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Flyweight
1. Joseph Benavidez (28-6)
Benavidez suffered perhaps the most painful defeat of his career to date at UFC Fight Night 169, as he fell to Deiveson Figueiredo via technical knockout 1:54 into the second stanza of the evening’s headliner at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Va. Due to Figueiredo missing weight, only Benavidez was eligible to win the flyweight championship, but the former Team Alpha Male product instead was unsuccessful for the third time in a title bout in UFC competition. While an accidental headbutt appeared to knock Benavidez off kilter, he also struggled with the superior size and power of his Brazilian opponent throughout the contest.2. Sergio Pettis (19-5)
Back at 135 pounds, Pettis made a statement in his Bellator debut. The Roufusport representative rocked Alfred Khashakyan with a right hook and follow-up punches before locking in a guillotine choke at the 3:07 mark of Round 1 at Bellator 238. Pettis’ eligibility at 125 pounds won’t expire until September, as he bested Tyson Nam in a flyweight bout at UFC Fight Night 159. However, with no flyweight division in Bellator, it’s likely that Pettis stays put at bantamweight for the foreseeable future.3. Deiveson Figueiredo (18-1)
Figueiredo has to be kicking himself after an impressive performance against Joseph Benavidez in the UFC Fight Night 169 headliner. The 32-year-old Brazilian floored Benavidez with a powerful right hand and ended the contest with a few follow-up hammerfists at the 1:54 mark of Round 2 of their bout in Norfolk, Va., but the flyweight title will remain vacant due to Figueiredo missing weight. It sounds like Figueiredo will get a chance to right that wrong, as UFC president Dana White wants to schedule a flyweight title rematch with Benavidez down the road.4. Alexandre Pantoja (22-4)
Pantoja displayed some impressive power at UFC Fight Night 165, finishing “The Ultimate Fighter 24” cast mate Matt Schnell via knockout in the opening frame of their clash in Busan, South Korea. The Brazilian, who has won six of his eight Octagon appearances, is tied for fourth in UFC flyweight history with four finishes. The former Resurrection Fighting Alliance champ also owns notable wins over the likes of Wilson Reis and Brandon Moreno within the Las Vegas-based promotion and figures to be a talent to watch.5. Brandon Moreno (17-5-1)
Moreno has come a long way in a short time since a brief release from the UFC in 2018. “The Assassin Baby” secured the biggest win of his career to date at UFC Fight Night 170, where he took a closely-contested unanimous decision over perennial contender Jussier Formiga. The 26-year-old Mexico native is unbeaten in his last four bouts and owns other notable wins over Kai Kara-France and Dustin Ortiz during his UFC tenure.6. Jussier Formiga (23-7)
Formiga fought well against Brandon Moreno at UFC Fight Night 171, but the Brazilian ultimately dropped a three-round verdict to “The Assassin Baby” in Brasilia, Brazil on March 14. After a four-bout winning streak propelled the American Top Team member to the brink of a title shot, back-to-back losses against Joseph Benavidez and Moreno have moved Formiga to the middle of the pack in the contender’s queue. Formiga is slated for a showdown with Alex Perez at UFC 250 on June 6.7. Rogerio Bontorin (16-2)
Bontorin tasted defeat for just the second time in his professional career at UFC Fight Night 167, as he was grounded repeatedly and outwrestled in a unanimous decision loss to Ray Borg at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, N.M., on Feb. 15. While Borg missed weight, it doesn’t make the setback any easier to accept for the Brazilian, who began his promotional tenure with triumphs over Raulian Paiva and Magomed Bibulatov.8. Matt Schnell (14-5)
Schnell didn’t hesitate to trade punches during a frenetic duel with Alexandre Pantoja at UFC Fight Night 165 in Busan, South Korea. While “Danger” certainly landed his share — and even buckled his opponent on one occasion — he ultimately succumbed to a counter right hand to lose by knockout in the opening stanza. The defeat halted a four-bout winning streak for the American Top representative, who was coming off consecutive submission wins over Jordan Espinosa and Louis Smolka.9. Alex Perez (23-5)
Perez made a statement at UFC Fight Night 166 in Raleigh, N.C., submitting Jordan Espinosa with an arm-triangle choke in the opening round of their flyweight bout. In his last 11 professional outings, Perez has only lost to perennial contender Joseph Benavidez. Perez will return to action against perennial contender Jussier Formiga at UFC 250 on June 6.10. Kai Kara-France (21-8, 1 NC)
Kara-France continues to carve at a solid resume in the flyweight division, as he relied on superior movement and volume to capture a unanimous decision triumph against Tyson Nam at UFC Auckland on Feb. 22. The 26-year-old City Kickboxing representative has been victorious in four of five Octagon appearances, with his only setback coming at the hands of Brandon Moreno.Other Contenders: Jordan Espinosa, Askar Askarov, Zhalgas Zhumagulov, Joshua Pacio, Yunus Evloev.
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