World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts Releases Rankings for the Month of December Featuring the Debut of a Top Ten for Bantamweights...
Over the course of the last year, the bantamweight division has experienced a tremendous amount of growth in MMA, thanks in large part to the exposure afforded to it by World Extreme Cage Fighting.
The weight class, which features combat sports athletes weighing between 126 and 135 pounds, is home to some of the world's most-skilled fighters, including WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres and Shooto 132 pound champion Masakatsu Ueda.
And now, it's with great pleasure that the World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts (WAMMA) announces it has debuted a bantamweight top ten in its December rankings poll.
"The bantamweight division in MMA has emerged as an exciting primetime addition to an all ready action packed sport," said WAMMA Chief Operating Officer Michael Lynch. "The weight class shines with some of most talented fighters in Mixed Martial Arts and #1 WAMMA ranked bantamweight Miguel Torres is truly a superstar in the making."
WAMMA's entire top ten ranked bantamweights can be viewed via its website, which is located at http://www.GoWAMMA.com.
WAMMA's December rankings also featured the debut of Mike Swick as a top ten ranked welterweight. Swick, once a highly regarded middleweight prospect, has gone 3-0 since his drop to 170 with wins over Marcus Davis and Josh Burkman. His most recent welterweight win took place at last Wednesday's "UFC Fight for the Troops," where he TKO'd Jonathan Goulet at just 33 seconds of round 1.
Aside from Swick, WAMMA's December poll saw very little movement in its top ten rankings with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Forrest Griffin, Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre, B.J. Penn, and Mike Thomas Brown all retaining number one rankings in their respective weight classes.
The rankings also saw Eddie Alvarez and Shinya Aoki retain their respective number two and three rankings in WAMMA's lightweight top ten. The news comes amid rumors that a planned Alvarez vs. Aoki matchup on Dec. 31 during FEG's "Dynamite!!" event in Saitama, Japan could see WAMMA's vacant lightweight title a stake.
"WAMMA is actively in discussions to have the superfight between Alvarez and Aoki award the very first WAMMA Lightweight Championship," said Lynch. "Support for the idea has been overwhelmingly positive and it is our hope that New Year's Eve will ring in a WAMMA Lightweight Champion in Japan at FEG's 'Dynamite!!'"
While December saw very little movement in WAMMA's top ten rankings, major changes could be in store in the next six weeks with major cards set to be promoted by the UFC and Affliction Entertainment. Both events will feature fights involving ranked fighters going head-to-head.
On Dec. 27, UFC 92 will promote three fights between competitors ranked in WAMMA's top ten. Number one ranked light heavyweight Forrest Griffin will defend his UFC heavyweight title vs. Rashad Evans, WAMMA's number four ranked light heavyweight. Also, WAMMA's number one ranked heavyweight and UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will be matched up with WAMMA's ninth ranked heavyweight, Frank Mir.
Meanwhile, Quinton Jackson, WAMMA's number two ranked light heavyweight, will be challenge by Wanderlei Silva, WAMMA's number five ranked light heavyweight.
Also included in the list of major matchups set to take place in the next six weeks is WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko's first-ever title defense of his title against former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski during Affliction's "Day of Reckoning" event on January 24 in Anaheim, California.
"On January 24th on PPV, Fedor Emelianenko and Andrei Arlovski will go head-to-head for the most prestigious title in Mixed Martial Arts: the WAMMA World Undisputed Heavyweight Championship," Lynch said. "With a fight card full of exciting match-ups from start to end, Affliction's 'Day of Reckoning' is a must-see event for both the casual and die-hard fan.
"WAMMA is also excited about the upcoming UFC 92 event, which features a card full of WAMMA ranked MMA superstars. After the smoke clears at UFC 92, the WAMMA rankings will surely see movement in some of the biggest names in Mixed Martial Arts today."
WAMMA's group of pollsters -- which includes nationally recognized MMA experts such as CBSSports.com's Denny Burkholder, MMAjunkie.com's John Morgan, and Jose Rodriguez of the Calgary Sun -- will next convene to vote on Monday, January 19.
