Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Flyweight

1. Demetrious Johnson (25-2-1)

In spite of criticisms of “The Ultimate Fighter 24” being used to find a contender for perhaps the finest fighter on Earth, season winner Tim Elliott gave Johnson an entertaining fight despite soundly losing the final four rounds. When “Mighty Mouse” heads into his 10th title defense, it will likely be against rival Joseph Benavidez, over whom Johnson owns a pair of wins.

2. Joseph Benavidez (25-4)

After he was savagely knocked out in his UFC flyweight title rematch with Demetrious Johnson in December 2013, it seemed unlikely that Benavidez was going to earn a third crack at Johnson and the 125-pound title. After six straight wins over elite flyweights, capped by his split decision against Henry Cejudo at “The Ultimate Fighter 24” Finale, it appears Benavidez will get one final shot to get revenge on “Mighty Mouse” and claim a UFC title in 2017.

3. Henry Cejudo (10-2)

Demetrious Johnson blew Cejudo out of the water in less than three minutes at UFC 197 in April. Hoping for a second crack at the 125-pound king, Cejudo coached opposite fellow former Johnson victim Joseph Benavidez on the 24th season of “The Ultimate Fighter” but came up short at the season’s finale, dropping a razor-thin split decision to Benavidez and suffering his second straight loss after starting his career 10-0.

4. Jussier da Silva (19-4)

A long-time top-five flyweight, da Silva has run up against the likes of John Dodson, Joseph Benavidez and Henry Cejudo when he has gotten close to a UFC title shot. Those three men all used “Formiga” to leverage their way into bouts with Demetrious Johnson. If the Nova Uniao Kimura product is going to get a crack at UFC gold, he will first have to deal with Sergio Pettis on Jan. 15 at the UFC Fight Night event in Phoenix.

5. Kyoji Horiguchi (18-2)

He had to wait a few extra weeks for the fight after a UFC card in the Philippines was canceled, but when Horiguchi got to face fellow former UFC title challenger Ali Bagautinov on Nov. 19 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, he was in control for the entire 15 minutes and won a unanimous decision. The 26-year-old former Shooto world champion is now 3-0 since his April 2015 title loss to reigning champion Demetrious Johnson.

6. Wilson Reis (21-6)

Reis’ UFC title shot against Demetrious Johnson went out the window when the flyweight champion was injured over the summer. Reis’ path to a UFC title shot now runs through Japanese grappler Yuta Sasaki. Reis-Sasaki was originally set for UFC 208 on Jan. 21 in Anaheim, California, but since the card has been moved to Feb. 11 in Brooklyn, New York, it is unclear if the fight will remain on that particular bill.

7. Matheus Nicolau Pereira (12-1-1)

After two quick and impressive wins in the Octagon, Pereira had a prime opportunity to announce his arrival as a UFC flyweight title challenger. Instead, the Brazilian upstart was yanked from his slated Nov. 19 bout with Yuta Sasaki in Sao Paulo, Brazil, due to a potential anti-doping violation which will stick Pereira on the sidelines for the immediate future.

8. John Moraga (16-5)

Coming off of a loss to Joseph Benavidez in May, Moraga turned around quickly for “The Ultimate Fighter 23” Finale on July 8 but wound up being upset by Brazilian upstart Matheus Nicolau Pererira, who earned a tidy decision over “Chicano John.”

9. Dustin Ortiz (16-6)

Headed into UFC 206 in Toronto, Ortiz had lost three of his last four, and so had his opponent, Zach Makovsky. On top of that, they both have similar, scramble-oriented styles. However, in the cage, Ortiz was a step ahead of Makovsky the whole way, used his style more successfully and earned a deserved split decision to buoy himself in the 125-pound division.

10. Magomed Bibulatov (13-0)

One of MMA’s most enigmatic talents, it is hard to say what comes next for the undefeated Bibulatov. While he holds the WSOF flyweight title, he says he wants to fight in the UFC. At the same time, he is more active than ever for his home base promotion Akhmat MMA, and Bibulatov’s ties to his homeland run deeper: He is the head of personal security for Chechnya President Ramzan Kadyrov.

Other Contenders: Ali Bagautinov, Tim Elliott, Brandon Moreno, Ben Nguyen, Louis Smolka

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