Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Flyweight

1. Demetrious Johnson (23-2-1)

Johnson continues to reign supreme over the 125-pound division. His latest feat came at UFC 191, where the 29-year-old defended his belt for the seventh time with a lopsided decision over John Dodson. In a little less than three years as champion, “Mighty Mouse” has taken out all contenders in his division, and he has done so in convincing fashion. Johnson will carry a nine-fight winning streak into his UFC 197 bout with Olympic wrestler Henry Cejudo.

2. Joseph Benavidez (24-4)

Benavidez outworked former Bellator titlist Zach Makovsky with high-volume combinations and sharp counter-wrestling to capture a unanimous decision in their Feb. 6 duel. Despite a five-fight winning streak against top-10 opposition, the 31-year-old remains stuck outside the title picture due to his two losses against reigning champ Demetrious Johnson.

3. John Dodson (17-7)

Try as he might, Dodson could neither will nor talk himself to victory against flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson in the UFC 191 main event on Sept. 5. “The Magician” was victimized for a second time by Johnson, as he dropped a unanimous decision in a rematch that never felt competitive. Dodson now finds himself in divisional limbo, having lost to the champion twice in the span of five fights. He will move up to 135 pounds for a date with Manny Gamburyan at UFC on Fox 19 in April.

4. Henry Cejudo (10-0)

Cejudo continued to flex his developing standup game in a Nov. 21 bout with Jussier da Silva, and his decision to strike with the Brazilian submission specialist paid off in the form of a three-round split verdict. The win put Cejudo in line for a crack at dominant UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson on April 23.

5. Jussier da Silva (18-4)

Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace “Formiga” once again found himself on the brink of UFC title contention, but he was unable to get anything going against Henry Cejudo in a Nov. 21 decision loss contested mostly on the feet. Da Silva’s 4-3 Octagon record is deceptive, as those three defeats have come against some of the division’s best, but his losses have come at crucial points and kept him from fighting for gold.

6. Wilson Reis (20-6)

Reis sat out eight months after a disappointing decision loss to Jussier da Silva, but on Jan. 30, he returned in fine form. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt owned Dustin Ortiz in the grappling department en route to a unanimous decision win, raising Reis’ Octagon record to 4-2.

7. John Moraga (16-4)

Despite finding some success on the feet at UFC 187, Moraga was ultimately overwhelmed by the takedowns and ground-and-pound of Joseph Benavidez, who pocketed a unanimous decision after three rounds. “Chicano John” continues to be a tough out for most flyweights but has come up short against the division’s elite during his 5-3 Octagon run.

8. Kyoji Horiguchi (16-2)

In his first fight since a failed bid to take Demetrious Johnson’s title, Horiguchi bounced back with a strong showing against Chico Camus on Sept. 27 in Japan. The 25-year-old was in top form as he used superior speed and movement to beat Camus to the punch across 15 minutes. The unanimous decision moved Horiguchi’s Octagon record to 5-1.

9. Dustin Ortiz (15-5)

Ortiz has been involved in some close decisions during his UFC tenure, but his Jan. 30 meeting with Wilson Reis was not one of them. After a competitive opening round, Ortiz was gradually ground out by the Brazilian grappler and suffered his second loss on points in his last three outings.

10. Zach Makovsky (19-7)

Back in 2013, Makovsky made a strong impression in his UFC debut by upsetting Scott Jorgensen, but “Fun Size” has faltered of late, dropping three of his last four outings via decision. However, those defeats came against a trio of the flyweight division’s most talented fighters: Jussier da Silva, John Dodson and most recently Joseph Benavidez in a short-notice assignment.

Other Contenders: Kairat Akhmetov, Ray Borg, Tim Elliott, Justin Scoggins, Louis Smolka.

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