Written by Lucas Themelis
The UFC bantamweight division is one of the most underrated amongst the more casual of fans. The division is in a great place with a healthy mix of legends and veterans of the sport, along with the younger up-and-comers that are hungry to make their mark on the big stage. As many of these men possess their own decorated resume and or just barely scratching the surface of their prime, something big is brewing in the division that everyone should look forward to.
There once was a time where the smaller weight classes struggled to draw. When you look at the current trajectory of the 135-pound men’s roster, it’s easy to wonder how that was ever an issue. From former champions across several weight classes in Dominick Cruz, Jose Aldo, and Frankie Edgar to Corey Sandhagen, Rob Font, and even outside the rankings with fan-favorite Sean O’Malley, the division may be the deepest the sport’s premiere promotion has to offer, and it is only just getting started.
The current champion, Aljamain Sterling, elected to undergo neck surgery on April 15th just over a month after winning the belt in an unconvincing fashion. For those unaware, the former champion Petr Yan was disqualified due to an illegal strike while Sterling was still downed on his right knee. Yan listened to his corner for instruction, who would advise him to strike, a decision that has since been very costly. The knee landed flush to the chin of Sterling, who remained on the ground for a significant amount of time. The doctor would then rule Sterling unable to continue, which would result in the first-ever change of hands for the belt by disqualification in UFC history.
Sterling has since received significant backlash for what transpired, as many fans believe he tried to "sell" his injury to receive the disqualification and the belt. Sterling would have to rebut these arguments from Twitter to date, where it seems he has transitioned to accepting his new villain role, though he was not the one who carried out the illegal act.
In a more recent tweet by Sterling, he said he would be ready to fight Petr Yan in a rematch in November, also asking who the fans would like to see next if he were to retain the belt. With this championship rematch being targeted, it is imperative to wonder what other fights should be booked.
We have Cory Sandhagen taking on a returning TJ Dillashaw in what should be a masterclass display. These two men were supposed to go to war earlier this month, however, Dillashaw was forced to pull out after sustaining a nasty gash above his eye. With the bout now rescheduled for July 24th, just under two months out, it is possible the winner would need one more fight, preferably against Rob Font, before getting their crack at gold.
Rob Font just put on a fantastic performance against former champ Cody Garbrant to earn a unanimous decision victory with two judges seeing all five rounds for the Puerto Rican as he almost tripled Cody’s significant strike output. It is only fair that Font is right at the top in terms of the title picture, as he currently rides a four-fight win streak, which serves as the third-longest amongst top 10 competition behind the champion Sterling and his teammate, tenth-ranked Merab Dvalishvili who scout six-fight win streaks of their own.
Whoever comes out the loser of the highly anticipated Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw brawl depends on who they should draw afterward. If Sandhagen loses, he should fight another proven veteran. He already scored a devastating 28-second flying knee knockout of Frankie Edgar in February, perhaps he adds another legend to his list and fights Jose Aldo, that is if he can get past the ever-scrappy Pedro Munhoz on August 7th.
Aldo won his most recent bout against 15th-ranked Marlon Vera after losing three straight to the stiffest of competition. Some fans wonder if Aldo has lost his spark, something that Munhoz, who looked impressive in his last outing in a war with Jimmie Rivera in February, can put to test.
Whoever comes out victorious in that fight has a chance to draw Sandhagen if Dillashaw wins. On the other hand, if Dillashaw loses, a third fight with Cody could be an intriguing option, even with the outcome of the first two meetings. Nobody could gather Cody's attention for a fight quite like TJ can as the two have one of the most heated rivalries the sport has ever witnessed.
While it is true TJ has back-to-back knockout finishes over Cody, the latter of the two was almost three years ago and the circumstances have since changed. Dillashaw spent two years removed from competition for one of the more serious performance-enhancing drug violations you can obtain, taking the only-injectable substance EPO.
Despite his very recent loss to Font, Cody had shown a more technical, patient approach in his one-sided win over Raphael Assuncao, which you would expect Cody to embody more of in a potential trilogy with TJ to not be swept 3-0 as well as to get get back in the win column.
If the UFC matchmakers feel this is not the route they want to take, there are certainly other options in my mind. Firstly and foremost, Marlon Moraes currently sits right behind Cody at 6th in the rankings, both sharing a loss to Font in their most recent appearances. Considering this information, this matchup simply makes sense.
Another option could be the young “Suga” Sean O'Malley if he impresses against Louis Smolka at UFC 264, set to take place July 10th. Though both men are unranked, which may throw a wrench in Sean’s plans to fight Cody, his large fanbase will provide much draw power along with his gallant repertoire of strikes.
If Sean does not fight Cody next, the fight to make is a rematch against Marlon “Chito” Vera if he can defeat Davey Grant on June 19th in a rematch of a fight Grant would win in 2016.
Despite the circumstances, as O’Malley was rendered immobile due to a strike to his peroneal nerve, Vera earned his victory over Sean, and with Sean's undefeated mindset, he would like to get this victory back. A win would also serve to put Sean back in the rankings, which would lead him to the more prominent names like Cody or Dominick Cruz, a fight previously rumored, in the future.
Lastly, two fights that are very noteworthy in the landscape of the rankings are 11th-ranked Raphael Assuncao vs 14th-ranked Kyler Phillips, along with an unranked matchup between two rising prospects in Randy Costa and Adrian Yanez which are currently scheduled for the same event on July 24th.
Assuncao despite having a very impressive resume with wins over the champion Sterling, Moraes, Font, Munhoz, and Dillashaw, looked lost in his last outing against Garbrandt and rides a three-fight skid nearing his 39th birthday. Phillips on the other hand, another MMA Lab standout like O’Malley in Arizona, looked sensational in his win over Song Yadong in March riding a four-fight win streak.
Costa was supposed to face Trevin Jones at UFC 259 on the same card as Phillips vs. Yadong but had to pull out citing injury. The prospect is 6-1 on a two-fight win streak with a 100% knockout rate.
Adrian Yanez burst onto the scene with a 39-second Contender Series knockout to earn his contract to the big show in 2020. The Texas-native sports is 13-3 sporting a six-fight win streak with a 77% finish rate whilst never being finished. Two of his decision losses were split, with the only unanimous decision loss coming almost seven years ago.
This fight has major potential to produce a number next to one of their names, or catapult the winner to a fight with a ranked opponent.
These are the fights that either have been or should be made regarding the future of the UFC bantamweight division, one of the deepest divisions in mixed martial arts.
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