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It has been a somewhat confusing year for the UFC bantamweight division. Much of this stems from UFC 259 when Aljamain Sterling became UFC champion after being unable to recover from an illegal knee from former champ, Petr Yan.
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Sterling's disqualification victory saw him win the belt, a first for a UFC champion. He has since struggled with injury issues which have rendered him unable to defend his title.
Yan, meanwhile, was victorious over Cory Sandhagen at UFC 267 to win the interim UFC bantamweight championship. This has created an interesting situation at the top of the division given that Sterling holds the title too.
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This intrigue exists right the way down the division as there are plenty of established stars at lower spots in the rankings. For example, former champions Jose Aldo and Dominick Cruz are ranked No.5 and No.10 respectively.
This continues right the way down the division where unranked fighters like Sean O'Malley regularly go back and forth with the likes of Petr Yan over social media.
Indeed, there are a number of incredibly talented unranked bantamweights in the UFC who could be set for enormous years in 2022 should they keep up their momentum.
Here are five of the best unranked bantamweights in the UFC today:
#5. Casey Kenney
Casey Kenney likely popped on to fans' radar when he fought Dominick Cruz at UFC 259. While some felt this was a mismatch on paper given Cruz's credentials, Kenney put on a very strong performance as he lost via split decision.
While Kenney suffered a second straight loss at UFC 265 to Song Yadong, this was another tight split decision loss against a ranked fighter in the division. Kenney's only other UFC loss was to the surging No.6 ranked Merab Dvalishvili.
Besides these tough losses, Kenney has also enjoyed plenty of success. He is a former interim flyweight and bantamweight champion in LFA, and his UFC record still stands at a very respectable 5-3.
Kenney still has plenty of good years in him as he's only 30 and he certainly looks like a good bet to break into those rankings in 2022. Especially considering that as he's taking steps up in competition in each fight, he only looks better.
#4. Ricky Simón
Simón is another contender who has had championship success outside of the UFC. He won both the Titan FC and LFA bantamweight championships prior to entering the UFC and he's currently on a three-fight win streak.
Simón is right on the verge of being ranked and may be able to make that leap before the end of the year. He fights No.13-ranked Raphael Assuncao on December 12th, and a win there would likely see him make the jump.
Simón has plenty of years ahead of him, given that he is just 29. His winning streak indicates he may already have sorted out his previous issues, however many fans will remember his upset loss to a certain well-known veteran.
#3. Urijah Faber
With Faber now 42, his most recent win came over the aforementioned Simón just two years ago, proving he can still fight at a high level despite his age. He has fought once since then in a losing performance. However, the loss was against current interim champion Petr Yan. He is still clearly operating at a high-level.
He nearly returned to the octagon last year when he offered to replace his teammate Song Yadong should visa issues have prevented him from competing in his scheduled bout against Marlon Vera. Ultimately, the issue was sorted and Faber was not needed.
The story does show us that Faber is staying in shape and clearly feels he can still compete at a high level. While it's unlikely we'll see him fly up the rankings in 2022, he is a former title challenger and remains one of the best unranked fighters in the division.
#2. Sean O'Malley
One could argue that Sean O'Malley is the biggest star in the UFC's bantamweight division. With that being said, he remains unranked and is yet to beat a ranked fighter.
O'Malley is an incredible fighter to watch as he has knocked out four of his last five opponents. The UFC also clearly feels he is destined for big things as he almost exclusively fights on their big pay-per-view events.
It's tough to say just how good O'Malley is given the quality of opponents he has faced thus far, but his performances certainly suggest he has immense potential.
The one blot on his record came at the hands of Marlon Vera at UFC 252. O'Malley suffered a serious leg injury on that occasion. While 'Sugar' felt the bout was a fluke, he would likely have been ranked by now had he secured a win there.
#1. Jack Shore
Jack Shore is a man yet to taste defeat in professional MMA. The Welsh-born bantamweight is a perfect 15-0 thus far in his career and an impressive 4-0 in the UFC.
Shore is another fighter who had significant success prior to the UFC, winning and defending the Cage Warriors Bantamweight Championship. Given this is one of the biggest MMA organizations outside of the UFC, it appears to have prepared him well.
His most recent fight saw him cruise to an impressive unanimous decision victory over Liudvik Sholinian in September this year. The win was made all the more impressive when it was revealed Shore had been fighting a number of injuries.
On top of this, Shore is just 26-years-old and has plenty of time to improve even more. Like the majority of the men on this list, look for him to have a big year in 2022 and force his way into the bantamweight rankings.
