FloCombat Prospect Rankings - Bantamweight - September 2017
FloCombat Prospect Rankings - Bantamweight - September 2017
View the top 20 North American bantamweight MMA prospects with the FloCombat Prospect Rankings for Sept. 2017.
Rankings based off the following....
- Previously No. 11-ranked Benito Lopez was signed to the UFC following his win over Stephen Peterson on Aug. 22 and therefore is ineligible for the featherweight rankings.
- Josh Rettinghouse was mistakenly missed off last month's list. He has been added in the No. 11 spot
- Ryan McDonald was mistakenly missed off last month's list. He has been added in the No. 13 spot
- Joseph Maness was mistakenly missed off last month's list. He has been added in the No. 18 spot
- Miles Johns was added in the No. 20 spot.
#1 -- Mark De La Rosa (9-0)
Just 23 years old, De La Rosa boasts a perfect record that includes five wins by submission. In his last outing, the Texas native submitted Mahatma Chit-Bala Garcia Avalos at Combate 15 back in June. Don't be surprised if "The Bumblebee" gets picked up by the UFC in the near future.
#2 -- Gary Mangat (10-1)
Mangat has been on the cusp of a UFC contract for quite some time and remains one of the top bantamweights in Canada. "Saint Lion" trains at Revolution MMA with UFC standout Jeremy Kennedy and ONE Championship titleholder Bibiano Fernandes. The 30-year-old Mangat is coming off a unanimous-decision victory over Abdul Muneer at Brave CF 5 in Mumbai, India, on April 23, where Mangat competed in a weight class above. Mangat is currently riding a six-fight winning streak.
Bermudez is coming off a first-round submission win over Bendy Casimir, which was live on FloCombat on Aug. 12 at Cage Titans 35. At 10-0 with eight finishes, Bermudez doesn't just win -- he wins definitively. Bermudez bounces between featherweight and bantamweight, but his natural weight class is at 135. This is where he'll set his focus for his next bout and beyond.
Simon is perhaps best known for defeating UFC veteran Alex Soto at Titan FC 35 in 2015, which earned Simon a title shot with the promotion. Unfortunately, he would lose in that championship match at Titan FC 37, suffering a second-round submission loss to Anderson dos Santos. The 25-year-old Simon has won three straight fights, including a split-decision win over Donavon Frelow (6-3) on Aug. 8.
#5 -- Raufeon Stots (8-1)
Stots became the Victory FC bantamweight champion in April when he defeated UFC veteran Rob Emerson by unanimous decision at Victory FC 56. The 28-year-old Stots likely would have been on the UFC roster at this point had he defeated Merab Dvalishvili at Ring of Combat 59 in June. Instead, it was Dvalishvili who got the UFC call-up after he knocked out the Roufusport product just 15 seconds into the first round. Stots made his professional debut in May 2015 and boasts wins over Emerson and UFC veteran Jeff Curran.
Heavyweight
Light Heavyweight
Middleweight
Welterweight
Lightweight
Featherweight
- North American fighters only. For example, Thiago Moises wouldn't qualify for these rankings despite training in the U.S.
- No fighters who have fought for or who are set to fight for the UFC.
- Fighters competing on Dana White's Contender Series included.
- No long-term Bellator fighters or champions. Exceptions for some preliminary fighters.
- All fighters aged 30 and under.
- Rankings based off age, record, and level of competition.
September Notes
- Previously No. 11-ranked Benito Lopez was signed to the UFC following his win over Stephen Peterson on Aug. 22 and therefore is ineligible for the featherweight rankings.
- Josh Rettinghouse was mistakenly missed off last month's list. He has been added in the No. 11 spot
- Ryan McDonald was mistakenly missed off last month's list. He has been added in the No. 13 spot
- Joseph Maness was mistakenly missed off last month's list. He has been added in the No. 18 spot
- Miles Johns was added in the No. 20 spot.
| RANK | NAME | AGE | RECORD | COUNTRY | NEXT FIGHT | PREVIOUS RANKING |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark De La Rosa | 23 | 9-0 | USA | 1 | |
| 2 | Gary Mangat | 30 | 10-1 | CANADA | 2 | |
| 3 | Manny Bermudez | 23 | 10-0 | USA | 5 | |
| 4 | Ricky Simon | 25 | 10-1 | USA | 4 | |
| 5 | Raufeon Stots | 28 | 8-1 | USA | 3 | |
| 6 | John Castañeda | 25 | 14-2 | USA | 7 | |
| 7 | Josh Hill | 30 | 16-2 | CANADA | 8 | |
| 8 | Steven Peterson | 27 | 15-6 | USA | 6 | |
| 9 | Maurice Mitchell | 30 | 10-1 | USA | 9 | |
| 10 | Jordan Howard | 27 | 10-3 | USA | 10 | |
| 11 | Josh Rettinghouse | 27 | 15-4 | USA | NR | |
| 12 | Kyler Phillips | 22 | 5-0 | USA | 12 | |
| 13 | Ryan MacDonald | 24 | 7-0 | USA | NR | |
| 14 | Ricky Bandejas | 25 | 9-1 | USA | 14 | |
| 15 | Ray Rodriguez | 29 | 12-4 | USA | 15 | |
| 16 | Brad Katona | 25 | 5-0 | CANADA | 16 | |
| 17 | Dylan Cala | 24 | 5-1 | USA | 17 | |
| 18 | Joseph Maness | 26 | 8-0 | USA | NR | |
| 19 | Xavier Alaoui | 25 | 8-1 | CANADA | 18 | |
| 20 | Miles Johns | 23 | 5-0 | USA | NR |
#1 -- Mark De La Rosa (9-0)
Just 23 years old, De La Rosa boasts a perfect record that includes five wins by submission. In his last outing, the Texas native submitted Mahatma Chit-Bala Garcia Avalos at Combate 15 back in June. Don't be surprised if "The Bumblebee" gets picked up by the UFC in the near future.
#2 -- Gary Mangat (10-1)
Mangat has been on the cusp of a UFC contract for quite some time and remains one of the top bantamweights in Canada. "Saint Lion" trains at Revolution MMA with UFC standout Jeremy Kennedy and ONE Championship titleholder Bibiano Fernandes. The 30-year-old Mangat is coming off a unanimous-decision victory over Abdul Muneer at Brave CF 5 in Mumbai, India, on April 23, where Mangat competed in a weight class above. Mangat is currently riding a six-fight winning streak.
#3 -- Manny Bermudez (10-0)
Bermudez is coming off a first-round submission win over Bendy Casimir, which was live on FloCombat on Aug. 12 at Cage Titans 35. At 10-0 with eight finishes, Bermudez doesn't just win -- he wins definitively. Bermudez bounces between featherweight and bantamweight, but his natural weight class is at 135. This is where he'll set his focus for his next bout and beyond.
#4 -- Ricky Simon (10-1)
Simon is perhaps best known for defeating UFC veteran Alex Soto at Titan FC 35 in 2015, which earned Simon a title shot with the promotion. Unfortunately, he would lose in that championship match at Titan FC 37, suffering a second-round submission loss to Anderson dos Santos. The 25-year-old Simon has won three straight fights, including a split-decision win over Donavon Frelow (6-3) on Aug. 8.
#5 -- Raufeon Stots (8-1)
Stots became the Victory FC bantamweight champion in April when he defeated UFC veteran Rob Emerson by unanimous decision at Victory FC 56. The 28-year-old Stots likely would have been on the UFC roster at this point had he defeated Merab Dvalishvili at Ring of Combat 59 in June. Instead, it was Dvalishvili who got the UFC call-up after he knocked out the Roufusport product just 15 seconds into the first round. Stots made his professional debut in May 2015 and boasts wins over Emerson and UFC veteran Jeff Curran.
More FloCombat Prospect Rankings for September:
Heavyweight
Light Heavyweight
Middleweight
Welterweight
Lightweight
Featherweight