The UFC’s bantamweight division is loaded with talent. It’s had a very active year as well. We have a new champ in Petr Yan, a clear-cut number one contender in Aljamain Sterling, and much more. It’s a lot to sort out, which always makes it more fun.
Lets try to uncover some answers and sort this all out.
Two of the division’s top contenders are set to square off in this Saturday’s main event.
Marlon Moraes is coming off a narrow decision victory over Jose Aldo; a fight in which nearly everyone believes he lost. He’s always dangerous though due to his lightning quick strikes and underrated ground game. On top of that, ‘Magic’ might have the fastest switch-kick in the sport.
If he comes away with a victory over Cory Sandhagen he will receive another crack at the belt.
Meanwhile, Sandhagen is coming off a submission loss to Aljamain Sterling in a fight where he never really got a chance to get in rhythm. This will be his first main event opportunity. If he cashes in with a win, he too might be rewarded with a title shot.
In all likelihood, this weekend’s main event determines who the next number one contender is at bantamweight.
There is still no official date for Petr Yan vs Aljamain Sterling and I cannot wrap my head around why not. This fight should be happening in either November or December.
Yan looked every bit like the real deal in his securement of the belt this past July against Aldo. On the flip side, ‘The Funkmaster’ solidified himself as top contender with a flawless victory over the beforementioned Sandhagen.
This fight has some bad blood, as the two have frequently gone back and forth on social media. It’s a clash of styles that jumps off the page in my opinion also.
Yan’s crisp boxing and deadly leg kicks against Sterling’s backpack-like grappling and unpredictable stand-up attack. It’s a great match-up between the top two bantamweights in the world right now.
If this bout doesn’t occur until early 2021 it will hold up the division. There’s no reason why it shouldn’t be booked for UFC 255 or UFC 256.
Cody Garbrandt, Frankie Edgar, and Dominick Cruz all currently find themselves ranked inside the division’s top-10.
‘No Love’ returned after over a year away from the cage with an emphatic knockout of Raphael Assuncao back in June. He clearly regained some confidence after being finished three consecutive times leading up to the win. Garbrandt was supposed to move down to flyweight to challenge Deiveson Figueiredo for the belt, but he’s since withdrawn due to a bicep tear. It’s currently unknown what weight he’ll compete at next.
Frankie Edgar made his bantamweight debut back in August against Pedro Munhoz. It was a very close fight and it was evident that Edgar looked capable of contending down at 135lbs. He was immediately inserted into the top five and a match-up versus the loser of Moraes/Sandhagen makes a lot of sense for the hardened veteran.
Dominick Cruz was awarded an immediate title shot against Henry Cejudo upon his return to the octagon. He didn’t look great, but credit Cejudo’s game plan for the dominant performance. A Cruz/Aldo match-up would still be a ton of fun to watch right now; despite them both being at later stages in their careers..
Three former champs made waves this year at bantamweight and it will be fascinating to see what their next moves turn out to be.
A new guard of bantamweights are trying to break through and make names for themselves within the division. Most notably, Sean O’Malley, Merab Dvalishvili, and Casey Kenney.
‘The Suga Show’ has gone (2-1) so far this year and overall he’s had a successful 10 months. Two first round finishes and a loss to Marlon Vera where he suffered an ankle injury. Don’t jump of the ‘Suga’ bandwagon just yet. He has a very bright future still.
‘The Machine’ has lived up to his name so far in 2020. Decision wins over Casey Kenney, Gustavo Lopez, and John Dodson have him sitting pretty at 13 in the rankings. Dvalishvili has a chance to cap off a perfect year if he defeats Cody Stamann on Dec. 5th.
Like O’Malley, Casey Kenney is not ranked and like Dvalishvili, Kenney is staying very active. He lost to the aforementioned Dvalishvili to start his 2020 campaign, but he’s beaten Louis Smolka and Heili Alateng since. He’s rumored to be facing Nathaniel Wood on Oct. 24th.
All three of these relatively fresh faces have what it takes to one day be contenders in the bantamweight division.
The UFC’s bantamweight division has many questions right now. Luckily for us, this Saturday’s main event will tell us who the new number one contender is. Moreover, Yan and Sterling will hopefully settle things before year’s end. The old faces will likely stay back until next year, but the new faces will look to keep riding momentum.
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