5 biggest fights coming up in the UFC bantamweight division

#2. Jose Aldo vs. Merab Dvalishvili

Jose Aldo (pictured) and Merab Dvalishvili have a combined record of 45-11

Jose Aldo is a future Hall-of-Famer, and he may be a single win away from the 13th UFC title fight of his decorated career. While he is better known for his lengthy reign as featherweight champion, he has looked great at bantamweight recently and is now a three-fight win streak.

His opponent on August 20 will be Merab Dvalishvili, a talented grappler who has arguably become the boogeyman of the 135 lb division. The Georgian is currently on an incredible seven-fight winning streak, and his style makes him an awkward match-up for many of the top fighters at bantamweight.

This fight will be a classic striker vs. grappler match-up with high stakes and no clear favorite. Should Aldo win, he will likely become the No.1-contender, whilst a Dvalishvili win would see him announce himself as a top five fighter at 135 pounds.

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#1. Aljamain Sterling vs. T.J. Dillashaw - UFC bantamweight championship

Aljamain Sterling (pictured) and Dillashaw have a combined record of 38-7

Naturally, the upcoming UFC bantamweight title fight takes top billing on this list. Aljamain Sterling silenced many of his doubters by defeating Petr Yan last time out and will now face a fresh challenge in former two-time champion, T.J. Dillashaw.

The bout will go down on October 22 at UFC 280, the same event where Petr Yan and Sean O'Malley will be competing. The match-up is an interesting one stylistically and could play out somewhat similarly to Sterling's fight with Yan.

Dillashaw will likely have the advantage on the feet, so Sterling will probably look to take him down. Whoever is able to play to their strengths is likely to come out on top, but it's tough to predict who that will be. With the gold on the line, it will be fascinating too see who is crowned king of the bantamweights in October.