Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Flyweight

1. Jussier da Silva (9-0)
In his high-pressure stateside debut, da Silva aced his assignment, liberally taking the back of WEC veteran Danny Martinez en route to a tidy unanimous decision win. Next on tap for “Formiga” is a bout with another WEC alum, Ian McCall, at Tachi Palace Fights 8 in February. A victory there could set him up for a shot at the TPF flyweight crown.

2. Yasuhiro Urushitani (17-4-6)
It was a non-title fight, but in his Nov. 19 appearance against a tough Takuya Mori, Urushitani looked every bit the top 123-pounder in professional Shooto. Urushitani brutally bashed Mori in the first round, earning his first knockout in the Shooto ring in his decade-long career.

3. Mamoru Yamaguchi (24-5-3)
Yamaguchi’s best performances in recent memory, oddly enough, have come inside King of the Cage and Shoot Boxing. However, the afroed ace gave the Shooto faithful a highlight reel to remember on Nov. 19, as he crushed up-and-comer Fumihiro Kitahara with a brutal head kick in the first round.

4. Yuki Shojo (10-5-2)
In a more entertaining outing than his September majority points win over Junya Kudo, Shojo earned a lopsided unanimous decision victory over rugged Guam product Jesse Taitano on March 22. With it, he kept pace in the Shooto 123-pound division.

5. Ryuichi Miki (10-4-3)
A third bout with Yasuhiro Urushitani was the chance of a lifetime for Miki, who had the opportunity to vie for the Shooto world title. However, the first two bouts between Miki and Urushitani already told us who was the better fighter, and it was Urushitani who walked out the victor and champion on May 30.

6. Kiyotaka Shimizu (6-3-2)
After splitting a pair of bouts, Shimizu’s Dec. 5 defense of his King of Pancrase flyweight title against Mitsuhisa Sunabe was supposed to be the final chapter in their rivalry. However, the two 125-pound scrappers went to a highly contentious split draw that might set the stage for a fourth bout between them in 2011.

7. Alexis Vila (8-0)
The best kept secret in the flyweight division, the former Olympic wrestling bronze medalist posted his eighth career win on June 25, as he savaged veteran Omar Choudhury, stopping him in the second frame. One can only hope the win will position the dynamic Cuban for a bigger bout in the 125-pound division.

8. Fumihiro Kitahara (9-2-1)
Kitahara’s first bout against a real A-level flyweight did not exactly go as hoped. The 2008 Shooto rookie champion took on former two-division Shooto world titleholder Mamoru Yamaguchi, who needed just two and a half minutes to put his shin on Kitahara’s head, leaving him flat on the mat.

9. Mitsuhisa Sunabe (13-6-4)
Sunabe looked to regain his flyweight King of Pancrase title Dec. 5 against rival Kiyotaka Shimizu. He was not successful, as the pair battled to a split draw. However, the bout’s lack of resolution and high level of excitement could pave the way for a fourth clash between Sunabe and Shimizu in 2011.

10. John Dodson (11-5)
The Dec. 11 Nemesis Fighting show in the Dominican Republic was an unmitigated disaster. However, Dodson at least picked up a quality win, besting the previously unbeaten John Moraga by unanimous decision.

Other contenders: Louis Gaudinot, Ulysses Gomez, Darrell Montague, Alexandre Pantoja, Masaaki Sugawara.