With no highly-ranked UFC bantamweights scheduled to fight, August was supposed to be a quiet month for the bantamweight division, and it was until the final week.
As Bellator’s bantamweight champion, Eduardo Dantas felt he wasn’t competing frequently enough and decided to take a fight outside of the organization. Though it was a bout he was expected to win easily, Dantas got caught by Tyson Nam in the first round and suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
Dantas’ championship is now somewhat tainted, and that’s something Bellator officials will be none too pleased with as the promotion gets ready to enter a new era on Spike TV.
On the bright side, at least Bellator’s bantamweight champion is able to remain active, which can’t be said for the UFC’s 135-pound kingpin, Dominick Cruz. Due to a Cruz knee injury, the UFC awarded an interim title to Renan Barao after a victory over Urijah Faber. Though it appears Barao will opt to await Cruz’s return before putting his interim belt on the line.
As the division pushes through some rough times, let’s take a look at the 10 best bantamweights in the world.