Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Flyweight

1. Demetrious Johnson (26-2-1)

Johnson on June 5 dropped a pipe bomb of a public statement, accusing the UFC of “unfulfilled promises” and bullying, saying that not only had his promoter done a poor job of promoting him but that the company tried to coerce him into fighting T.J. Dillashaw by threatening to close down the 125-pound division. Whether it was catharsis from a man at his breaking point or an attempted negotiating tactic remains to be seen, and it is still no clearer who the next challenger for “Mighty Mouse” will be.

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 was forced from the bout with a knee injury, with Tim Elliott stepping in as his replacement.

3. Henry Cejudo (10-2)

The scale has been the primary rival of Cejudo throughout his four-plus years in the sport, and when illness related to his weight cut knocked him out of his slated UFC 211 bout with Sergio Pettis, it looked like it might be the end of the Olympic gold medalist as a flyweight. Instead, Cejudo will try to avoid losing his third fight in a row at UFC 215 on Sept. 9 in Edmonton, Alberta, where he takes on fellow former UFC title challenger Wilson Reis.

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)

Reis was blown out every which way by UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson in April before being armbarred in the third round. With that said, Reis seems to have little use for a tune-up fight in his next outing, as the 32-year-old Brazilian has signed on to tangle with Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo at UFC 215 on Sept. 9 in Edmonton, Alberta.

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. When or where that might happen is anything but certain.

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)

Ortiz dropped to 2-4 in his last six bouts when he was choked out by fast-rising Mexican underdog Brandon Moreno in April. In order to re-affirm his place as one of the 10 best flyweights in the world, he will have to stave off a challenge from another Mexican prospect, this time in Mexico City, where he faces Hector Sandoval on the UFC Fight Night 114 undercard in August.

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

Continue Reading » Women’s Featherweight