Best UFC Bantamweights of All Time: Top 9 135-Pound Legends Ranked

Bantamweight (135 pounds) might be the UFC’s most complete division: speed, power, scrambles, five-round cardio, and game plans that change mid-fight.

Ranking the best ever isn’t just “who held the belt,” either—this list weighs championship résumé, quality of wins, peak dominance, longevity at 135, and how much a fighter reshaped what elite bantamweight MMA looks like.

Best UFC Bantamweights of All Time: Top 9 Ranked

1) Dominick Cruz

The division’s original blueprint. Cruz was the inaugural UFC bantamweight champion and later pulled off one of the sport’s signature comebacks to regain the belt in 2016. His footwork, angles, and timing forced an entire generation to adapt—he made “movement” a skill tree, not just a vibe.

2) Aljamain Sterling

Sterling’s reign was the ultimate modern test: title wins and defenses against elite styles, plus the division record for most consecutive UFC bantamweight title defenses (three). Whether he was backpacking, scrambling, or surviving tense championship rounds, he turned chaos into control.

3) T.J. Dillashaw

At his peak, Dillashaw blended pace, stance switches, and layered takedowns better than almost anyone at 135—two title reigns and multiple championship wins show it. The asterisk is real, though: he relinquished the belt and served a suspension after a positive test for EPO.

4) Renan Barão

Barão’s “invincible” stretch is still one of bantamweight’s most dominant stretches: interim champ, then undisputed champ, with multiple successful defenses during his run. For a while, he looked like the final boss—fast hands, crushing kicks, and a pace most contenders couldn’t match.

5) Petr Yan

Yan’s case is built on championship-level fundamentals: tight boxing, nasty body work, and late-round adjustments. He’s a former champion who reclaimed the belt again in late 2025, reinforcing how high his ceiling is when he’s dialed in.

6) Merab Dvalishvili

Merab turned relentless pressure into an art form: he won the title by dominating Sean O’Malley and built a reign around pace, clinch work, and takedown volume. He also sits atop UFC’s all-time takedowns landed leaderboard—an absurd stat for a bantamweight.

7) Urijah Faber

Even without a UFC belt, Faber is bantamweight royalty: a WEC champion, perennial contender, and the face of lighter weights before the UFC fully embraced them. His influence (and the wave of talent that followed from his camps/rivalries) is part of why the division became what it is.

8) Sean O’Malley

O’Malley’s title-winning moment—sniping Sterling with precision and calm—was the definition of “one mistake and it’s over.” He also proved he could win a big-pressure defense at the championship level before eventually getting dragged into the deep waters by Merab’s pace.

9) Cody Garbrandt

The peak was short, but the peak was nuclear: Garbrandt outclassed Cruz to take the belt in a performance that felt like the division changing hands in real time. While he didn’t stack defenses, that championship win and his best-night skill set earn him a spot in the top nine.

Just missed: Henry Cejudo (a former UFC bantamweight champ) and José Aldo (a former featherweight king who also fought for the vacant UFC bantamweight title vs. Petr Yan).

Also right on the bubble: Cory Sandhagen and Marlon “Chito” Vera—modern-era staples near the top of the division who’ve been in big fights for years, even without a long UFC title run.