FloCombat Prospect Rankings - February 2018

FloCombat Prospect Rankings - Bantamweight - February 2018

FloCombat ranks the top 20 North American bantamweight MMA prospects for February 2018.

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 that 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.


February Notes

  • Mark De La Rosa has been removed from the rankings after signing with the UFC.
  • Steven Peterson has been removed from the rankings after signing with the UFC.
  • Josh Hill is removed from the rankings after turning 31 years old. 



RANK
NAME
AGE
RECORD
COUNTRY
NEXT FIGHT
PREVIOUS RANKING
1
Manny Bermudez
23
11-0
USA
 
2
2
Ricky Simon
25
11-1
USA
 
3
3
Gary Mangat
30
10-2
CANADA
 
4
4
Raufeon Stots
28
9-1
USA
 
5
5
John Castañeda
25
16-3
USA
 
6
6
Ryan MacDonald
24
8-0
USA
 
7
7
Maurice Mitchell
30
10-1
USA
 
10
8
Jordan Howard
27
10-4
USA
 
11
9
Josh Rettinghouse
27
16-4
USA
 
12
10
Kyler Phillips
22
5-0
USA
 
13
11
Ricky Bandejas
26
10-1
USA
 
14
12
Brad Katona
25
6-0
CANADA
 
15
13
Ray Rodriguez
29
13-4
USA
 
16
14
Dylan Cala
24
5-1
USA
 
17
15
Joseph Maness
26
8-0
USA
 
18
16
Miles Johns
23
6-0
USA
 
20
17
Xavier Alaoui
25
8-3
Canada
 
19
18
Tony Gravely
28
12-4
USA
Fights Feb. 17 vs. Patrick Mix
NR
19
Cole Smith
28
4-0
CANADA
 
NR
20
Keith Lee
21
3-1
USA
 
NR


#1 – Manny Bermudez (11-0)

Bermudez is coming off another first-round submission win over Seth Basler, which was live on FloCombat on Jan. 27 at Cage Titans 37. At 11-0 with nine 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.

#2 – 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 for Simon, 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. Simon faces UFC veteran Chico Camus for the vacant LFA bantamweight title on Dec. 15.

#3 – Gary Mangat (10-1)

Mangat is still regarded as 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 is coming off the just second loss of his career, as he was finished in the first round at Brave CF 9. 

#4 – 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 defends his VFC title on Dec. 16 when he takes on Arnold Berdon.

#5 – John Castaneda (16-3)

Castaneda was on the brink of a UFC contract after winning at Dana White's Contender Series 4 via unanimous decision but opted to compete in Combate Americas' Combate 18: Copa Combate tournament, where he made it to the finals and lost via unanimous decision to Levy Saúl Marroquín Salazar. While the overall tournament run was strong, it was a disappointing end for Castaneda after building significant momentum in 2017.