Subscribe
Follow Us
Merab Dvalishvili captured his second title defense of the UFC's Bantamweight championship when he beat Sean O'Malley for the second time at UFC 316 on June 7. Dvaslisvili has been destroying legends for years, and there doesn't seem to be anybody in the division who can slow him down.
Is the 135-pounder already the best fighter ever in his weight class? Check out the gallery to see the five best UFC fighters in the history of the bantamweight division.
5. Sean O'Malley
Sean O'Malley probably has been overhyped throughout his career. His colorful hair and superstar marketability have given him some Dana White privilege, but that doesn't change the fact that he is still one of the greatest bantamweights ever. Particularly, O'Malley is arguably the greatest 135-pound striker ever.
Suga Sean has lived up to his nickname. His run to the top of the bantamweight division was filled with highlight reel knockouts, usually in walk-off fashion, and with a memorable celebration often serving as the cherry on top. O'Malley's KOs against Alfred Khashakyan, Eddie Wineland, and Thomas Almeida are the type of highlight finishes that fans can watch on repeat.
O'Malley's most famous knockout came when he won the belt over Aljamain Sterling, though. Sterling, at the time, was on pace to becoming arguably the greatest bantamweight ever.
After winning the belt over Sterling, O'Malley avenged his then-only career loss against Marlon Vera at UFC 299. Said loss was somewhat fluky, at least in O'Malley's eyes, as a case of drop foot rendered him immobile.
Unfortunately, O'Malley has found his kryptonite in the form of Dvalishvili, as the current Bantamweight Champion handled him pretty handily in both of their matchups.
O'Malley is long and lanky for a 135-pounder. His reach results in highlight after highlight, and he will always be a star in the UFC. O'Malley currently has a record of 18-3 (1 NC), and he could go back to running the division if Dvalishvili were to ever move up to featherweight.
4. Aljamain Sterling
Sterling has been fighting at featherweight ever since he lost his bantamweight belt to O'Malley at UFC 292. The move up happened less because he lost his belt and more because Sterling is best of buddies with Dvalishvili. The two refused to fight each other, and Sterling didn't want to prevent his friend from capturing gold. On top of that, Sterling was massive for a 135-pounder.
Sterling's time at bantamweight was quite impressive. His four title fight wins are tied for the second most ever. He originally won the belt via disqualification against Petr Yan, but he proved himself with a split-decision win the next time that they faced off. He also collected title wins over Henry Cejudo and the next athlete on this list.
Sterling's nine-fight unbeaten streak at bantamweight only trails Dvalishvili in the record books. He was an incredible grappler with superior strength in comparison to his 135-pound peers.
3. TJ Dillashaw
TJ Dillashaw hit harder than the average 135-pound fighter, as evidenced by his bantamweight record of seven knockouts. It resulted in more UFC title-fight wins (five) than anybody else at the weight class. Dillashaw was electric to watch and helped revolutionize the 135-pound weight class.
Dillashaw was 2-0 against both Renan Bareo and Cody Garbrandt, two fighters who just narrowly missed the cut for this list and might have ranked within the Top 5 bantamweights ever had they had more success against Dillashaw.
The knock against Dillashaw is that he lost a lot of fights against other bantamweight legends. Notably, he didn't have his hand raised after bouts against Dominick Cruz, Cejudo, and Sterling. Dillashaw was also suspended for two years during his prime for PED usage.
Dillashaw only fought once after returning from suspension, and shoulder problems plagued him throughout his career. It resulted in a relatively modest record of 18-5 at least in comparison to the other fighters on this list. Dillashaw was a showstopper during his prime, though, and his prime lasted nearly the entirety of his UFC tenure.
Article Continues Below
2. Merab Dvalishvili
Dvalishvili is currently the second-best bantamweight fighter ever, but he is well on his way to taking over the throne. His 12-fight winning streak in the division is three wins better than second place. The only reason he isn't already the bantamweight GOAT is because it took him a while to get a title shot, largely due to his refusal to fight Sterling.
Dvalishvili is nicknamed The Machine for a reason. His gas tank is perhaps the best that fans have seen in UFC history, regardless of weight class. Dvalishvili is relentless with his takedowns, and his opponents are always fighting from their heels.
His striking is underrated as well. O'Malley was previously given the title as best bantamweight striker ever in this article, but Dvalishvili outpunched him in both of their matchups.
Dvalishvili rag-dolls his opponents and makes them look like little kids when he picks them up with ease, walks them across the octagon, and slams them down with force. Dvalishvili lost his first two fights in the UFC, but something clicked after that.
His 12-fight winning streak includes victories over Jose Aldo, Yan, Cejudo, O'Malley, and Umar Nurmagomedov, which is a good chunk of the best fighters in bantamweight history. His next opponent will probably be Cory Sandhagen, and he and the rest of the division will likely struggle mightily against the current champion.
1. Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz is the original bantamweight GOAT, and nobody has surpassed him yet. He was the WEC Bantamweight Champion for three title fights, and he became the inaugural UFC Bantamweight Champion at WEC 53 after the two companies merged in what was the only UFC title fight ever to technically take place outside of the UFC.
Between the two companies, Cruz would fight with the belt on the line in nine out of 10 straight bouts. His time in the UFC, particularly, was impressive, as he'd beat legends such as Urijah Faber, Demetrious Johnson, and Dillashaw. However, his prime was with WEC as Cruz battled injuries later on in his career.
Cruz was a resilient fighter who could squeeze out a win regardless of how beaten up his body was. ACL and groin injuries led to Cruz vacating his title in 2011, and he only fought once between then and 2016. Despite four years between title fights, Cruz re-captured his belt at the UFC Fight Night on Jan. 17, 2016. Many consider it the greatest comeback in UFC history.
Cruz would fight twice more in 2016, winning a title defense over Faber before losing his belt to Garbrandt in what was Garbrandt's best night ever. Cruz then took nearly four years off again before attempting another return in 2020. His prime was close to 15 years ago, but he didn't announce his retirement until 2025.
Had injuries not haunted him throughout his career, there would likely be a lot more distance between him and second place when it comes to the greatest bantamweights ever. Unfortunately, one more win by Dvalishvili will likely be enough to supplant Cruz as the greatest 135-pounder in UFC history.
