Analysis by Richard Wade
The bantamweight division remains unchanged at the top of the rankings from last month. Dominick Cruz is still the undisputed king of the division.
Compiling the rankings of twenty top mixed martial arts web sites, the USA TODAY / MMA Nation Consensus MMA Rankings present the top 25 fighters in MMA for the seven major weight classes. These world MMA rankings are the most accurate reflection of how the top fighters in MMA across all promotions like UFC, Strikeforce and ProElite are viewed by the experts who cover the sport.
| Rank | Fighter | Points | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dominick Cruz | 375 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Urijah Faber | 356 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Joseph Benavidez | 341 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Brian Bowles | 315 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Scott Jorgensen | 305 | UFC | 5 |
| 6 | Demetrious Johnson | 301 | UFC | 6 |
| 7 | Renan Barao | 261 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Miguel Torres | 220 | UFC | 8 |
| 9 | Bibiano Fernandes | 206 | DREAM | 13 |
| 10 | Masakatsu Ueda | 175 | Shooto | 10 |
| 11 | Takeya Mizugaki | 165 | UFC | 11 |
| 12 | Brad Pickett | 157 | UFC | 9 |
| 13 | Michael McDonald | 141 | UFC | 12 |
| 14 | Zach Makovsky | 118 | Bellator | 15 |
| 15 | Eduardo Dantas | 115 | Bellator | 16 |
| 16 | Wagnney Fabiano | 108 | Bellator | 14 |
| 17 | Antonio Banuelos | 104 | DREAM | 16 |
| 18 | Eddie Wineland | 93 | UFC | 18 |
| 19 | Alexis Vila | 88 | Bellator | 19 |
| 20 | Damacio Page | 69 | UFC | 21 |
| 21 | Joe Warren | 62 | Bellator | 23 |
| 22 | Masakazu Imanari | 58 | DREAM | 21 |
| 23 | Marcos Galvao | 56 | Bellator | 26 |
| 24 | Raphael Assuncao | 52 | UFC | 30 |
| 25 | Yves Jabouin | 51 | UFC | 32 |
The bantamweight division remains unchanged at the top of the rankings from last month. Dominick Cruz is still the undisputed king of the division.
| Rank | Fighter | Points | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dominick Cruz | 425 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Urijah Faber | 405 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Joseph Benavidez | 389 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Brian Bowles | 355 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Scott Jorgensen | 344 | UFC | 5 |
| 6 | Demetrious Johnson | 338 | UFC | 6 |
| 7 | Renan Barao | 303 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Miguel Torres | 266 | UFC | 8 |
| 9 | Brad Pickett | 218 | UFC | 9 |
| 10 | Masakatsu Ueda | 185 | Shooto | 10 |
| 11 | Takeya Mizugaki | 177 | UFC | 11 |
| 12 | Michael McDonald | 173 | UFC | 12 |
| 13 | Bibiano Fernandes | 135 | DREAM | 13 |
| 14 | Wagnney Fabiano | 128 | Bellator | 13 |
| 15 | Zach Makovsky | 121 | Bellator | 16 |
| 16 | Eduardo Dantas | 116 | Bellator | 19 |
| 16 | Antonio Banuelos | 116 | DREAM | 15 |
| 18 | Eddie Wineland | 107 | UFC | 17 |
| 19 | Alexis Vila | 91 | Bellator | 18 |
| 20 | Hideo Tokoro | 85 | DREAM | 21 |
| 21 | Masakazu Imanari | 84 | DREAM | 20 |
| 21 | Damacio Page | 84 | UFC | 21 |
| 23 | Joe Warren | 66 | Bellator | 23 |
| 24 | Takafumi Otsuka | 63 | DREAM | 24 |
| 25 | Charlie Valencia | 62 | UFC | 25 |
#1 Dominick Cruz and #2 Urijah Faber are set to compete against each other as the coaches on the first season of TUF Live.
| Rank | Fighter | Points | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dominick Cruz | 400 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Urijah Faber | 380 | UFC | 4 |
| 3 | Joseph Benavidez | 367 | UFC | 2 |
| 4 | Brian Bowles | 336 | UFC | 3 |
| 5 | Scott Jorgensen | 325 | UFC | 6 |
| 6 | Demetrious Johnson | 312 | UFC | 5 |
| 7 | Renan Barao | 283 | UFC | 11 |
| 8 | Miguel Torres | 262 | UFC | 7 |
| 9 | Brad Pickett | 200 | UFC | 8 |
| 10 | Masakatsu Ueda | 180 | Amazon Forest Combat | 10 |
| 11 | Takeya Mizugaki | 158 | UFC | 9 |
| 12 | Michael McDonald | 146 | UFC | 13 |
| 13 | Wagnney Fabiano | 119 | UFC | 12 |
| 13 | Bibiano Fernandes | 119 | DREAM | 16 |
| 15 | Antonio Banuelos | 114 | DREAM | 17 |
| 16 | Zach Makovsky | 109 | Bellator | 19 |
| 17 | Eddie Wineland | 103 | UFC | 13 |
| 18 | Alexis Vila | 92 | Bellator | 15 |
| 19 | Eduardo Dantas | 89 | Bellator | 28 |
| 20 | Masakazu Imanari | 81 | DREAM | 20 |
| 21 | Damacio Page | 80 | UFC | 18 |
| 21 | Hideo Tokoro | 80 | DREAM | 22 |
| 23 | Joe Warren | 65 | Bellator | 21 |
| 24 | Takafumi Otsuka | 59 | DREAM | 24 |
| 25 | Charlie Valencia | 57 | UFC | 23 |
#2 Urijah Faber likely earned himself another go at #1 Dominick Cruz after his dominant victory over #4 Brian Bowles.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dominick Cruz | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Joseph Benavidez | 93 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Brian Bowles | 91 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Urijah Faber | 90 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Demetrious Johnson | 80 | UFC | 5 |
| 6 | Scott Jorgensen | 79 | UFC | 6 |
| 7 | Miguel Torres | 68 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Brad Pickett | 62 | UFC | 8 |
| 9 | Takeya Mizugaki | 54 | UFC | 9 |
| 10 | Masakatsu Ueda | 41 | Shooto | 10 |
| 11 | Renan Barao | 35 | UFC | 12 |
| 12 | Wagnney Fabiano | 33 | UFC | 11 |
| 13 | Eddie Wineland | 30 | UFC | 13 |
| 13 | Michael McDonald | 30 | UFC | 14 |
| 15 | Alexis Vila | 27 | Bellator | 16 |
| 16 | Bibiano Fernandes | 26 | 19 | |
| 17 | Antonio Banuelos | 25 | 15 | |
| 18 | Damacio Page | 23 | 18 | |
| 19 | Zach Makovsky | 22 | Bellator | 17 |
| 20 | Masakazu Imanari | 20 | 20 | |
| 21 | Joe Warren | 18 | Bellator | 21 |
| 22 | Hideo Tokoro | 16 | 22 | |
| 23 | Charlie Valencia | 14 | UFC | 23 |
| 24 | Takafumi Otsuka | 13 | 24 | |
| 25 | Raphael Assuncao | 13 | 25 |
UFC 139 features one of the best possible bantamweight match ups available in #3 Brian Bowles vs. Urijah Faber.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dominick Cruz | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Joseph Benavidez | 93 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Brian Bowles | 91 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Urijah Faber | 90 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Demetrious Johnson | 82 | UFC | 5 |
| 6 | Scott Jorgensen | 79 | UFC | 6 |
| 7 | Miguel Torres | 68 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Brad Pickett | 59 | UFC | 8 |
| 9 | Takeya Mizugaki | 51 | UFC | 9 |
| 10 | Masakatsu Ueda | 43 | Amazon Forest Combat | 10 |
| 11 | Wagnney Fabiano | 36 | UFC | 12 |
| 12 | Renan Barao | 34 | UFC | 11 |
| 13 | Eddie Wineland | 33 | UFC | 13 |
| 14 | Michael McDonald | 32 | UFC | 14 |
| 15 | Antonio Banuelos | 27 | DREAM | 20 |
| 16 | Alexis Vila | 25 | Bellator | NR |
| 17 | Zach Makovsky | 25 | Bellator | 15 |
| 18 | Damacio Page | 25 | UFC | 16 |
| 19 | Bibiano Fernandes | 23 | DREAM | 27 |
| 20 | Masakazu Imanari | 21 | DREAM | 17 |
| 21 | Joe Warren | 18 | Bellator | 21 |
| 22 | Hideo Tokoro | 18 | DREAM | 18 |
| 23 | Charlie Valencia | 14 | UFC | 22 |
| 24 | Takafumi Otsuka | 13 | DREAM | 19 |
| 24 | Raphael Assuncao | 13 | UFC | NR |
Having already defeated bantamweights ranked 2-4, #1 Dominick Cruz will defend his belt against #5 Demetrious Johnson at UFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnson this Saturday.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dominick Cruz | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Joseph Benavidez | 93 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Brian Bowles | 91 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Urijah Faber | 89 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Demetrious Johnson | 83 | UFC | 5 |
| 6 | Scott Jorgensen | 80 | UFC | 6 |
| 7 | Miguel Torres | 69 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Brad Pickett | 63 | UFC | 8 |
| 9 | Takeya Mizugaki | 49 | UFC | 9 |
| 10 | Masakatsu Ueda | 42 | Shooto | 10 |
| 11 | Renan Barao | 38 | UFC | 11 |
| 12 | Wagnney Fabiano | 37 | UFC | 13 |
| 13 | Eddie Wineland | 37 | UFC | 12 |
| 14 | Michael McDonald | 33 | UFC | 14 |
| 15 | Zach Makovsky | 25 | Bellator | 15 |
| 16 | Damacio Page | 24 | UFC | 16 |
| 17 | Masakazu Imanari | 22 | DREAM | 17 |
| 18 | Hideo Tokoro | 20 | DREAM | 20 |
| 19 | Takafumi Otsuka | 19 | DEEP | 19 |
| 20 | Antonio Banuelos | 18 | DREAM | 18 |
| 21 | Joe Warren | 17 | Bellator | 21 |
| 22 | Charlie Valencia | 14 | UFC | 22 |
| 23 | Ian Loveland | 13 | UFC | 23 |
| 24 | Hiroshi Nakamura | 13 | DEEP | 26 |
| 25 | Ivan Menjivar | 13 | UFC | 25 |
There has been absolutely no movement at the top of the bantamweight division this month, so Dominick Cruz remains your undisputed #1 bantamweight in the world.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dominick Cruz | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Joseph Benavidez | 92 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Brian Bowles | 91 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Urijah Faber | 90 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Demetrious Johnson | 83 | UFC | 6 |
| 6 | Scott Jorgensen | 80 | UFC | 5 |
| 7 | Miguel Torres | 70 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Brad Pickett | 63 | UFC | 9 |
| 9 | Takeya Mizugaki | 50 | UFC | 8 |
| 10 | Masakatsu Ueda | 45 | Shooto | 10 |
| 11 | Renan Barao | 39 | UFC | 16 |
| 12 | Eddie Wineland | 38 | UFC | 12 |
| 13 | Wagnney Fabiano | 37 | UFC | 11 |
| 14 | Michael McDonald | 30 | UFC | 13 |
| 15 | Zach Makovsky | 26 | Bellator | 17 |
| 16 | Damacio Page | 25 | UFC | 14 |
| 17 | Masakazu Imanari | 24 | DREAM | 15 |
| 18 | Antonio Banuelos | 20 | UFC | 18 |
| 19 | Takafumi Otsuka | 20 | DEEP | 19 |
| 20 | Hideo Tokoro | 19 | DREAM | 26 |
| 21 | Joe Warren | 17 | Bellator | 23 |
| 22 | Charlie Valencia | 14 | UFC | 20 |
| 23 | Ian Loveland | 13 | UFC | 23 |
| 24 | Shuichiro Katsumura | 13 | Shooto | 21 |
| 25 | Ivan Menjivar | 13 | UFC | 26 |
After defending his belt against #4 Urijah Faber in a fight of the year candidate, #1 Dominick Cruz will look to repeat the feat against #5 Demetrious Johnson at Versus 6.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dominick Cruz | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Joseph Benavidez | 93 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Brian Bowles | 91 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Urijah Faber | 89 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Scott Jorgensen | 82 | UFC | 6 |
| 6 | Demetrious Johnson | 80 | UFC | 9 |
| 7 | Miguel Torres | 67 | UFC | 5 |
| 8 | Takeya Mizugaki | 61 | UFC | 7 |
| 9 | Brad Pickett | 58 | UFC | 8 |
| 10 | Masakatsu Ueda | 50 | Shooto | 10 |
| 11 | Wagnney Fabiano | 40 | UFC | 11 |
| 12 | Eddie Wineland | 34 | UFC | 12 |
| 13 | Michael McDonald | 33 | UFC | 14 |
| 14 | Damacio Page | 28 | UFC | 13 |
| 15 | Masakazu Imanari | 30 | DREAM | 19 |
| 16 | Renan Barao | 28 | UFC | 15 |
| 17 | Zach Makovsky | 25 | Bellator | 16 |
| 18 | Antonio Banuelos | 20 | UFC | 18 |
| 19 | Takafumi Otsuka | 19 | DEEP | 22 |
| 20 | Charlie Valencia | 18 | UFC | 17 |
| 21 | Shuichiro Katsumura | 17 | Shooto | 24 |
| 22 | Akitoshi Tamura | 15 | WVR | 23 |
| 23 | Joe Warren | 15 | Bellator | 21 |
| 23 | Ian Loveland | 15 | UFC | 27 |
| 25 | Hiroshi Nakamura | 15 | DEEP | 20 |
#1 Dominick Cruz is set to defend his belt and his #1 ranking this Saturday night against #4 Urijah Faber at UFC 132 in Las Vegas.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dominick Cruz | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Joseph Benavidez | 93 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Brian Bowles | 91 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Urijah Faber | 89 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Miguel Torres | 83 | UFC | 5 |
| 6 | Scott Jorgensen | 82 | UFC | 6 |
| 7 | Takeya Mizugaki | 64 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Brad Pickett | 61 | UFC | 8 |
| 9 | Demetrious Johnson | 58 | UFC | 9 |
| 10 | Masakatsu Ueda | 52 | Shooto | 10 |
| 11 | Wagnney Fabiano | 44 | UFC | 11 |
| 12 | Eddie Wineland | 36 | UFC | 12 |
| 13 | Michael McDonald | 32 | UFC | 14 |
| 14 | Damacio Page | 30 | UFC | 13 |
| 15 | Renan Barao | 29 | UFC | 15 |
| 16 | Masakazu Imanari | 28 | DEEP | 19 |
| 17 | Zach Makovsky | 27 | Bellator | 16 |
| 18 | Antonio Banuelos | 22 | UFC | 18 |
| 19 | Hiroshi Nakamura | 21 | DEEP | 20 |
| 20 | Takafumi Otsuka | 19 | DEEP | 22 |
| 21 | Charlie Valencia | 17 | UFC | 17 |
| 22 | Shuichiro Katsumura | 16 | Shooto | 24 |
| 23 | Akitoshi Tamura | 15 | WVR | 23 |
| 24 | Joe Warren | 14 | Bellator | 21 |
| 25 | Ian Loveland | 13 | UFC | 26 |
#1 Dominick Cruz and #4 Urijah Faber are scheduled to headline UFC 132 on July 2 in the UFC's first Bantamweight title fight.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dominick Cruz | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Joseph Benavidez | 95 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Brian Bowles | 91 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Urijah Faber | 88 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Miguel Torres | 83 | UFC | 5 |
| 6 | Scott Jorgensen | 83 | UFC | 6 |
| 7 | Takeya Mizugaki | 68 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Brad Pickett | 61 | UFC | 8 |
| 9 | Demetrious Johnson | 58 | UFC | 9 |
| 10 | Masakatsu Ueda | 53 | Shooto | 10 |
| 11 | Wagnney Fabiano | 42 | UFC | 11 |
| 12 | Eddie Wineland | 34 | UFC | 12 |
| 13 | Damacio Page | 30 | UFC | 16 |
| 14 | Michael McDonald | 28 | UFC | 13 |
| 15 | Renan Barao | 26 | UFC | 14 |
| 16 | Zach Makovsky | 25 | Bellator | 15 |
| 17 | Charlie Valencia | 25 | UFC | 17 |
| 18 | Antonio Banuelos | 24 | UFC | 19 |
| 19 | Masakazu Imanari | 23 | DEEP | 18 |
| 20 | Hiroshi Nakamura | 20 | DEEP | 20 |
| 21 | Joe Warren | 20 | Bellator | NR |
| 22 | Takafumi Otsuka | 19 | DEEP | 22 |
| 23 | Akitoshi Tamura | 18 | WVR | 23 |
| 24 | Shuichiro Katsumura | 17 | Shooto | 20 |
| 25 | Hiroyuki Takaya | 16 | Strikeforce | 29 |
Undisputed #1 Dominick Cruz will attempt to defend his title and avenge a loss when he locks horns with #4 Urijah Faber at UFC 132.
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Based on the premise that all MMA rankings are subjective but that it’s still useful and informative to know who the online MMA community as a whole ranks as the best fighters in MMA, we collect and average the rankings of the top MMA websites to produce our consensus rankings. Show more »
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