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 appear to be anybody within the division who can slow him down.
Is the 135-pounder already one of the best fighter ever in his weight class? Take a look at the gallery to see the five best UFC fighters within the history of the bantamweight division.
5. Sean O’Malley
Sean O’Malley probably has been overhyped throughout his profession. His colourful hair and superstar marketability have given him some Dana White privilege, but that does not change the incontrovertible fact that he continues to be considered one of the best bantamweights ever. Particularly, O’Malley is arguably the best 135-pound striker ever.
Suga Sean has lived as much as his nickname. His run to the highest of the bantamweight division was stuffed with highlight reel knockouts, normally in walk-off fashion, and with a memorable celebration often serving because the cherry on top. O’Malley’s KOs against Alfred Khashakyan, Eddie Wineland, and Thomas Almeida are the style of highlight finishes that fans can watch on repeat.
O’Malley’s most famous knockout got here when he won the belt over Aljamain Sterling, though. Sterling, on the time, was on pace to becoming arguably the best bantamweight ever.
After winning the belt over Sterling, O’Malley avenged his then-only profession loss against Marlon Vera at UFC 299. Said loss was somewhat fluky, not less than in O’Malley’s eyes, as a case of drop foot rendered him immobile.
Unfortunately, O’Malley has found his kryptonite in the shape of Dvalishvili, as the present Bantamweight Champion handled him pretty handily in each of their matchups.
O’Malley is long and lanky for a 135-pounder. His reach leads to highlight after highlight, and he’ll at all times be a star within the UFC. O’Malley currently has a record of 18-3 (1 NC), and he could return to running the division if Dvalishvili were to ever move as much as 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 better of buddies with Dvalishvili. The 2 refused to fight one another, and Sterling didn’t want to forestall 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 4 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 following time that they faced off. He also collected title wins over Henry Cejudo and the following athlete on this list.
Sterling’s nine-fight unbeaten streak at bantamweight only trails Dvalishvili within the record books. He was an incredible grappler with superior strength compared to his 135-pound peers.
3. TJ Dillashaw
TJ Dillashaw hit harder than the typical 135-pound fighter, as evidenced by his bantamweight record of seven knockouts. It resulted in additional UFC title-fight wins (five) than anybody else at the load class. Dillashaw was electric to look at and helped revolutionize the 135-pound weight class.
Dillashaw was 2-0 against each Renan Bareo and Cody Garbrandt, two fighters who just narrowly missed the cut for this list and might need ranked inside the Top 5 bantamweights ever had that they had more success against Dillashaw.
The knock against Dillashaw is that he lost numerous fights against other bantamweight legends. Notably, he did not have his hand raised after bouts against Dominick Cruz, Cejudo, and Sterling. Dillashaw was also suspended for 2 years during his prime for PED usage.
Dillashaw only fought once after coming back from suspension, and shoulder problems plagued him throughout his profession. It resulted in a comparatively modest record of 18-5 not less than compared to the opposite fighters on this list. Dillashaw was a showstopper during his prime, though, and his prime lasted nearly the whole lot of his UFC tenure.
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2. Merab Dvalishvili
Dvalishvili is currently the second-best bantamweight fighter ever, but he’s well on his technique to taking up the throne. His 12-fight winning streak within the division is three wins higher than second place. The one reason he is not already the bantamweight GOAT is since it took him some time to get a title shot, largely because of his refusal to fight Sterling.
Dvalishvili is nicknamed The Machine for a reason. His gas tank is maybe one of the best that fans have seen in UFC history, no matter weight class. Dvalishvili is relentless together with his takedowns, and his opponents are at all times fighting from their heels.
His striking is underrated as well. O’Malley was previously given the title as best bantamweight striker ever in this text, but Dvalishvili outpunched him in each of their matchups.
Dvalishvili rag-dolls his opponents and makes them appear to be 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 within 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 very good chunk of one of the best fighters in bantamweight history. His next opponent will probably be Cory Sandhagen, and he and the remainder of the division will likely struggle mightily against the present champion.
1. Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz is the unique bantamweight GOAT, and no person has surpassed him yet. He was the WEC Bantamweight Champion for 3 title fights, and he became the inaugural UFC Bantamweight Champion at WEC 53 after the 2 corporations merged in what was the one UFC title fight ever to technically happen outside of the UFC.
Between the 2 corporations, Cruz would fight with the belt on the road in nine out of 10 straight bouts. His time within the UFC, particularly, was impressive, as he’d beat legends comparable to Urijah Faber, Demetrious Johnson, and Dillashaw. Nevertheless, his prime was with WEC as Cruz battled injuries in a while in his profession.
Cruz was a resilient fighter who could squeeze out a win no matter 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 4 years between title fights, Cruz re-captured his belt on the UFC Fight Night on Jan. 17, 2016. Many consider it the best 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 4 years off again before attempting one other return in 2020. His prime was close to fifteen years ago, but he didn’t announce his retirement until 2025.
Had injuries not haunted him throughout his profession, there would likely be loads more distance between him and second place on the subject of the best bantamweights ever. Unfortunately, yet another win by Dvalishvili will likely be enough to supplant Cruz as the best 135-pounder in UFC history.
