1: Dominick ‘Dominator’ Cruz: In 2007 Dominick Cruz challenged Urijah Faber for the WEC featherweight championship and was choked out in under two minutes. Nearly four years later and the Lloyd Irvin project reigns supreme over the weight class below, outworking Faber and Demetrious Johnson in his first defences of the UFC bantamweight title.

2: Urijah ‘The California Kid’ Faber: One of the all time greats at 145lbs, and one of MMA’s most recognisable figures outside the major weight classes thanks to a series of high-profile sponsorship deals, Urijah Faber is a true superstar. A massive KO of top contender Brian Bowles earlier this month sees Faber earn a coaching slot on The Ultimate Fighter, and more importantly, the chance to complete his epic trilogy with Dominic Cruz.

3: Joesph ‘Beefcake’ Benavidez: Quite possibly the smallest MMA bantamweight that isn’t legally a midget, ‘Joe-B Wan Kenobi’ is a diminutive dynamo of a fighter. With two losses to the division’s current champion and teammate Urijah Faber likely to get another shot at the title before him, Benavidez has opted to drop to 125lbs and compete in a tournament for the newly minted UFC flyweight championship.

4: Scott ‘Young Guns’ Jorgensen: Scott Jorgensen has put his humbling loss to Dominic Cruz behind him since joining the ranks of the UFC, smashing Ken Stone and shutting out Jeff Curran to regain lost momentum. Urijah Faber is nect in line for the gold, but ‘Young Guns’ February clash with Renen Barao will likely decide the next contender to the bantamweight title.

5: Brian Bowles: A devastating loss at the hands of Urijah Faber in November is just the latest setback in what has been a torrid, injury wracked few years for Brian Bowles. Still, the former WEC champ has time on his hands. If he can stay injury free, there is no reason why he shouldn’t make another run at the gold.

6: Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson: ‘Mighty Mouse’ made an instant impact on UFC fans in his promotional debut, swatting aside the challenge of heavily favoured Norifumi ‘KID’ Yamamoto with ease, before adding former champion Miguel Torres to his ledger. ‘Mighty Mouse’ may have come up short against champion Dominic Cruz, but with the recently revealed flyweight division now open for business, fans will get to see Johnson in action at his true fighting weight of 125lbs.

7: Renan Barao: Following previous number 10-ranked Masakazu Imanari’s upset loss to journeyman grappler Hideo Tokoro, surging Brazilian prospect Renan Barao took what many people felt was his rightful place in the 135lb top ten. After lighting up and choking out Brad Pickett at UFC 138, Barao affirmed our faith in him as a top ten bantamweight.

8: Miguel Angel Torres: Once thought to be the 135lb division’s answer to George St Pierre or Anderson Silva – a practically unbeatable champion – Miguel Torres’ ride came crashing to a halt with back to back defeats at the hands of Brian Bowles and Jo Benavidez. Despite getting back on track after a move to Jackson’s MMA that saw him win two straight, Torres lost an uninspired decision to Demetrious Johnson last time out. While the loss may have been contentious, the fact is that the former champ simply hasn’t been doing enough in recent fights, begging the question: Has the fire burned out?

9: Brad ‘One Punch’ Pickett: 2011 has not been the year that Brad Pickett wanted. After an injury forced him out of a mouth watering clash with Miguel Torres, Pickett was steamrolled on his own turf at UFC 138 in the UK. ‘One Punch’ will look to get straight back on the wagon in 2012, facing spirited brawler Demacio Page in March.

10: Masakatsu Ueda: Shooto standout Ueda continues to make strides in his MMA career, going 3-0 so far in 2011. Having fused some solid submissions (that saw him Brabo choke Ralph Acosta) and a surprisingly efficient striking game (that allowed him to put away Rumina Sato with a body kick) to his strong wrestling base, Ueda is constantly evolving. Rumours suggest that a UFC call up is imminent.

(Updated February 1^st, 2012)

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