Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Flyweight

1. Demetrious Johnson (26-2-1)

Cooler heads have prevailed, at least for now, in the public feud between Johnson and UFC President Dana White. “Mighty Mouse” will get the fight he wanted for his potentially record-setting 11th consecutive UFC title defense, staking his 125-pound crown against Ray Borg at UFC 215 in Edmonton, Alberta. Whether the UFC pushes for Johnson to return to 135 pounds after the Borg bout remains to be seen.

2. Joseph Benavidez (25-4)

Benavidez has long been one of the healthiest and most reliable fighters in the game, but this is MMA and everybody gets hurt from time to time. Benavidez, who is perpetually orbiting just outside a third UFC flyweight title shot against Demetrious Johnson, was lined up to face Ben Nguyen in Auckland, New Zealand, on June 11. However, Benavidez was forced from the bout with a knee injury, with Tim Elliott stepping in as his replacement.

3. Henry Cejudo (10-2)

The scale has been the primary rival of Cejudo throughout his four-plus years in the sport, and when illness related to his weight cut knocked him out of his slated UFC 211 bout with Sergio Pettis, it looked like it might be the end of the Olympic gold medalist as a flyweight. Instead, Cejudo will try to avoid losing his third fight in a row at UFC 215 on Sept. 9 in Edmonton, Alberta, where he takes on fellow former UFC title challenger Wilson Reis.

4. Kyoji Horiguchi (20-2)

Before Horiguchi became one of the world's best flyweights, he was a fine bantamweight prospect. Now participating in Rizin Fighting Federation's 2017 bantamweight tournament, he has headed back to his old division as the face and focal point of the grand prix. So far so good: In the opening round of the tournament on July 30 in Saitama, Japan, Horiguchi wasted popular Japanese action fighter Hideo Tokoro in less than two minutes.

5. Wilson Reis (22-7)

Reis was blown out every which way by UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson in April before being armbarred in the third round. With that said, Reis seems to have little use for a tune-up fight in his next outing, as the 32-year-old Brazilian has signed on to tangle with Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo at UFC 215 on Sept. 9 in Edmonton, Alberta.

6. Ray Borg (11-2)

At just 23 years old, Borg is one of the best young fighters in the UFC at any weight. However, even with his posting five wins in his last six starts -- his run includes strong victories over Louis Smolka and Jussier da Silva -- one has to wonder if he is ready for flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. “The Tazmexican Devil” will get his chance to author an upset for the ages when he challenges Johnson for the 125-pound throne at UFC 215 in Edmonton, Alberta, on Sept. 9.

7. Jussier da Silva (19-5)

Da Silva has unquestionably been one of the premier flyweights in the world for the better part of eight years, but during his nearly five-year Octagon tenure, the Brazilian has posted a 5-4 mark. While it may seem pedestrian, “Formiga” has consistently faced the creme de la creme of the division. Next time out, the Nova Uniao Kimura product will look to move his UFC winning percentage up to .600, as he takes on fellow crafty grappler Yuta Sasaki at UFC Fight Night 117 on Sept. 23 in Saitama, Japan.

8. Sergio Pettis (16-2)

Since he turned pro seven years ago at just 18 years old, it was expected that one day Pettis would be a 125-pound star. There were stumbling blocks along the way, including an upset knockout loss to Ryan Benoit in his UFC flyweight debut. Since then, “The Phenom” has won four in a row, and on Aug. 5 in Mexico City, he cooled off red-hot prospect Brandon Moreno, taking a 25-minute decision and the biggest win of his still-young career.

9. Brandon Moreno (14-4)

Moreno was the No. 16 seed in the tournament on “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 24 and was choked out by Alexandre Pantoja in the opening round. Moreno made his official UFC debut in October and began a shocking hot streak, as he knocked off Louis Smolka, Ryan Benoit and Dustin Ortiz in a seventh-month span. In front of a partisan Mexican crowd on Aug. 6, however, Moreno was brought back to Earth by fellow up-and-comer Sergio Pettis, who used technique and fitness to best “The Assassin Baby” over 25 minutes.

10. Dustin Ortiz (17-7)

Ortiz in April slipped to 2-4 in his previous six fights when he fell victim to Mexican prospect Brandon Moreno's surprising hot streak. However, he got back on track in a major way on Aug. 5 in Mexico City, blowing away Team Alpha Male's Hector Sandoval with a devastating 15-second knockout to keep pace in an intensifying 125-pound division.

Other Contenders: Magomed Bibulatov, Tim Elliott, Tyson Nam, Ben Nguyen, Alexandre Pantoja.

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