha"  |  17-6-0

    Very good fighter in ONE. Stand up was excellent and polished, and he busted out a lot of wrestling too. Didn't do tons of damage down there, but could control, and I imagine he can stay standing as needed.
    
    -Showed suprising wrestling and takedown defense vs. Moraes. Looked solid standing, if a bit overly defensive. He is probably winning vs. Moraes before being caught in a guillotine.
    

25. 25

    

    Said Nurmagomedov

    18-3-0

    His fight vs. Staaman only lasted a minute, but amazingly, he showed a bit of everything in that minute. He looked comfortable standing, reversed a takedown, and then grappled into a killer submission. Incredible performance against a pretty good fighter.
    
    -Tougher fight vs. De Andrade. He wasn't able to do tons with his boxing or grappling, but his kicks are still excellent, and the grappling is still solid. Tough test for anyone, but I think the best stand up fights should be able to best him.
    
    -Won vs. Kakhramanov but it was a tougher performance. Was on his heels all fight and got taken down several times. Stand up exchanges were close, but man he is good at getting guillotines and always being a submission threat. Dangerous, but I see the vulnerabilities.
    
    -Lost vs. Jonathan Martinez, but I thought he won. Showed a bit of everything, the kicks especially, and good grappling and wrestling again. He broke his nose early which seemed to affect his cardio a bit. He looked pretty good overall, but it was a close fight. He just isn't as dominant as you'd think for the skillset.
    

26. 26

    

    Marcus McGhee

    "The Maniac"  |  9-1-0

    He hasn't taken out great dudes, so I might be overrating him, but I really like this dude. He looks so crisp standing, tons of power. Seems smart/ high fight IQ. Very promising guy.
    

27. 27

    

    Cody Garbrandt

    "No Love"  |  14-6-0

    Beat Trevin Jones pretty easily. He showed how athletic and skilled he is, but his chin still seems to be a concern, and he fought a very tepid fight clearly nervous about getting hit. Still has championship level skills, has wrestling too, but the chin is a problem.
    
    -Great performance vs. Kelleher. He absolutely dominated him standing, but I don't think Kell is very good. At least, I think I underrated him a bit.
    

28. 28

    

    Mario Bautista

    14-2-0

    Pretty well rounded fighter. Looked pretty crisp standing, had some wrestling, and he is really a beast in the clinch. Got taken down kind of easily once but got up immediately. Seemed like he had power too. Really solid.
    
    -Had an excellent performance vs. Brian Kelleher. He took him down quickly and showed top tier grappling before getting to a submission. Very solid prospect.
    
    -Amazing performance vs. Benito Lopez. He looked scary standing, lots of power, polished, and his wrestling and grappling are looking great now too. I could be underrating him, but I just haven't seen him beat anyone great yet, most of the people he has beaten in his streak I have rated pretty low. But he clearly has tons of potential and is likely getting better.
    
    -Dominated Guido. His wrestling looked good. Taken down again, but once again got up immediately. Grappling is top notch. Definitely an athlete. Great prospect.
    
    -Picked up a close win vs. Blackshear. He might have lost if Blackshear wasn't fighting twice in 7 days. He is well roudned, but the stand up wasn't super high level vs. a good foe. And he was taken down early, but his cardio powered him though.
    

29. 29

    

    Douglas Silva de Andrade

    "D'Silva"  |  29-5-0, 1 NC

    Tough fighter. Super ripped. Stand up is a bit looping, but serious power when he lands. Wrestling and grappling as well. All around good fighter. He also took some serious blows (which shows some of his holes, but also his chin as he kept going).
    
    -Lost to a big time prospect in Said Nurma. But it was a pretty close fight, and he had some nice moments, and was able to avoid damage. Still a bit wild, and maybe shorter than others, but even at 37 he is tough as hell.
    
    -Beat Stamann in a close one. Was just a bit more active. Took the biggest shot of the fight though, and showed this is probably a pretty accurate ranking.
    

30. 30

    

    Cody Stamann

    "The Spartan"  |  21-6-1

    He got annihilated in his fight vs. Said. Beat in pretty much every regard and it only lasted a minute. He has an OK track record, so I still felt like I needed to rank him decently.
    
    -Showed his stand up power vs. Wineland. Absolutely lit him up in about a minute. Still have not seen him in the cage for more than a round total.
    
    -Had a nice stand up performance vs. a debuting Lacerda. Cody is a total athlete, very crisp stand up, and ground skills seem solid enough. My only concern is his activity levels weren't always great.
    
    -Same issue vs. De Andrade. He looks really good, but the activity was pretty lackluster, so he lost the first 2 rounds. Apparently he will only be fighting at FW going forward.
    

31. 31

    

    Kyler Phillips

    "The Matrix"  |  12-2-0

    Had some impressive stand up early but ran out of steam. Survived on the ground, but wasn't able to string much offense down there, seemed to mostly use top position as an excuse to rest. Solid guy, but has to work on cardio
    
    -vs. Rojo he looked pretty skilled. Good stand up, though a bit wild. Very active, and showed more of his wrestling. Great at working a diverse array of strikes. Showed submission ability too. His cardio also seemed much better this time around.
    
    -Nice performance vs/ Raoni Barcelos. Mostly handled him. Good stand up, very active, and the grappling was strong defensively. Looks solid, and the cardio has seemed way better since his loss.
    

32. 32

    

    Jonathan Martinez

    "Dragon"  |  19-4-0

    Had a pretty solid performance vs. Vince Morales. Didn't blow me away, but he was technical, avoided damage well, landed a nice diverse array of shots, very good leg kicks in particular. Even landed a takedown near the end. He is solid.
    
    -Solid performance vs. Cub Swanson. Showed some wrestling and grappling, and solid stand up, though he didn't blow me away. Won with leg kicks. He works every part of the striking game which makes him dangerous, and mostly avoided big shots. Solid.
    
    -Picked up a nice win vs. Said Nurma, though I had him losing. Stand up has nice speed, he has nice size. His grappling looked strong. Had a nice moment off his back too. He did get outstruck though, it was a very close fight, but he clearly has very well roudned skills.
    
    -Beat Yanez with a bunch of nasty leg kicks. That was about all he had to use to win. Im still not totally wowed by his boxing, but he is a smart, technical fighter
    

33. 33

    

    Daniel Marcos

    "Soncora"  |  15-0-0, 1 NC

    DWCS winner. Nice, long stand up fighter, who knows how to use that length. Good front kicks in particular. He put out high volume, but got very tired. Did OK with takedown defense. Didn't stay down for long at least. Need to see him tested vs. better wrestlers, and the cardio tested more, but the stand up is very solid.
    
    -Looked fantastic vs. Oliveira. Had nice takedown defense, then looked super crisp standing, great hand speed. Only went into R2 but his opponent got tired and not hs
    
    -Close win vs. Davey Grant. I thought he landed the cleaner stuff, and was a bit more technical, but he could have lost with the output difference. The lack of activity is a bit concerning, but he clearly has tons of talent.
    

34. 34

    

    Farid Basharat

    "Ferocious"  |  12-0-0

    Won on DWCS. He is younger than his brother Jahvid, has less fights on his record, but man he looks eerily similar as you might expect. Technical stand up, wrestling, great submission D, good GNP. He has all the skills and is at least good at everything. Very dangerous fighter, and I will probably promote fast once he fights UFC foes.
    
    -More of the same vs. Damon Blackshear. He wasn't able to do tons of damage vs him, and the lack of power had him in danger a few times, but he is super smart and always survived. I like him still, but the Blackshear fight seemed to show his current ceiling.
    
    -Nice win vs. Basharat. The wrestling and grappling remain strong. His stand up isn't awesome from what I've seen but it is fine. He likely had a nice size edge, since his opponent was a former flyweight
    

35. 35

    

    John Castañeda

    "Sexi Mexi"  |  21-6-0

    Polished stand up fighter. Some wrestling and grappling too. Excellent cardio. Just a very smart performance from him vs. Miles John.
    
    -Had one hell of a first round vs. Daniel Santos, dropped him multiple times, though he did get a little overwhelmed by his pressure in moments. After going for a finish, he seemed to gas, and just couldn't recover in round 2. Showed nice grappling. I still think he is quite good, but Santos was just too tough.
    
    -Beat Majin. It was a close fight. he is definitely technical standing, showed some wrestling again too. Landed one nice power shot, but was on his heels a lot too. He definitely has well rounded skills, but it also feels like something is missing.
    
    -Nice win vs. Kang. He really is looking well rounded and nice. Solid performance.
    

36. 36

    

    Adrian Yanez

    16-5-0

    Seemed like a very talented stand up fighter. Got killed with jabs by the longer Costa early, but he survived, then his power and technique took over Didn't do much on the ground. Strikes seem undisciplined and wide, but powerful.
    
    Yanez really showcased his boxing vs Davey Grant. Still vulnerable to getting hit a bit too much, but he is clinical with his jab. Still doesn't seem well rounded enough to enter the true upper echelon, but I gained some respect for him.
    
    -Another nice performance vs. Tony Kelley. He took a few to get going again, but once he did he was pretty electric. Nice body shots and power. Hand speed is excellent. KO'd Kelley.
    
    -Looked pretty good early vs. Rob Font, but then got tagged and taken out. Still young and can improve. The boxing still is good and the hand speed is great.
    
    -Got leg kick'd into oblivion by Jmart. Just not good enough at checking those. He clearly has a few holes.
    

37. 37

    

    Danny Sabatello

    "The Italian Gangster"  |  14-4-0

    Bellator. Absolutely relentless wrestler. Nice GNP. Willing to use elbows and attempt submissions. Doesn't look as comfortable standing, but he doesn't necessarily need to. Really promising prospect.
    
    -vs. a better opponent in Higo, Sabatello was still able to win pretty easily but his holes became way more obvious. He really just has wrestling, and his GNP isn't that good vs really good grapplers. He is not great standing at all. A good defensive wrestler should be able to handle him. But his cardio is definitely top tier and he is a threat.
    
    -Very difficult fighter to rank. The wrestling is great, but he does next to no damage with it. So the judges play a big role in his wins, but I'm not sure if theres many people he can't take down and lay on. But he just isn't good at anything else.
    
    -Nice win vs. Breno. Did way more with his takedowns, tried to do damage, and it led to a finish. Still doesn't look good standing, but he is relentless.
    
    -Lost again vs. Stots. Did a little better with doing damage, but got worse at it every round. Great wrestling and cardio, but not well rounded.
    

38. 38

    

    Montel Jackson

    "Quik"  |  13-2-0

    Impressive vs. Julio Arce. He was very inactive. He tried to wrestle, to not tons of success, but he held up well enough grappling. And his stand up, despite the inactivity, was really dominant. He has a killer jab, nice hand speed, very sound defensively. His opponent wasn't super active either, maybe out of fear of the counter. But has a real skillset for sure.
    
    -Took out Rani Ya pretty easily. Did a great job vs. the takedown, and landed a great counter to finish it fast. Smart, athletic, tough out. But still hasn't had a performance that has totally blown me away vs. a good opponent.
    

39. 39

    

    Marcos Breno

    15-3-0

    vs. Josh Hill he really impressed me. Excellent speed and accuracy standing vs. Josh Hill. Got hit a few times, but had a great chin too. Showed off some wrestling too. Did get reversed on one attempt though. Only 24. Very exciting prospect.
    
    -Losy vs. Sabatello. Just couldn't deal with the wrestling barrage and got submitted. Showed some good stuff standing, and did have moments, but Sabatello is good.
    

40. 40

    

    Davey Grant

    "Dangerous"  |  13-7-0

    Pretty well rounded, experienced fighter. Has power, has some wrestling. Decent kicks. But he also loads up way too much for all his punches, which opens him up to the jab in particular. He is dangerous as his nickname states though.
    
    -more of the same vs. Smolka. He kind of gassed himself with his insane volume, but was able to finish him in the 3rd. Very good fighter, but also just a bit wild.
    
    -Nice win vs. Assuncao. It was a close fight. He looked pretty solid standing, though got countered a bit easily. Has some power. Takedown D wasn't perfect, but he had some really tricky BJJ. Interesting fighter.
    
    -Lost vs. Marcos but it was very close. He put out nice activity, but didn't hit much big stuff. Still well rounded and solid.
    

41. 41

    

    Raphael Assunção

    27-10-0

    39 years old. He was an elite fighter, and still probably has some of those skills, but they don't show when he is facing top tier guys anymore.
    
    -Had an excellent performance vs. Victor Henry. Beautiful counters, vet savvy, some wrestling and GNP. All around good performance. He is still solid, even at 40.
    
    -Lost to Davey Grant and retired. Had a pretty decent performance. Showed some good wrestling, and his counters are strong. He just seemed to wear down at the end.
    

42. 42

    

    Victor Henry

    "La Mangosta"  |  23-6-0, 1 NC

    Experienced vet, but made his UFC debut vs. Raoni Barcelos. Looked very crisp, great stand up, crisp boxing in particular. Great at keeping it standing vs. takedown attempts. Not tons of power, but he is very good.
    
    -Tough fight vs. Raphael Assuncao. I think it was a very bad stylistic matchup for him, he got countered a lot. Mostly kept it standing, but occasionally got wrestled. The lack of power could be a problem in spots, I still think he will do well in a lot of stand up fights, but maybe not vs. a counter fighter.
    
    -Close win vs. Gravely. His cardio, activity, and technical ability are all very good. Takedown D and grappling were solid. I still thought the lack of power was his main weakness.
    
    -Was in a close round 1 with javid, and then it ended on a low blow. More of the same, very solid.
    

43. 43

    

    Da'Mon Blackshear

    "Da Monster"  |  14-6-1

    Blackshear. But up a solid performance vs. Faris Basharat in a loss. Showed a bit of everything. Decent standing and grapling, had one sick submission attempt. But couldn't quite put it all together. The takedown D probably failed him most, but he honestly had a lot of promise.
    
    -Beat Luan Lacerda. Showed decent wrestling, defensive grappling and GNP. He landed standing, but his technique didn't wow me. Not many real combos and kind of wide punches, not tons of kicks. He is athletic and not an easy out though.
    
    -Nice win vs. Jose Johnson. His athleticism, wrestling, and grappling are quite good. Still not sure how well rounded he is, but he is very solid.
    
    -Lost vs. Bautista, but it was close. Fighting twice in 7 days may have cost him. Strong wrestling and grappling, very athletic, but he wore down a bit. Once again, probably the 2nd weight cut in 7 days fault.
    

44. 44

    

    Tony Gravely

    23-9-0

    Known for being a wrestler, but actually I liked his stand up. Generally good defense. Had a punch that probably would have KO'd Maness but it happened with 5 seconds left in round 1. H ewas also winning round 2 but just got caught. Solid dude.
    
    -Had a nice performance vs. Saimon Oliveira. Good wrestling, solid enough stand up, and good submission defensive. He doesn't blow you away but hes a very competent fighter all around.
    
    -Showcased his power with a real quick knock out of Munoz. He has a nice array of skills and is a tough guy in a very good division.
    
    -Lost to Javid Basharat, a very good fighter. Had some moments standing, but just showed he isn't on the technical level of the best stand up fighters. Couldn't do tons with his wrestling either. He is still good, but not on that level.
    
    -Lost a close fight vs. Victor Henry. His cardio was great, and stand up wasn't bad. He is just solid all around, but isnt incredible anywhere. Even the wrestling hasn't been too dominant from what I have seen.
    

45. 45

    

    Raoni Barcelos

    18-5-0

    Very good defensive fighter. Could not be taken down, and didn't get tagged, but very hesitant and could not produce much output. Kind of guy winning by points if he wins
    
    -Had a much different fight vs. Victor Henry. Was a very technical, active boxer. Had some wrestling but couldn't do much with it. Great activity and cardio, great chin, not tons of power though. Entertaining.
    
    -Had a nice, well rounded performance vs. Trevin Jones. Totally stymied him standing and with grappling. Very strong performance, he is very well rounded and good.
    
    -Got KO'd by Umar Numar. Umar looked elite, but he had 0 answers standing.
    
    -Lost vs. Barcelos. Was just a touch slower standing, and couldn't use his wrestling or grappling at all. Very tough out, but this feels like his ceiling at his age.
    

46. 46

    

    Kyung Ho Kang

    "Mr. Perfect"  |  19-10-0, 1 NC

    Pretty solid stand up fighter, good tight punches and kicks. Seemed to have OK stand up defense but couldn't stay standing vs. Rany Yahya.
    
    -Had a very nice, crisp stand up performance vs. Danaa. His jab is killer, he mixes in leg kicks well. Took him a round to really get going, bit he looked good. He did stop a takedown attempt, and also failed to land his own.
    
    -Nice win vs. Quinonez. He did get tagged a bit early, but has incredible composure, landed his own, and showed some awesome grappling. I really like his skillset.
    
    -Showed a lot of his holes vs. Castenada. He is too upright, he can get leg kicked too easy, can get taken down. He is talented, but has holes.
    

47. 47

    

    Juan Archuleta

    "Spaniard"  |  29-5-0

    Nice performance in Bellator vs. RIZIN. He is very well rounded, decent stand up, and some wrestling and grappling. Outside of maybe the wrestling, didn't strike me as totally elite at anything, he is 35 which is older for this division.
    

48. 48

    

    Frankie Edgar

    "The Answer"  |  24-11-1

    40 years old, which is very old for this division, but he is still very active on his feet, can land a lot of shots, and still has his wrestling. Maybe doesn't do a lot from GNP, but Edgar is probably going to be tough for anyone outside of the ranked opponents. He isn't as elite as he once was though obviously.
    
    Retired- got KO'd bad, but still had some ability at the end, chin maybe wasn't what it was anymore.
    

49. 49

    

    Julio Arce

    19-6-0

    Actually seemed pretty skilled. Decently elusive on his feet, some stand up game, but Song Yadong is just a monster and he couldn't compete.
    
    -vs. Danial Santos, he showed incredibly crisp stand up and a great gameplan. Very good, disciplined stand up fighter.
    
    -Arce got handled pretty solidly by Montel Jackson. He couldn't land much. Did show a very good guard with submission attempts, and good takedown defense, but offensively he couldn't put much together vs. a skilled defensive opponent.
    

50. 50

    

    Daniel Santos

    "Willycat"  |  11-2-0

    Aggressive stand up fighter. Maybe a little too predictable, but has some skills and decent cardio. Has more work to do with polishing/feinting, etc.
    
    -Lots of forward pressure vs. Sexi Mexi. Good grappling. Got rocked multiple times vs. Castenada early, but his chin and cardio were so good, he came back and won. The holes are concerning, but he definitely has skills.
    
    -Handled Johnny Munoz very nicely. Looked good standing, had great defense on submission attempts, and takedown D. Could be getting better.
    

51. 51

    

    Magomed Magomedov

    "Tiger"  |  20-3-0

    Didn't seem that great at wrestling for a dagistani fighter. But he was actually quite solid standing. Not amazing, maybe a little overly flashy, but very solid. I had him losing to Barzola, he was actually getting taken down a fair bit, but then he caught him in a guillotine. Definitely skilled, but not out of this world.
    
    -Lost to Patchy Mix. Wasn't that effective standing. Took him down a few times but got reversed every time. Has all around skills but still not blowing me away anywhere.
    

52. 52

    

    Cristian Quiñonez

    "Problema"  |  18-5-0

    Really used his length beautifully vs. Taha. Great jabs and range. Then landed a big shot to finish it. Very solid, but need to see more of him.
    
    -Lost vs. Kang. He looked nice standing early, but stayed in the pocket and got caught. Still think he is pretty good.
    

53. 53

    

    Pedro Falcão

    "Pedrinho"  |  16-4-0

    Very skilled ground fighter, has wrestling and is dangerous when he gets it to the ground. His only loss was because of a doctor stoppage. Not as dangerous standing, but he has the skills to win a lot of fights.
    

54. 54

    

    Taylor Lapilus

    "Double Impact"  |  19-4-0

    Won his UFC re-debut pretty clearly. He spent a lot of time fighting takedowns, and a fair bit of time on his back, but he didn't take much damage, and he is clearly pretty crisp standing, though not overwheling.
    

55. 55

    

    Batgerel Danaa

    "Storm"  |  12-5-0

    Very dangerous stand up fighter. Has power, technique, everything. Didn't see him tested in other ways, but seems like a big time prospect.
    
    -Lost to gutierrez with a spinning backfist. But had a pretty good performance before that. Aggressive, talented. Did wear down a bit as the fight went on.
    
    -Had a good first round vs. Ho Kang, but then kind of wore down and got figured out. He is very grounded when he throws, and I think he gets predictable, not great at checking leg kicks either. He is definitely explosive, but his current ceiling got a bit exposed vs. Ho kang.
    
    -Lost vs. Hiestand, but was dominating before. Showed nice takedown D and striking, did a lot of damage, but I think Hiestand's cardio just wore him out in the last minute of the fight. Still kind of a fluky loss, but the cardio can be a problem.
    

56. 56

    

    Christian Rodriguez

    "CeeRod"  |  11-1-0

    Bantamweight debut. Looked quite crisp standing, pretty patient, nice power, but then won with a submission off some grappling. His takedown defense doesn't seem great, he got taken down a few times and was taken down at other weight classes, so that is a hole, but he is good.
    
    -Got taken down early by Rosas Jr, but he got better as it went, smart gameplan. Still looks decent standing. He is still new, but pretty well rounded and solid.
    
    Another solid performance vs. Saaiman. He showed strong defensive grappling again, and countered well. Fit in some nice elbows. Smart, well rounded performance. Missed weight by a lot which is something to keep an eye on.
    

57. 57

    

    Aiemann Zahabi

    11-2-0

    Picked up a solid win vs. Turcios. He definitely wasn't overwhelming, but he is patient, and counters well. Showed a decent scramble at one point. Solid, but his inactivity could definitely hurt him vs. better fighters.
    
    -Took out Aori quick. It was too quick for me to really evaluate him more, but he is definitely high level standing.
    

58. 58

    

    Payton Talbott

    8-0-0

    Easy win vs. Aguirre in his official UFC debut. Very hyped and high level standing. He struggled with takedown defense in round 1, but woke up. Something to keep an eye on though.
    

59. 59

    

    Cameron Saaiman

    "MSP"  |  9-2-0

    Won with a nice KO on DWCS, but I wasn't sold on him. His stand up got a bit wild and predictable at times. But he definitely has power, as he won with a nice KO. He is only 21 so will get better. His cardio really benefited him here, as he just stayed in his opponents face and wore him down. Showed some defensive and offensive grappling. He is not bad but definitely need to see more.
    
    -Won his UFC debut vs. Koslow. His cardio and relentlessness are his biggest weapons right now. Was taken down a few times, but was able to reverse with big explosions. Not technical enough yet, but still young.
    
    -Great performance vs. Mana Martinez. He showed his relentless pace, nice flow from stand up to ground work. Did well vs. a polished stand up guy and he has constant activity. Still very young too. Good prospect.
    
    -Took care of Terrence Mitchell easily. Another nice reversal off a takedown. Excellent grappling and cardio. Still young and improving. He has a lot of promise.
    
    -Lost vs. Cee-Rod. He has tons of volume, but doesn't feint much, and wasn't quite on C-Rod's level standing. Still young and has promise I think the cardio and activity will win him a lot of fights.
    

60. 60

    

    Alatengheili Alateng

    "The Mongolian Knight"  |  16-9-2

    Apparently has a wrestling base, but came in looking to throw and absolutely lit up Croom. Nice power and accuracy. Need to see more and his opponent is not great. But he showed promise.
    
    -Very nice performance vs. Anheliger. Looked crisp and powerful standing. Showed a bit of wrestling too. Slowed down a little as the fight went on, but he seems very skilled.
    
    -He got handled hard by Gutierrez. Had no adjustments for his leg kicks. Tried some wrestling late, but it was too late at that point. He looked great against lesser foes, so maybe it was just a bad matchup
    

61. 61

    

    Brad Katona

    "Superman"  |  13-3-0

    Hell of a fight vs. Cody Gibson. He isn't as big as some in this division, but he is solid standing, and his cardio is insane. Very skilled, very tough, dawg. Did get hit a lot by Gibson, but I liked what I saw a lot.
    

62. 62

    

    Aoriqileng

    "The Mongolian Murderer"  |  25-11-0, 1 NC

    Showed nice stand up for his first time at 135. Nice power, works the body, and showed a bit of takedown defense. Need to see him vs. better fighters, but he looks good.
    
    -Had a nice fight vs. Jay Perrin. Looked really crisp standing, some power, elusiveness. Takedown defense wasn't perfect but was solid. He wore down a bit, but this fight was at elevation, so my guess is that threw him off. Looked really good.
    
    -Got taken out fast by Zahabi. Could have been a bit fluky, but this is also the best fighter I've seen him fight at this weight class, so this could be his level.
    
    -Decent win vs. Munoz. He showed good takedown D, a little wrestling, and pretty good stand up. It was a well rounded performance, but he wasn't overwhelming anywhere.
    

63. 63

    

    Tim Elliott

    20-13-1

    Placeholder as I assume he will be back to flyweight. Awkward stand up fighter, but solid wrestling and grappling.
    

64. 64

    

    Sergey Morozov

    19-5-0

    Well rounded. Has wrestling and really solid stand up. Didn't do tons with the wrestling, and eventually got tagged, and then was on his heels the rest of his fight vs. De Andrade. He looked really good before that though, and should be a threat to a lot of guys going forward.
    
    -More of the same vs. Paiva. Had some rough moments standing, but also had some success. Had a bit of wrestling, but didn't do tons with it. Perfectly solid, but not an incredible fighter.
    
    -Beat Journey Newsom. Very nice wrestling, just constant takedowns. Couldn't do much damage with it though and he looked pretty uncomfortable standing with Jourmey and was clearly outclassed there. Wrestling will definitely win him fights but Im not sure if anything else he has can make it happen right now.
    

65. 65

    

    Garrett Armfield

    10-3-0

    Hell of a win vs. Kazama. His debut at his proper division, and he was super accurate standing, looked awesome. Not sure if his opponent is great, but I really liked what I saw.
    

66. 66

    

    Ronnie Lawrence

    "The Heat"  |  8-2-0, 1 NC

    Well rounded. Wrestling base, but actually pretty good standing too. Took on a stand up fighter in Mana Martinez and took him down consistently while also landing standing a lot. Struggled a bit in the 3rd, but he may have taken his foot off the gas. Solid fighter.
    
    -Had a tougher outing vs. Kakhr. Showed toughness, but just could not stop takedowns from him. He might have just been a really, really good opponent though.
    
    -No contest vs. Argueta, but it was not looking amazing for him early. He was getting taken down a fair bit, and looked like he was getting outgrappled as well.
    

67. 67

    

    Trevin Jones

    "5 Star"  |  14-11-0, 1 NC

    Big, patient stand up fighter. Held up well a great prospect in Jahvid. His power is scary and always makes him a threat. But he got put up against the fence too often and just isn't quite on that elite level of stand up. Solid fighter.
    
    -Just had an awful performance vs. Raoni. Didn't land much, and couldn't deal with his wrestling. Raoni is pretty good, so that may have been the problem. Supposedly trying to be more aggressive but I didn't see it.
    
    -More of the same issues vs. Cody. He clearly has some skills but he just doesn't throw enough. I've only seen him fight pretty high level guys though, I think he'd do fine vs. more normal bantamweights.
    

68. 68

    

    Miles Johns

    "Chapo"  |  14-2-0, 1 NC

    Big puncher but definitely a bit wild. Has wrestling but waited too long to mix it up. He cuts a lot of weight and he clearly wore down as the fight went on. Hes OK, but has some serious weaknesses right now.
    
    -vs. Vince Morales, he was super inactive throughout. Didn't have tons of success wrestling either, which seemed to be his main gameplan, but he did enough to win. Vince was also inactive which helped him. He can get wild punching. Cardio held up because it was such an inactive fight.
    
    -Nice win vs. Argueta. He showed good takedown D. His stand up is still wide as hell, but he did land, has power, and showed all around skills.
    

69. 69

    

    Dan Argueta

    "The Determined"  |  9-2-0, 2 NC

    Looks great at 135 in his debut vs. Ronnie Lawrence. It was a no contest, but he was firmly in control. Great takedown and grappling. Not sure how much he can trade from range, but his dawg will probably be enough in a lot of fights right now.
    
    -Lost vs, Johns. His takedowns, chin, and cardio are all top notch, but he couldn't do tons of damage, and lost most of the stand up exchanges. Needs to round out his game, but I like some of his skillset.
    

70. 70

    

    Raulian Paiva

    21-5-1

    BJJ guy, but was very comfortable standing. Survived a near KO in round 1, and somehow came back and won, mostly with stand up. Seems dangerous, but also didn't strike me as absolute top tier.
    
    -Paiva got rocked vs. Sean O Malley, and that seemed to be where he wanted the fight. O'malley is great, but Paiva's game plan seemed lacking, and his fight he won before this was very close and kind of controversial. He is sort of lighter for this division too, as he has fought at flyweight in the past. He isn't bad, but I'm less high on him now.
    
    -Had some early stand up success vs. Morozov. Then got tagged a fair bit and taken down. Takedown defense was OK, but not perfect. I think he got a bit sloppy standing, and wore down a bit too. He is a decent fighter.
    

71. 71

    

    Timur Valiev

    "Lucky"  |  18-4-0, 1 NC

    Great cardio and activity level. Could not take down Barcelos, but kept a nice well rounded array of punches and kicks going. Got caught once but survived.
    
    -vs. Shore, he showed good skills all around. He has a great chin. But stand up is probably his biggest hole, he just looks a touch slow and leaves himself big windows to get tagged. But he is definitely competent.
    

72. 72

    

    Casey Kenney

    16-4-1

    Decent stand up guy but was outclassed by a better stand up fighter. Good all around just not on songs level.
    

73. 73

    

    Kairat Akhmetov

    "The Kazakh"  |  30-2-0

    Strong wrestler. Not as skilled standing, but can definitely get takedowns and use ground control to win. Didn't do tons of damage on the ground though.
    
    -He just showed a lot of competence in all regards. He looked a bit better standing than I recall too. Solid all around fighter. Great cardio too.
    

74. 74

    

    Louis Smolka

    "Da Last Samurai"  |  17-9-0

    -Got lit up by Davey Grant, but has an insane chin, and came back in the 2nd round and really did some damage. Didn't check leg kicks well enough though, which cost him. Showed ground skills too. Stand up he definitely needs more head movement, but with his offense and chin he can definitely win fights.
    

75. 75

    

    Rani Yahya

    28-11-1, 1 NC

    Seems like the kind of fighter who, if he can get it to the ground, will win, and if he stays standing, he probably won't. He is relentless grappling, but looked very uncomfortable standing. Longtime UFC vet.
    
    -More of the same vs. Montel Jackson. Still has a good looking ground game, but was outmuscled and outstruck by a very good prospect.
    

76. 76

    

    Cody Gibson

    "The Renegade"  |  19-10-0

    Lost vs. Brad Katona but held up well. he has great size for this division. Good stand up skills, but he just wore down a bit vs. a guy with insane cardio. Still think he is pretty solid.
    

77. 77

    

    Rinya Nakamura

    "Hybrid"  |  9-0-0

    Road to UFC guy. Seemed like a beast of a wrestler. Great quick takedowns and had a nice submission win. Didn't see too comfortable standing, but he is still new to the sport. Good prospect.
    
    -Crazy fight to win his contract. Knock out in 30 seconds. He swung with reckless abandon, which scares me, but he has confidence, tools, power, and aggressiveness. Still not a lot of fights, Im excited to watch more.
    
    -Dominant win vs. Fernie Garcia. His wrestling is for real. I still don't fully trust his stand up, but he is a promising prospect.
    

78. 78

    

    Jose Johnson

    "Lobo Solitario"  |  16-8-0

    Interesting fighter. Very long, which helps him standing, but he wasn't amazing there. He got taken down a whole lot vs. Jack Cartwright, but he was super active from his back and also got reversals. He likes to chase submissions from his back which concerns me, but I think he has the tools to be competitve in most fights. The takedown D concerned me most.
    
    -Looked pretty good standing early vs. Blackshear, but was taken down multiple times again and submitted. Takedown D is a huge weakness.
    
    -Nice performance vs. Anheliger. Used his length well standing. Strong grappling. Still gets taken down too much, but seemed good at reversing and getting up this time. Not fully sold. but with his build and some of his skillset, he can definitely be a problem.
    

79. 79

    

    Kleydson Rodrigues

    "KR"  |  8-3-0

    Made his 135 debut. His stand up looked explosive, but he was taken down and submitted. Maybe he will have problems at this weight, but I know from his 125 days that he has a lot of talent.
    

80. 80

    

    Danny Kingad

    "The King"  |  15-4-0

    ONE fighter. Good stand up, but his takedown defense wasn't good enough so he never really got to display a lot of that stand up.
    
    -Won vs. Eko Roni in ONE. Looked better with the takedown D, though it wasn't perfect. Did his own offensive wrestling too, and the stand up looks really solid. Still not totally solid on him, but he looked solid.
    

81. 81

    

    Mana Martinez

    "Manaboi"  |  10-5-0

    Stand up fighter. He lost standing a lot and was taken down a bunch until the 3rd round when he did a bit better. Showed heart and cardio, but still has big time holes, especially on the takedown defense side.
    
    -Had a pretty good stand up battle vs. Brandon Davis. He can be kind of lackadaisical, but has real skill standing. His spinning attacks are crisp. but he might rely on them too much. Pretty good fighter in this division.
    
    -Showed his skill standing vs. Saaiman but just didn't have enough.
    

82. 82

    

    Chad Anheliger

    "The Monster"  |  13-7-0

    Has some stand up ability. Pretty well rounded. He can handle himself on the ground but I didn't think his takedown defense was great. His cardio is strong though and he did better as the fight went on and his opponent wore down more.
    
    -More of the same vs. Strader. He had issues early but his cardio is insane and he just gets better as fights go on. He doesn't look incredible anywhere, but he is definitely competent everywhere except maybe early takedown defense.
    
    -More of the same vs. Alatang. He is solid standing but not incredible there. His cardio keeps him in fights, and he is pretty skilled off his back, but also he once again seems easier to takedown. Very wide stance that might leave him open to single legs and takedowns. Solid, not an easy out, but I feel I have him ranked pretty accurately.
    
    -Lost vs. Jose johnson. There were some fun grappling exchanges, but he ended up getting submitted. Really wasn't able to do much damage vs a very long fighter. He is weird because nothing he does really wows me, but he can grind out the occasional win.
    

83. 83

    

    Reece McLaren

    "Lightning"  |  16-9-0

    Well rounded. OK stand up, but showed pretty solid ground skills and got to a submission. Solid. Stand up does have holes though.
    

84. 84

    

    Johnny Munoz Jr.

    "Kid Kvenbo"  |  12-4-0

    He got lit up fast by Tony Gravely. Didn't fight long enough for me to be able to form much of an opinion.
    
    -Had a pretty good win vs. Liudvivk. He looked crisp and composed standing, really avoided getting hit much. Not tons of power, but he was solid enough. Showed some wrestling, and decent enough takedown defense. Cardio seemed good. He doesn't blow me away, but seems very well rounded and solid.
    
    -Lost vs. Santos. Just had no answers for him, and exclusively tried to play guard, and he couldn't do anything with it. Santos is quite good standing, so maybe that sacred him, but it was a bad performance.
    
    -Lost vs. Aori. Just wasn't that great anywhere. Had 1 or 2 stand up moments. The wrestling had 1 moment but mostly didn't work. He had some low fight IQ moments too.
    

85. 85

    

    Sung Hoon Woo

    "Dynamic"  |  10-4-0

    Knocked out his opponent in 16 seconds for ONE. Looked very dangerous, but also need to see more of him.
    

86. 86

    

    Soo Chul Kim

    21-7-1

    Lost in Bellator vs. RIZIN. He is a tricky grappler, and has decent leg kicks, but he seemed too one dimension with the grappling, and stand up and takedown D weren't quite good enough to really be great.
    

87. 87

    

    Leandro Higo

    "Pitbull"  |  23-6-0

    Got dominated wrestling by Sabatello. He looked competent grappling and had a moment or 2 standing, but mostly just got taken down over and over again. Made it hard to really get a great read on him.
    

88. 88

    

    Muin Gafurov

    "Tajik"  |  18-6-0

    Big time wrestler. Was a sambo champ. Relentless, but his cardio did wear down as the fight went on. Has some stand up ability but definitely not a major strength. DWCS.
    
    -Lost vs. Castanada. He didn't have a bad performance though. He was very aggressive standing and landed some damage. His wrestling wasn't super effective, but he showed a few skills that could win fights, and definitely would not stop coming forward.
    

89. 89

    

    Brandon Davis

    "Killer B"  |  14-11-0

    Has some OK stand up chops, but was nothing for an elite prospect in Batgerel.
    
    -Looked a lot better vs. a less elite dude in Mana Martinez. Held up well in stand up exchanges, and had some nice moments. But isn't incredible. Got taken down once by a non wrestler, but got up right away, but something I have my eye on.
    

90. 90

    

    Raul Rosas Jr.

    "El Niño Problema"  |  8-1-0

    Only 17 in DWCS. His cardio, wrestling, and grappling seem insane. He is absolutely relentless and doesn't slow down. Was able to reverse out of some bad positions. I basically saw 0 stand up, so that could be a big hole, but I believe in him and his drive to get better.
    
    He is 18 now. Dominated Jay Perrin, wrestled and got to a submission right away. I don't think he is super well rounded yet, but the ground skills are very legit.
    
    -Lost to Cee-Rod. The wrestling and grappling looked good in R1, but he didn't have energy management. His stand up is also non existent. Needs to get better at energy management and setting up takedowns, but still is dangerous with the grappling. Super young, so should get better.
    
    -Took out Terrence Mitchell easily. He did it with stand up, but Terrence isn't great, so I'm not sure how much he has improved. I remain skeptical, but he is still very young.
    

91. 91

    

    Sumudaerji

    "The Tibetan Eagle"  |  16-6-0

    Placeholder rank as he should be back to flyweight. Pretty good stand up fighter, but got taken down, and Elliot submitted him so he has holes there.
    

92. 92

    

    Ricky Turcios

    "Pretty Ricky"  |  12-3-0

    Very interesting fighter. Relentless, pretty good standing, gets taken down too easily, but he fights from the bottom well. Cardio was insane, very skilled, good prospect. TUF winner.
    
    -Had a really tough performance vs. Zahabi. He was active again, and great cardio, but he was punching and kicking at a lot of air and getting countered constantly. I thin he relies a lot on his relentlessness, and is not as technical as you'd like. Maybe it was just a one off bad performance, but definitely concerning.
    
    -Showed more of his first fight vs. Natividad. He got taken down a fair bit, but reversed a lot. A bit wild standing, and got tagged, but he landed some himself too. Some great grappling and GNP. He is a bit of a puzzle. Both UFC wins were split decisions, and that feels like it could happen a lot.
    

93. 93

    

    Jack Cartwright

    11-2-0

    Cage Warriors champ. He has some great wrestling, got constant takedowns vs. Johnson, but he couldn't maintain it from the top or do enough damage. Looked OK standing. Seems polished, just didn't have enough of the big damage skills vs. a slippery opponent. But he was undefeated before that fight, he is clearly pretty good. Wont be shocked to see him back.
    

94. 94

    

    Brady Hiestand

    "Bam Bam"  |  7-2-0

    Only 22 for his first big fight. An excellent wrestler. Great cardio. Decent stand up fighter, but not as polished. Had trouble doing as much damage as he maybe could have on the ground, but a very promising prospect.
    
    -Had a solid fight vs. Fernie Garcia. Still doesn't look amazing standing, but mostly avoided big shots. Was absolutely relentless wrestling, grappling, and GNP though, and looked strong there, which is enough to win fights. Still a ways to go on other skills though.
    
    -He got the win vs. Batgerel, but was dominating throughout. Mostly got stuffed on takedowns, got reversed grapploing once, and he didn't look comfortable standing. But he has big time cardio and is relentless. Won in the last minute when he was losing throughout. Definitely has some dawg at least.
    

95. 95

    

    Kevin Natividad

    "Quicksand"  |  9-4-0

    Lost an extremely close fight to Ricky Turcios. He looked decent standing, somewhat technical, a couple of nice knees. Also showed wrestling but he got reversed multiple times into bad positions. Struck me as competent all around but not great anywhere.
    

96. 96

    

    Caolán Loughran

    "The Don"  |  9-1-0

    Lost his UFC debut to a very good foe in Taylor. He definitely has some wrestling skills, and cardio. But wasn't able to do much damage vs. a talented and experienced foe.
    

97. 97

    

    Luan Lacerda

    12-3-0

    Had a very tough opponent in Cody Staaman to make his debut against. But he looked pretty technical. Nice kicks in particular. Just couldn't quite deal with Cody's athleticism, but he held up well.
    
    -Lost vs. Blackshear. He really wanted the leg locks, and that left him very open to get beat up. Didn't look awesome standing either, it was a pretty weak performance. But I will say he has faced some pretty good guys so far.
    

98. 98

    

    Gaston Bolaños

    "The Dreamkiller"  |  7-4-0

    Kickboxer. Showed good stand up as you'd expect, looked crisp there, but the takedown D was definitely shaky. His opponent didn't impress me at all, so tough to grade him too highly.
    

99. 99

    

    Guido Cannetti

    "Ninja"  |  10-7-0

    -42 years old. Has solid power, but looked a bit sloppy standing to me. The guy he beat is Moutinho, a notorious punching bag, so I cant rate him super highly from it.
    
    -Had a nice performance vs. Randy Costa. Super aggressive, then a fast takedown and choke. He looks pretty good honestly, even at 42. Nice kicks in particular.
    
    -Lost quickly to Bautista. Mario is a great prospect, so not downgrading him much, but the takedown defense did not impress me.
    

100. 100

     

     Eko Roni Saputra

     7-3-0

     Lost in ONE to Kingad. Has some wrestling and submissions but actually got outgrappled a lot of the way. Stand up wasn't great. I think he can beat some guys with his skills, but he isn't amazing.
     

101. 101

     

     Nikita Mikhailov

     10-3-0

     Bellator. Only 23. Showed serious toughness and heart. Was in a lot of bad positions but never got finished. Has skills everywhere and will likely get better.
     

102. 102

     

     Mo Miller

     "Mo Show"  |  8-3-0

     Elite wrestler. 3 time all american. Still kind of young and new to MMA, so struggled to pass guard or do a lot with his takedowns. His stand up seemed explosive but a bit sloppy, he mostly used it for takedowns. Can win a lot of fights, but not as exciting as he could be right now either.
     

103. 103

     

     Saimon Oliveira

     18-5-0

     Interesting fighter. Very flashy stand up, probably overly so, tons of wasted energy on spinning attacks. Can definitely wrestle and is good with a guillotine. Can at times be inactive on top, but has a lot of tools that can win fights.
     
     -Saimon showed some holes vs. Gravely. His takedown defense isn't amazing, and he went to guillotines over and over despite them not working. He seems mostly solid in most categories, but also doesn't seem that top tier at anything
     
     -Pretty rough loss vs. Marcos. He just expends too much energy with the spinning attacks, and got outclassed standing. Couldn't get a takedown either. Got tired. Nice leg kicks but that was about it. Hasn't wowed me in any performance yet.
     

104. 104

     

     Long Xiao

     26-7-0

     Decent stand up fighter. Good chin. A bit sloppy and I think he got tired, but he was pretty solid.
     

105. 105

     

     Wei Xie

     "The Hunter"  |  18-6-0

     Showed pretty nice stand up and had OK power, but couldn't stop Reece from a submission when he was taken down. ONE fighter.
     

106. 106

     

     Yodkaikaew Fairtex

     "Y2K"  |  7-6-1

     Got knocked out in 16 seconds, so it's tough to judge him much, had a decent stand up track record before the fight, so need to see more of him.
     

107. 107

     

     Patryk Surdyn

     7-4-0

     KSW. Wrestler, got takedowns vs an opponent with bad takedown defense, then mostly held him down from there. It's enough to win fights. Didn't look great standing.
     

108. 108

     

     José Alday

     "El Pochito"  |  13-7-2

     Pretty polished stand up fighter. Good head movement, footwork and counters. He is very willing to work the body which I love to see too. He doesn't land enough combos though, just willing to do one shotters which limits his potential standing. Had decent takedown defense. DWCS
     

109. 109

     

     Tony Kelley

     "PrimeTime"  |  8-3-0

     Pretty active fighter, got in Costa's face and stayed in the clinch, and delivered on some GNP. Seemed well rounded, had a good gameplan, but also didn't wow me yet.
     
     -Got pieced by up Yanez. He is serviceable right now but that is it.
     

110. 110

     

     Toshiomi Kazama

     "Silent Finisher"  |  10-4-0

     Really talented grappler. Some nice BJJ and judo for takedowns. Stand up wasn't bad either, though definitely not amazing. Was involved in a lot of good scrambles. Solid prospect from Road to UFC.
     
     -Came across a tough foe in nakamura, and got lit up. Couldn't handle the aggressiveness. Still has skills though.
     
     -Got lit up by Armfield. Just did not look great standing. Didn't really try to wrestle at all either. Very poor defensively.
     

111. 111

     

     JP Buys

     "Young Savage"  |  9-6-0

     Tough to judge. He got dominated by Mcghee. But I think Mcghee might be really good. Didn't show much.
     

112. 112

     

     Brian Kelleher

     "Boom"  |  24-15-0

     -Long time vet. Some stand up and wrestling, but not incredible at anything. Got smoked by Bautista in the wrestling and grappling department.
     
     -Got wrecked by Garbrandt. I think he is cooked.
     

113. 113

     

     Steven Koslow

     "Obi Won Shinobi The Pillow"  |  6-1-0

     Seemed like mostly a BJJ guy. Has some OK wrestling, definitely great grappling, but he just kept going for submissions, and didn't focus on maintaining position or doing damage, which cost him. Stand up was just OK.
     

114. 114

     

     Shohei Nose

     12-4-2

     His fight didn't last long because his opponent tore and ACL, but he looked good. Had athleticism and aggressiveness.
     

115. 115

     

     Wulijiburen Wu

     "The Beastmaster"  |  20-9-0

     Fought in the UFC in the past. Tore his ACL during his Road to UFC fight. He at least showed good takedown defense, but that was it in the short time before the fight ended.
     

116. 116

     

     Jornel Lugo

     "A1"  |  8-2-0

     Bellator. Seemed talented but was super inactive. Crisp stand up, but just too scared to throw a lot.
     
     -Couldn't deal with Sabatello's wrestling. You can see the talent, but hasn't all come together yet.
     

117. 117

     

     Terrence Mitchell

     "Terr-Bear"  |  14-4-0

     Lost vs. a very good prospect in Saaiman. He showed his wrestling and OK grappling, but wasn't on Saimaan's level. Went for the wrestling right away, so didn't see his stand up.
     
     -Got taken out standing by Rosas. Rosas isn't really great standing, so it wasn't a great sign.
     

118. 118

     

     Allan Begosso

     "Mini"  |  8-3-1

     Lost clearly to a very good prospect in Basharat. He had OK stand up, and pretty solid BJJ. But couldn't stop the takedowns or submit. Not an easy out, but not amazing.
     

119. 119

     

     Joshua Weems

     "Wide Open"  |  12-3-0

     Got KO'd pretty fast. Had good footwork, but didn't get to see tons of him.
     
     -Was getting lit up by C-Rod standing. Had a couple nice moments wrestling and in the clinch, but then got reversed and submitted. Also missed weight, so definitely not very impressed, but he at least showed a little bit this time around.
     

120. 120

     

     Cameron Else

     "Camchida"  |  11-6-0

     Couldn't do much of anything vs. Aoriqileng. Stopped a takedown, but failed at his own and then got lit up standing. Didn't get to see tons of him.
     

121. 121

     

     Benito Lopez

     "The Golden Boy"  |  10-2-0

     Tough to judge him. He looked composed but he got annihilated by a very very good prospect in Mario Bautista. Put up next to no resistance. Need to see him vs. different guys, but really didn't show much.
     

122. 122

     

     Mando Gutierrez

     "El Toro"  |  9-3-0

     Grappled with Rosas, made some mistakes, and couldn't get out of bad positions, and lost some good ones, but also clearly showed skillful BJJ. Didn't see any of his stand up, but he did land a KO in his fight after this. I won't be shocked if he makes it back to DWCS. He fought a very skilled prospect.
     

123. 123

     

     Aaron Phillips

     "The Dragon"  |  12-5-0

     Showed some OK ground skills vs. Gaston, but really wasn't doing much damage down there, and that was about all he had in his bag. UFC debut, and I wasn't impressed.
     

124. 124

     

     Liudvik Sholinian

     "Palmeyros"  |  9-3-1

     Tough to judge. He definitely has good cardio, and he is aggressive, but just couldn't land much vs. Johnny Munoz, and the wrestling wasn't good enough. I didn't see a lot of tools for winning UFC level fights.
     

125. 125

     

     Tatsumitsu Wada

     "The Sweeper"  |  25-12-2, 1 NC

     Didn't look terrible outside of maybe takedown defense, but looked mostly outclassed in all regards vs. Kairat. Hes OK, but not great.
     

126. 126

     

     Jared Scoggins

     "Psycho"  |  10-3-0

     Came in way overweight. Had some stand up chops, didn't look bad, but got caught and was knocked out. Bellator.
     

127. 127

     

     Nick Aguirre

     "Slick"  |  7-2-0

     Lost clearly vs. Talbott. Just didn't show much. Had wrestling in r1, did no damage, then pretty much quit once it got hard.
     

128. 128

     

     Brandon Lewis

     "Let's Go"  |  7-3-0

     Not a bad fighter, but fought an elite wrestler and just couldn't stay standing. Had good leg kicks. DWCS.
     
     -Lost again in DWCS. Lost badly standing, but he was aggressive. Showed a bit of wrestling, couldn't do much with it though. Has toughness, decent cardio, and aggressiveness but maybe not enough skill to really compete.
     

129. 129

     

     James Barnes

     "Mooka"  |  14-5-0

     Older fighter at 40, especially old for this division. Has wrestling and ground skills, but has probably slowed down quite a bit at an older age.
     

130. 130

     

     Shamad Erzanukaev

     2-0-0

     This was his first pro fight after an undefeated amateur career. Didn't fight a great opponent, but really showed a very nice array of skills standing, wrestling and grappling. KSW fighter.
     

131. 131

     

     Yong Hu

     "Wolf Warrior"  |  12-4-0

     Decent striker, but not absolutely top tier there. Had serious issues keeping the fight standing vs. Wakamatsu, who isn't really a wrestler. ONE fighter.
     

132. 132

     

     Zviad Lazishvili

     13-1-0

     OK stand up fighter, but not exceptional. Ran out of gas kind of easily, was supposed to be a strong wrestler but couldn't take his oppponent down at all. He was undefeated going into this fight, but he has a long way to go.
     

133. 133

     

     Ashiek Ajim

     "TBD"  |  7-3-0

     Got KOd fast on DWCS. Really didn't get to see much.
     

134. 134

     

     Gugun Gusman

     "The Tiger"  |  12-4-0

     Got annihilated by Nakamura wrestling. Showed a willingness to throw but that is about it.
     

135. 135

     

     Domingo Pilarte

     "Son Of Fire"  |  8-3-0, 1 NC

     Unimpressive takedown defense. Was controlled the whole time and just didn't fight back well against Kelleher.
     

136. 136

     

     Reyes Cortez

     "JR"  |  7-3-0

     Got lit up standing in DWCS. Had a few moments, but his opponent was too good for him.
     

137. 137

     

     David Martinik

     6-6-0

     KSW fighter. Seemed like he had OK stand up, but his takedown defense and get up game were nonexistent.