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.

Sep 7, 2017 by FloCombat Staff
FloCombat Prospect Rankings - Bantamweight - September 2017
Rankings based off the following....

  • 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


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