Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Flyweight

1. Demetrious Johnson (26-2-1)

If he can successfully defend his UFC flyweight championship one more time, Johnson will be the sole owner of the UFC's consecutive title defense record. Initially, it seemed like that bout may be a third showdown with rival Joseph Benavidez and then perhaps rising contender Ray Borg. All of a sudden, UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt was out of UFC 213 with a back injury, and former 135-pound king T.J. Dillashaw was calling out Johnson for a flyweight title bout. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, after all.

2. Joseph Benavidez (25-4)

Benavidez has long been one of the healthiest and most reliable fighters in the game, but this is MMA and everybody gets hurt from time to time. Benavidez, who is perpetually orbiting just outside a third UFC flyweight title shot against Demetrious Johnson, was lined up to face Ben Nguyen in Auckland, New Zealand, on June 11. However, Benavidez has been forced from the bout with a knee injury, with Tim Elliott stepping in as his replacement.

3. Henry Cejudo (10-2)

Cejudo fell just short in his close, controversial decision loss to Joseph Benavidez at “The Ultimate Fighter 24” Finale in December. The Olympic gold medalist had the opportunity to bounce back and notch another notable win over Sergio Pettis at UFC 211 in Dallas, but for no less than the sixth time in his career, Cejudo was forced out of the bout just days beforehand due to the side effects of a nasty weight cut. The incident reignited doubt about his future at 125 pounds.

4. Kyoji Horiguchi (19-2)

Horiguchi is unquestionably one of the very best flyweights in the world, but he is going back to his previous weight class in 2017, as he has been cast as one of the stars in the Rizin Fighting Federation bantamweight grand prix. The former UFC 125-pound title challenger will get a high-profile outing in the first round of the tournament but not necessarily a difficult one, as he takes on slick-grappling Japanese “Cinderella Man” Hideo Tokoro on July 30.

5. Wilson Reis (22-7)

When Demetrious Johnson was injured ahead of UFC 201 in July, it seemed unlikely that Reis would be blessed with a crack at “Mighty Mouse” for a second time, especially with Joseph Benavidez and Henry Cejudo due to square off to conclude “The Ultimate Fighter 24.” Reis picked up a pair of wins over Hector Sandoval and Yuta Sasaki, which in turn actualized the Brazilian's dream of fighting for the UFC flyweight title. However, at UFC on Fox 24 on April 15, Reis' dream proved thoroughly nightmarish, as he had absolutely nothing to offer Johnson, who dominated him for nearly 15 minutes before forcing him to tap to an armbar.

6. Ray Borg (11-2)

Borg rebounded nicely from his February 2016 decision loss to Justin Scoggins, putting together back-to-back quality wins over Louis Smolka and Jussier “Formiga” da Silva. Because flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson has already knocked off virtually every other noteworthy contender at 125 pounds, Borg may be the next man on deck to try to break Johnson's legendary streak -- unless T.J. Dillashaw manages to creep into a flyweight title bid.

7. Brandon Moreno (14-3)

No fighter in the sport has roared to prominence in the last eight months like Moreno. Since upsetting Louis Smolka in his short-notice debut in October, Moreno has added wins over Ryan Benoit and sturdy contender Dustin Ortiz. Now, “The Assassin Baby” is going big time: Barely 10 months removed from his official Octagon debut, Moreno will head back to his home nation, headlining UFC Fight Night 114 against Sergio Pettis in Mexico City.

8. Jussier da Silva (19-5)

Da Silva remains one of the best flyweights in the world, year in and year out, but he just cannot get a streak together in the UFC. After dropping a split decision to Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo in November 2015, “Formiga” rebounded with a quality win over Dustin Ortiz in September. Headed into another fight as a favorite over up-and-comer Ray Borg on March 11, da Silva had his heart broken in another close and competitive fight, dropping two rounds to “The Tazmexican Devil” and losing a unanimous verdict. The loss brought his UFC mark to 5-4.

9. Magomed Bibulatov (14-0)

Ahead of his promotional debut at UFC 210 in Buffalo, New York, Bibulatov attracted attention and criticism for his strong connections to Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov. Nonetheless, in his bout against Jenel Lausa, “Gladiator” showed why he is the top 125-pound prospect in the world, soundly winning each round to maintain his undefeated record.

10. Dustin Ortiz (16-7)

Going back to his old Tennessee stomping grounds to take on Brandon Moreno seemed like a good way for Ortiz to get a quality win over a talented but green prospect in front of a partisan crowd. Instead, it turned out Moreno was ready for primetime, as he choked out Ortiz at UFC Fight Night 108 on April 22. Ortiz now owns a 2-4 mark in his last six bouts.

Other Contenders: Tim Elliott, Tyson Nam, Ben Nguyen, Hiromasa Ogikubo, Sergio Pettis .

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