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The UFC Bantamweight division at 135 pounds is one of the most action-packed weight classes in the promotion, with a depth of talent that rivals any weight class in the sport. After Sean O’Malley’s star-power reign, the division has entered a new chapter with Merab Dvalishvili’s championship, bringing a different kind of fighter to the top of the 135-pound mountain. Here is the full 2025 division breakdown.

UFC Bantamweight Champion: Merab Dvalishvili

Merab Dvalishvili is the UFC Bantamweight Champion and one of the most physically relentless fighters in the promotion regardless of weight class. The Georgian wrestler known as “The Machine” won the title by defeating Sean O’Malley in a performance that demonstrated what happens when elite pressure wrestling meets a counter-striker — Dvalishvili simply refused to allow O’Malley to fight at the range where his striking was dangerous, taking him down repeatedly and controlling the fight for 25 minutes.

Dvalishvili’s wrestling is elite at bantamweight: his takedown volume is among the highest in the UFC, his shot variety is diverse, and his ability to maintain constant forward pressure makes him exhausting to fight against for three and five rounds. He has been called the most difficult fighter to prepare for in the bantamweight division because his style imposes such consistent physical demands that no amount of drilling can fully simulate the reality of dealing with it for 25 minutes. His cardio is legendary even by UFC standards; he seems to work harder in the fifth round than most fighters do in the first.

Top Bantamweight Contenders

#1 Umar Nurmagomedov

Umar Nurmagomedov is the leading contender at 135 pounds following his near-miss championship performance against O’Malley at the Sphere. His elite Dagestani wrestling and grappling, combined with improving striking, make him the most technically complete challenger in the division’s top five. His case for a title shot against Dvalishvili is straightforward: he was nearly the champion already, and his grappling-vs-grappling matchup with Dvalishvili would be a fascinating contrast of two fighters from different but related combat sports traditions.

#2 Sean O’Malley

Sean O’Malley is the former champion looking to reclaim the belt he lost to Dvalishvili. His striking remains elite at 135 pounds, and the question of whether a rematch would produce a different result depends on whether O’Malley and his team have developed the wrestling defense necessary to prevent Dvalishvili from taking him down at will. The commercial value of an O’Malley rematch makes it one of the UFC’s most attractive matchups regardless of the competitive storyline.

#3 Petr Yan

Petr Yan is a former UFC Bantamweight Champion and one of the most technically complete fighters in the division. The Russian striker-wrestler has championship-level ability in every phase of fighting and has been at the top of the 135-pound rankings for several years. His path back to the title requires wins against top contenders in a competitive division, but his ceiling is clearly championship level and has been demonstrated empirically.

#4 Song Yadong

Song Yadong is a Chinese fighter who has built one of the most impressive winning streaks in the bantamweight division. His combination of power, pressure, and technical boxing has allowed him to defeat several notable opponents in the division’s top ten, and he represents the kind of legitimate title threat that makes the bantamweight contender picture genuinely competitive.

#5 Cory Sandhagen

Cory Sandhagen is one of the most technically sophisticated strikers in the UFC at any weight class. His spinning kick variations, creative footwork, and fight IQ make him a nightmare matchup for standard strikers in the division, and his wrestling defense has been solid enough to keep fights standing more often than not. His losses to Yan and Nurmagomedov represent two of the toughest possible matchups for his style; against fighters who cannot impose grappling pressure, he has been exceptional.

Notable Bantamweights to Watch

Henry Cejudo — former two-division UFC champion (flyweight and bantamweight) who came out of retirement and remains a legitimate contender despite age, as his skills have not diminished significantly. Dominick Cruz — the pioneer of modern bantamweight with his unique footwork-based style, multiple-time champion, though age and injury have taken their toll on his competitive ceiling. Rob Font — volume puncher whose high output and pressure style creates problems for more technical opponents. Adrian Yanez — exciting Mexican striker who has become one of the division’s most entertaining fighters with a string of first-round finishes.

The Division’s Direction

The Dvalishvili era represents a departure from the striking-centric entertainment that characterized O’Malley’s championship run. Merab’s style is not designed for highlight reels; it is designed to win MMA fights as efficiently as possible through the most demanding physical exertion in the sport. The bantamweight division’s future depends on whether a contender emerges who can match that physical output while also presenting technical counters to his wrestling volume. The Nurmagomedov matchup is the most compelling because it pits two grappling-first philosophies against each other in the weight class where those styles are most explosively expressed.