Flyweight
1. Demetrious Johnson (25-2-1)
At the conclusion of “The Ultimate Fighter 24” and Joseph Benavidez’s win over Henry Cejudo, it looked like Johnson would be facing Benavidez for a third time. Instead, UFC on Fox 24 on April 15 in Kansas City, Missouri, will be headlined by Johnson’s record-tying 10th UFC title defense, as he meets Wilson Reis, the man “Mighty Mouse” was scheduled to face at UFC 201 before bowing out with an injury.2. Joseph Benavidez (25-4)
Benavidez’s victory over Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo at the conclusion of “The Ultimate Fighter 24” in December seemed to firm up one last shot at flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson for “Joe B. Won Kenobi.” Unfortunately for Benavidez, that will not be the case. He will need to find a new dance partner to stay busy, as Johnson’s 10th title defense will come against Wilson Reis at UFC on Fox 24 in April.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 winner of four of his last five Octagon bouts, da Silva missed out on a quality opportunity at the UFC Fight Night event in Phoenix on Jan. 15, as he pulled out of his bout with Sergio Pettis. “Formiga” was quickly rescheduled and will now take on rising prospect Ray Borg in his native Brazil at the UFC Fight Night 106 bill on March 11 in Fortaleza.5. Kyoji Horiguchi (18-2)
At just 26 years old and with a sterling 7-1 Octagon record, you would think the UFC would want to hang onto Horiguchi. However, in a changing MMA market, the UFC saw no need to match the offer Horiguchi received from the Rizin Fighting Federation organization in his native Japan. As a result, the former UFC title challenger will make his Rizin debut against Yuki Motoya on April 16 in Yokohama, Japan.6. Wilson Reis (22-6)
Reis was supposed to be a stop-gap challenger for the always-active Demetrious Johnson at UFC 201 in July. However, injury forced Johnson out of the bout, and it looked like that could be the end of Reis’ title ambitions. Instead, two more wins over Hector Sandoval and Yuta Sasaki have kept the Brazilian on deck, and he has been rewarded with another chance to meet “Mighty Mouse,” challenging for the UFC 125-pound title at UFC on Fox 24 on April 15.7. Dustin Ortiz (16-6)
Six of Ortiz’s first seven fights were in Nashville, Tennessee, and he was on the bill the last time the UFC went to “The Music City.” It stood to reason that he would be a part of the UFC Fight Night card there on April 22. This time around, Ortiz will tangle with upstart Mexican prospect Brandon Moreno in a scramble-oriented pairing of flyweights.8. 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.9. Magomed Bibulatov (13-0)
Bibulatov's talent is undeniable, but with his strong ties to his homebase of Akhmat MMA -- he is head of security for Chechnya President Ramzan Kadyrov -- and the way his World Series of Fighting tenure seemed to fizzle, it seemed questionable if the undefeated 28-year-old would ever make a jump to the UFC. Well, money certainly is not everything: At the latest Akhmat MMA card on Feb. 4, “Gladiator” and his handlers made a great show of his UFC signing, taking time during their broadcast between fights to literally show Bibulatov signing his deal to move into the Octagon. It is expected that Bibulatov will debut against Jenel Lausa on April 8, when UFC 210 hits Buffalo, New York.10. Sergio Pettis (15-2)
With his family name and youth, the 23-year-old Pettis has long been expected to take on elite status, regardless of which division he chose. However, losses to Alex Caceres at 135 pounds and more recently Ryan Benoit at flyweight have tripped him up along the way. Still, “The Phenom” has now won three straight bouts in the UFC, including victories over former title challengers Chris Cariaso and John Moraga.Other Contenders: Ali Bagautinov, Tim Elliott, Brandon Moreno, Ben Nguyen, Hiromasa Ogikubo
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