The Bantamweight division has never been this EXCITING! There are a lot of potential future champions. Unfortunately, there can only be one King in the division and in order to be the best, the fighter needs to beat the best.
The current UFC Bantamweight Champion, Petr Yan will be defending his belt against a tough high level grappler that is Aljamain Sterling on UFC 259. One of the more underrated fight that could easily be a main event for another PPV card, that is just how great fight is.
It will be great stylistic match-up and will be Yan’s toughest test. Yan may be the champion but one could argue that Sterling has better names in his resume. He has beaten true Bantamweight contenders like Cory Sandhagen and Pedro Munhoz
Meanwhile Yan beat Aldo for the title. Even Aldo is considered one of the greatest fighters that ever lived, he did not deserve to fight for the belt as he was coming off loss against Moraes. Even though it was a controversial decision, it was still a loss and to fight for the title in his second fight without a win in the division does not make sense.
A lot of killers are fighting in this division, which means it will be difficult to be a champion or even compete for the title.
One example would be Cory Sandhagen who has been on a back to back knockout win against Moraes and Edgar respectively that could potentially grant him title shot but he also thinks that Sterling deserves to fight for the title since he has a win over Sandhagen just last year. He only has two potential fights interested which is either fight the winner of Yan/Sterling or fight Dillashaw.
Speaking of Dillashaw, he has served his suspension and is eligible to get back inside the Octagon. Another killer has been added to the division, or rather returned. He is the former Bantamweight Champion that did not lose it inside the cage but rather stripped due to him testing positive for EPO.
Will Dillashaw return to his former self or did PEDs really play a role in his road to becoming a champion? The question will be answered on his return.
Other fighters that are in the top 5 contenders have also shown promises. Guys like Rob Font who is on a three fight win streak and his last win was a viscous knockout win against Moraes.
Let us not forget Cody Garbrandt who dominated Dominick Cruz in just his 11th career fight to win the title. He has had trouble mentally during fight as he lets his emotions get the better of him that led to his recent losses. Fortunately, he has realized his flaws and is willing to fix it. The Garbrandt that fought Cruz was unstoppable.
If anyone can return after suffering a lot of hurdles, it is Dominick Cruz. One of the greatest bantamweights of all time and has reigned the division for quite some time. He had a lot of injuries during his prime years yet he still became a two time champion by beating TJ Dillashaw. It just shows how the mind of Cruz is. Cruz is set to face Casey Kenney on UFC 259 as well.
Henry Cejudo has also been teasing a return after announcing his retirement. He has indicated that he could fight at 125, 135 or even at 145 lbs.
The Bantamweight division is the division to look out for, the fans should tune in. Even though they may be considered small, their fights are almost always entertaining. The division has it all whether it is a brutal knockout, a slick submission or even a dog fight.
