UFC 132 Fight Card: The 25 Greatest Bantamweight Fights in MMA History

Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber at UFC 132 this weekend for the UFC bantamweight championship is the biggest bantamweight fight in MMA history.

Cruz has been a dominant champion in the WEC, and the only loss on his record was against Faber for the featherweight title over four years ago.

In order to settle this rivalry, these two champions will also be breaking ground by fighting in the very first bantamweight championship bout in UFC history.

To celebrate this momentous occasion and the birth of a new era of champions, let us take a look back at the top 25 greatest bantamweight fights in MMA history that have brought us to this point. 

25. Zach Makovsky vs. Chad Robichaux

Bellator 41

Zach Makovsky via TKO

Bellator bantamweight champion Zach Makovsky put his reputation on the line by fighting undefeated Chad Robichaux in a non-title fight.

Robichaux threatened with exciting ground techniques but could not catch someone as polished as Makovsky.

By the third round, Robichaux had begun to wilt a little while Makovsky was still going strong, thus leading to a TKO victory for the champion. 

24. Eddie Wineland vs. Antonio Banuelos

WEC 20

Eddie Wineland via knockout

Wineland won the inaugural WEC bantamweight championship with a brilliant first-round knockout over the durable Banuelos.

He landed a headkick and followed up with punches to his crumbling opponent, thus setting forward the lineage of the world's greatest bantamweight championship.

23. Scott Jorgensen vs Antonio Banuelos II

WEC 48 

Scott Jorgensen via unanimous decision

After dropping a split-decision to Banuelos the previous year, Jorgensen racked up three wins in a row and earned his chance for revenge.

Banuelos came out strong to knock Jorgensen down and win the first round, but Jorgensen showed his heart by storming back and bloodying Banuelos in the final two frames.

22. Miguel Torres vs Manny Tapia

WEC 37 

Miguel Torres via TKO

For his second title defense, bantamweight champion Miguel Torres took on the undefeated Mania Tapia.

Torres proved to be the tougher fighter as he ate some good shots from Tapia but still wore him down and beat him down in the second round.

21. Takeya Mizugaki vs. Jeff Curran

WEC 42 

Takeya Mizugaki via split-decision

Bantamweight contenders Jeff Curran and Takeya Mizugaki battled each other in an exciting back-and-forth bout.

Each fighter did enough to make an argument for the victory, but it would be Mizugaki who the judges would decide was the victor.

20. Eddie Wineland vs Manny Tapia

WEC 43 

Eddie Wineland via unanimous decision

Tapia was coming off two consecutive losses, including to Miguel Torres for the bantamweight championship, and former champion Wineland was coming off a loss of his own.

Even though Tapia fought well and landed some good strikes of his own, Wineland battered him for the better part of three rounds in a very impressive performance.

19. Miguel Torres vs Yoshihiro Maeda

WEC 34

Miguel Torres via TKO

Japanese standout Yoshiro Maeda had just knocked out Charlie Valencia with a kick to the body and took on champion Miguel Torres in his first title defense.

Maeda fought great, but Torres was in vintage form, with all manner of aggressive kicks, knees and submission attempts.

In the third round, Maeda's eye started swelling shut, and Torres began picking him apart more and more.

The doctor would not let Maeda answer the bell for the fourth round.

18. Brian Bowles vs. Damacio Page

WEC 35

Brian Bowles via guillotine submission

These two warriors came out throwing some of the heaviest leather in the entire bantamweight division.

As the fighters throw wildly, the fight progressed into grappling exchanges with Bowles looking dangerous with submission attempts.

On his second attempt, Bowles finds a devastating guillotine choke that puts an end to the exciting affair.

17. Eddie Wineland vs. Will Campuzano

WEC 49

Eddie Wineland via TKO (body punch)

Campuzano was coming off  a "fight of the night" performance and had only one loss in his career, but taking on Eddie Wineland proved to be too big of jump up in competition.

Wineland boxed Campuzano up and finished him off in the second round with a beautiful punch to the body that dropped Campuzano for good.

16. Joseph Benavidez vs Wagney Fabiano

WEC 52

Joseph Benavidez via guillotine choke

Wagney Fabiano is a third degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and was a successful featherweight making a great transition into bantamweight.

Until he ran into Benavidez.

Benavidez has said he "eats black belts for breakfast," and that never rang more true than in his submission victory over Fabiano.

15. Dominick Cruz vs. Joseph Benavidez II

WEC 50

Dominick Cruz via split-decision

Their first encounter was an all-time classic for 135lb-ers, and their follow-up five-rounder for the championship lived up to expectations.

It was a close battle with each warrior finding success and doing things that they wanted to do, but ultimately, it would be the champion who would walk away with the split-decision.

14. Brad Pickett vs. Demetrious Johnson

WEC 48

Brad Pickett via unanimous decision

In his WEC debut, Johnson bit off a little more than he could chew in Brad Pickett.

It was an intense back-and-forth affair that got the crowd riled up, and Pickett walked away with a near clean sweep over his young and spirited opponent.

13. Brad Pickett vs Ivan Menjivar

WEC 53 

Brad Pickett via unanimous decision

It was a very close fight with incredible action from both fighters.

Both men are seasoned veterans who were unwilling to relent.

In the end, Pickett walked away with a decision that could have gone either way.

12. Will Campuzano vs. Coty Wheeler

WEC 46

Will Campuzano via unanimous decision

Campuzano hit Wheeler with everything including the kitchen sink, but it was still not enough to finish him off somehow.

This amazing brawl earned the fighters respect and "fight of the night" honors amongst a loaded card.

11. Dominick Cruz vs. Brian Bowles

WEC 47

Dominick Cruz via TKO (hand injury)

Bowles went into his first title defense a moderate favorite but would prove to have nothing to offer Cruz.

The champion broke his right hand in the first round, and that would eventually be his reason for defeat, but Cruz's movement and boxing were on display as he took control of the fight from the very beginning.

10. Miguel Torres vs. Joseph Benavidez

WEC 47

Joseph Benavidez via guillotine choke submission

Miguel Torres was looking to rebound after losing his title to Brian Bowles, but Benavidez was not the guy to rebound against.

In the second round, Benavidez opened up one of the sport's worst cuts on Torres's forehead and then soon after, ended the fight with a guillotinebeing only the second man to ever stop the former champion.

9. Brian Bowles vs. Miguel Torres

WEC 42

Brian Bowles via KO

It was the end of an era when champion Miguel Torres got knocked out by Brian Bowles in the first round.

After a feeling out process, Bowles survived the onslaught from Torres to land some of his power punches.

Torres was knocked out for the only time in his career.

8. Scott Jorgensen vs. Takeya Mizugaki

WEC 45

Scott Jorgensen via unanimous decision

In a battle between two of the division's best, Scott Jorgensen survived a late rally by Mizugaki to take home the very close decision victory.

With terrific scrambles and flurries, both men should be considered winners.

7. Michael McDonald vs. Edwin Figueroa

UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs Davis

Michael McDonald via unanimous decision

In their UFC debuts, these bantamweights won "fight of the night."

Although young prodigy McDonald would get the clear-cut decision, MMAJunkie.com called the fight "one of the better clashes in recent memory."

6. Dominick Cruz vs. Scott Jorgensen

WEC 53

Dominick Cruz via unanimous decision

In his most recent title fight, Dominick Cruz really showed that he is the leader of the bantamweight division.

Cruz cruised through five rounds outstriking Jorgensen 283 to 55 according to CompuStrike.

MMAJunkie.com called Cruz's display a "masterful performance."

5. Urijah Faber vs. Takeya Mizugaki

WEC 52 

Urijah Faber via rear-naked choke

Faber had challenged Jose Aldo for the featherweight title, but after coming up short, Faber decided he would take his talents down to the bantamweight division and make a run for the title.

His first challenge would be former title challenger Takeya Mizugaki.

Mizugaki looked good early, but Faber eventually found his way to the Japanese standout's back. Faber locked in a body triangle and maneuvered for the fight-ending chokechoking Mizugaki out cold.

4. Scott Jorgensen vs. Brad Pickett

WEC 50 

Scott Jorgensen via unanimous decision

On a card that saw an amazing bantamweight championship bout between Dominick Cruz and Joseph Benavidez, it was the exhilarating contender bout between Jorgensen and Pickett that picked up "fight of the night."

The spirited battle was called a "135-pound version of a 'Rocky' movie" by MMAJunkie.com.

3. Antonio Banuelos vs. Scott Jorgensen

WEC 41

Antonio Banuelos via split-decision

Both fighters put it all on the line in a very close scrap where Banuelos walked away with a razor thin split-decision victory.

The fight was so close and so good, that Jorgensen soon earned a rematch even though Banuelos won his subsequent fight.

2. Dominick Cruz vs. Joseph Benavidez

WEC 42

Dominick Cruz via unanimous decision

You know this fight had to be good when it beat out two other fights on this list for "fight of the night."

Cruz pulled off a pretty big upset where MMAweekly.com described the action as "dodging and leaping around each other at a frenzied pace."

1. Miguel Torres vs. Takeya Mizugaki

WEC 40

Miguel Torres via unanimous decision

This was a gritty war of attrition that lasted all five rounds and was an instant classic.

Mizugaki threatened the champion more than many felt he would, but Torres would not be denied as his championship heart was on full display.

As Tapology.com describes it: "it was a bruising in-and-out battle with a relentless pace."

??. Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber II

It is the biggest bantamweight fight in the history of bantamweight fights.

Let us stay tuned in to see how great of a fight it can be.