UFC 145 Results: Michael McDonald and the Top 10 Bantamweights in the UFC

On Saturday night, Michael McDonald proved that all the hype is for real, as he knocked out the former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres.

McDonald is now 5-0 in the WEC and UFC, and he has earned three finishes and two fight-night bonuses.

He's now firmly entrenched in the top 10 bantamweights in MMA, but how high up is he?

And what about Miguel Torres? How far does he drop down the rankings.

Read on to find out.

No. 10: Ivan Menjivar

Ivan Menjivar is a promising prospect in the bantamweight division. With a 23-8 overall record, and 2-1 in the bantamweight division, he could make some noise in 2012.

His only loss in the division came at the hands of Brad Pickett, and he has since won two in a row.

Menjivar is an finisher, as he has finished 17 of his 23 opponents he defeated, eight TKOs and nine submissions.

He's well-rounded and dangerous; watch out.

No. 9: Eddie Wineland

Eddie Wineland is a former WEC bantamweight champion but has proved unable to compete with the top bantamweights these days.

In his final WEC fight, Wineland won KO of the night with a slam victory over Ken Stone.

Since then, in two UFC fights, Wineland has dropped unanimous decisions to Urijah Faber and Joseph Benavidez.

That's some tough competition, but two losses are still two losses—unless your name is Dan Hardy.

No. 8: Brad Pickett

Up next is "One-Punch" Brad Pickett.

Pickett is 4-2 in his ZUFFA career, having only lost to Renan Barao by submission and Scott Jorgensen by unanimous decision.

Most recently, Pickett earned a second-round submission victory over Damacio Page, for which he also won submission of the night.

No. 7: Miguel Torres

Miguel Torres has now dropped to 3-4 in his last seven fights and has simply proven to be unable to keep up with the top competition in the bantamweight division these days.

With his wins over Nick Pace, Antonio Banuelos and Charlie Valencia, and losses to McDonald, Demetrious Johnson, Joseph Benavidez and Brian Bowles, Torres is nothing more than a gatekeeper now.

Hopefully, he sticks around in the UFC for some more time, because he sure does put on good fights.

No. 6: Scott Jorgensen

Scott Jorgensen is a top bantamweight but may not ever have what it takes to become the champion. At UFC 143, he was defeated by unanimous decision by Renan Barao and dropped back down in the rankings.

Jorgensen fought for the title once before, as he faced the current champ, Dominick Cruz, at WEC 53 and lost every round on the scorecards. He isn't likely to get back to the title anytime soon though.

In his ZUFFA career, Jorgensen is 9-4, including a win over Jeff Curran at UFC 137, so he's definitely a top fighter, just not quite at the top of his game yet.

No. 5: Michael McDonald

Michael McDonald showed that he is the real deal on Saturday night, as he knocked out the former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres.

It was a back-and-forth fight, where McDonald was mainly controlling the action, and then, he caught Torres with an uppercut and floored him.

He landed a few punches on the ground, but Torres was already out, and Herb Dean was on his way over to stop the fight.

It was an impressive performance, and McDonald is sure to be close to a title shot.

No. 4: Brian Bowles

Brian Bowles is the former WEC bantamweight champion and is another fighter who has already been defeated by Dominick Cruz.

Bowles was outclassed in the two rounds against Cruz before a doctor's stoppage due to a broken hand suffered by Bowles.

At UFC 139, he faced Urijah Faber in a No. 1 contender's match, and he tasted true defeat for the first time in his career, as he was submitted in the second round.

Bowles will now have to start his climb back up the bantamweight ladder.

No. 3: Renan Barao

Renan Barao has now proven that he's one of the best bantamweights in the world, as he defeated former title challenger Scott Jorgensen by unanimous decision on Saturday night.

Barao was being heralded by many as a future title challenger, and with his win over Jorgensen, he proved everyone right.

Barao will face Ivan Menjivar at UFC 148, and with a win, he will likely earn a shot at the winner of Urijah Faber against Dominick Cruz.

No. 2: Urijah Faber

Urijah Faber has now staked his claim as the No. 2 bantamweight in the world.

At UFC 139, he proved that he's one of the best bantamweights in the world, as he defeated former champion Brian Bowles via second-round submission.

Faber will now get a second shot at the UFC bantamweight title and a third shot at Dominick Cruz.

For now, he's going to coach on Season 15 of The Ultimate Fighter.

No. 1: Dominick Cruz

Duh.

Cruz is the current champion, and he's well on his way to cleaning out the bantamweight division.

Cruz has defeated Brian Bowles, Urijah Faber, Scott Jorgensen and the three top contenders in the flyweight division (Demetrious Johnson, Ian McCall and Joseph Benavidez twice.)

A new contender has emerged from the pack in Renan Barao, and he may be the only challenge left for Cruz after his next fight.

For now, Cruz will face off against Urijah Faber on Season 15 of The Ultimate Fighter, and they will fight for the title at the conclusion of the season.

Tim McTiernan is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. For the latest news on everything MMA, follow me on Twitter @TimMcTiernan.