The amateur bantamweight division has some serious talent, and that's highlighted by a combined 28-4 record for the top 7 ranked fighters! Jeff Joy (4-0) is the king of the mountain with an undefeated 4-0 record, as he's picked up quality wins over #2 ranked Kam Arnold (6-1), and #3 ranked Arthur Mpofu (3-1) in his last two bouts. Joy has made it clear that his next fight will be in the pro ranks, but until he official makes that cage walk, we'll still have him ranked as the best 135'er in New England. Joy has a technical striking game, is legit on the mat, and has shown to have a chin that nicely accompanies his grittiness inside the cage. All 4 of his MMA victories have come alongside Mike Polvere under the Cage Titans banner, and he also picked up a Muay Thai win with the promotion his last time out at Cage Titans 47. Joy has all of the tools to make an impression in the pro bantamweight division so long as he continues to train with passion and surround himself with the right people.
Recon MMA is represented well in the 2nd slot by "Killa" Kam Arnold (6-1). The Maine based fighter has show to have some of the most lethal hands in the division, and an argument can be made he is pound for pound the most heavy handed striker in the game. All 6 of his wins have come by way of KO/TKO, 4 of those coming in the 1st round. In his last bout at NEF 41 he severely slept #10 ranked flyweight and First Class MMA fighter Walt Shea in one has to be considered one of the best KO's of 2019! Arnold's left hand has proven to be his deadliest weapon, but in his one fight where he was tested on the mat, Jeff Joy was able to submit him. "Killa" has surrounded himself with a solid team and high-level coaches, so his evolution as a fighter will be pronounced over the coming years. I suspect Arnold will make the jump to the pro ranks soon, and he'll quickly become a fighter to watch with the quick potential of finding himself in our pro bantamweight rankings. Arnold's one of the most exciting fighters in the region and has a massive following. Keep an eye out for this kid, as he has the potential to make it to the next level while dishing out highlight reel knockouts.
Arnold was scheduled to take on #3 ranked Arthur Mpofu in April under the Cage Titans banner, but that card was obviously scrapped due to the pandemic. The SBG East fighter has a quality win over #10 ranked Fouad Shahin (2-1), and dropped a unanimous decision to #1 ranked Jeff Joy. Mpofu is a well rounded fighter associated with a high-level gym in the region, and his proven to be a worthy advisory of the best the division has to offer. Hopefully we'll be able to see Arnold/Mpofu once fights get started back up, as that will give us some serious insight as to how the #2 and #3 positions in our rankings should read.
#2 ranked flyweight Tyler "Rookie" Randall finds himself as the 4th ranked fighter in the bantamweight division, while young stud Shane Dougherty holds onto the 5th position. I don't suspect that either of these guys will be fighting in this weight class very much, as Randall seems more fit for the 125 pound division, and Dougherty the 145 pound weight class. Regardless of which weight class they fight in, both Randall and Dougherty have legit skills that will translate nicely in the pro ranks, and hopefully we'll see both of them getting paid to fight in the very near future.
Keep an eye out for the top half of this division to make some serious waves in the pro ranks soon. There's some young killers here, and I wouldn't be surprised if we found more than one of them fighting for a major promotion within the next 3-4 years.
