Official SportsBettingWorld Bantamweight Rankings: Post WEC 50

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You can basically expect the featherweight or bantamweight rankings to change with every WEC event, and last night was no different. The champ retained his title, so there were no drastic changes, but if you’re looking forward to Dominick Cruz’s next challenge, a new contender stepped a little closer to getting a shot.

1. Dominick Cruz

Though it was far from an easy fight for Cruz, you would be hard pressed to find a round you could give to challenger Joseph Benavidez in the main event of WEC 50. It was Cruz’s first defense since winning the title from Brian Bowles earlier this year. A bout with Scott Jorgenson is likely up next, but surely Cruz has his eyes on a future clash with Uriah Faber, the only man to beat Cruz.

2. Brian Bowles

Bowles hasn’t fought since losing his title to Cruz after he quit because of a broken hand before the third round. It was the first loss of his career and doesn’t take away his tremendous knockout of former champ Miguel Torres. As of yet, he is not scheduled for an upcoming fight.

3. Scott Jorgenson

Jorgenson looked tremendous last night in winning a unanimous decision over Brad Pickett in what was awarded the “fight of the night”. It was his fifth win in a row in the WEC and should be enough to earn him a title shot against Cruz. I can’t wait for that fight!

4. Joseph Benavidez

Benavidez had a decent game plan in his challenge of Cruz last night, but the champion was simply too big and too good. His performance keeps him near the top of the rankings, but it is hard to say where Benavidez goes from here. His size looks like he could make 125 lbs., and the WEC has stated they plan to create a flyweight division in the near future. Benavidez could certainly make an impact there.

5. Miguel Torres

The former seemingly unbeatable champ has now lost two in a row in devastating fashion, but will look to redeem himself next month against Charlie Valencia at WEC 51. Valencia is a tough opponent, so a win for either will be a huge boost for their respective careers.

6. Takeya Mizugaki

Mizugaki was supposed to face former featherweight champ Uriah Faber in Faber’s bantamweight debut last night, but Faber was forced to pull out with an injury. The bout will be rescheduled for either October or November. The winner of that fight will set themselves up for big things in the division.

7. Damacio Page

Page has been scheduled for numerous appearances this year in the WEC, but has been continually kept out of action due to shoulder surgery. No word yet on his next fight.

8. Shuichiro Katsumura

The Shooto champ will next meet Darren Uyenoyama in a non-title bout on September 23. It will be his first fight since upsetting Masakatsu Ueda for the title in March.

9. Masakatsu Ueda

The former champ Ueda earned an impressive unanimous decision over Akitoshi Tamura in May. It went a long way in distancing himself from his upset loss to Katsumura in March.

10. Rani Yahya

Yahya was once a title challenger in the WEC, but has now lost two in a row, most recently to Takeya Mizugaki. It is hard to say what is next for Yahya, but he is a long way from getting back near the top of the division.

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