By T.P. Grant

With so many different weight classes and champions, mixed martial arts can be a difficult sport to follow. The UFC roster currently contains more than 500 fighters, not to mention the thousands outside its promotion, so it’s not surprising that people have a hard time keeping up.

To help, FloCombat is going to run down each UFC weight class and highlight fighters that new or casual MMA fans should watch.

Bantamweight is the second-smallest men’s weight class, and is far more established than the new flyweight division. In the mid-2000’s, the promotion World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) introduced a Bantamweight division, and their championship was considered prestigious for the weight class. In 2006 Zuffa, owners of the UFC, bought the WEC, and continued to operate it as a separate league. In 2010, Zuffa merged the WEC into the UFC, and brought over the WEC’s Bantamweight roster to create the UFC Bantamweight division.

This division is in the midst of a turnover as the old guard from the WEC/UFC merger are giving way to a new generation of Bantamweights, and there are some very exciting young fighters on the way up. Here are a few to watch!

Dominick Cruz

Few fighters have a career like Dominick Cruz. In 2010, Cruz won the WEC Bantamweight title when he defeated Brian Bowles, and defended that belt twice before the UFC merger. Cruz then was named the first UFC Bantamweight Champion, and his first defense was set against bitter rival and all-time-great fighter Urijah Faber. Cruz defeated Faber, and then defended his title a second time against Demetrious Johnson. Cruz then suffered a series of injuries in training that sidelined him for three years, and in that time, Cruz was stripped of his title for inactivity. Cruz returned to action in 2014 by utterly destroying Takuya Mizugaki. He was then given a title shot against sitting Bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw, student of Urijah Faber. Unfortunately, Cruz again sustained an injury and was forced to sit out all of 2015. He finally got his shot at UFC gold again in 2016. In January, after having only fought once in the last five years, stepped in the cage against reigning UFC champion Dillashaw. Cruz put on the fight of his career, and won the belt back in a one-sided decision.

One of the most tenacious competitors in the sport, Cruz's style is heavily based in movement and footwork. During his WEC run, Cruz was considered a revolutionary fighter. Many fighters have assimilated the conceptual foundations of Cruz’s game to mimic his style and success. Many thought Cruz would struggle due to his long layoff, but in his fight with Dillashaw, he demonstrated he is still very much on the cutting edge of the sport.

Cruz is one of the last WEC veterans still competing at the elite levels of the sport. If he is able to stay healthy, he will meet a rising class of bantamweight fighters, making every one of his title defenses a must-watch affair.

T.J. Dillashaw

Despite coming off a loss to Cruz, Dillashaw is entering into the prime of his career. A college wrestler who came to MMA through his connection to Team Alpha Male, run by former WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber, Dillashaw entered the UFC in the 14th season of The Ultimate Fighter. There, he made the final, but lost to now-flyweight contender John Dodson. Dillashaw ran off four straight wins before his next UFC loss, but his career really took off when he began working with striking coach Duane Ludwig. Under Faber’s and Ludwig’s combined tutelage, Dillashaw won the bantamweight title in 2014, but when Ludwig parted ways from Faber and left Team Alpha Male, Dillashaw followed.

Like Cruz, Dillashaw is a nuanced striker who makes heavy use of movement, but he's more willing to sit down on punches and integrate more kicks into his game. Dillashaw will lean on his wrestling at times, and has a strong top game to go with his elite striking skill set.

Though Dillashaw is on the comeback trail, he's in the sixth year of his career, which is normally the beginning of a MMA fighter’s prime. The vanguard for the post-WEC bantamweight, Dillashaw is sure to be a key player in the title picture as the division continues to evolve.

Aljamain Sterling

An undefeated prospect, Aljamain Sterling has collected a 4-0 record inside the UFC before he tested the free agent market this past winter. Sterling ended up accepting the UFC’s offer and is set to return to the Octagon later this year. Sterling was a standout in Division III NCAA Wrestling and his friendship with Jon Jones peaked his interest in MMA. Sterling started his MMA career with 3 amateur fights in 2010 and then turned pro in 2011, and has run off 12 straight wins since. Sterling currently trains with the Serra-Longo Fight Team, one of the top camps in the sport.

Sterling’s main strength is his grappling, his wrestling base has been enhanced with a strong mat and submission game with the help of Matt Serra. And under the tutelage of Ray Longo, Sterling’s striking has been steadily improving. An outstanding athlete to boot, the only frustration Sterling has faced thus far is the fact he has only had five fights in the last three years. Sterling wants to be more active moving forward and that would be a boon to fans as he is one of the most exciting up-and-coming fighters in the sport.

Thomas Almeida

Speaking of exciting Bantamweight prospects, there are few more entertaining young fighters than Thomas Alemida. While he has only been in the UFC for about a year and half, Alemida has made a name for himself with violent victories. Training out of the historic Chute Boxe Academy in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Alemida is only 24-years-old and primed to start getting big time fights in the Bantamweight division. Parts of Alemdia’s wrestling and grappling are still in question as he hasn’t faced a high enough quality of fighter to really test those aspects of his game. It is unclear right now if Alemida is a Championship contender in the making or a high level action fighter, but either way he is a must watch fighter.