Flyweight
1. Demetrious Johnson (26-2-1)
Johnson is a simple man: He has bills to pay, a family to feed and UFC records to set. It only stood to reason that the most prepared man in MMA would want to go for his record-breaking 11th straight UFC title defense before the year was up, even if challenger Ray Borg pulled out of their slated UFC 215 date in Edmonton, Alberta during fight week. “Mighty Mouse” will now look to head into 2018 as the defendingest champ in UFC history: Johnson-Borg has been rebooked for UFC 216 on Oct. 7 in Las Vegas.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 (11-2)
Before he ever fought in a cage, from the moment he won Olympic gold back in 2008, fight fans wondered if Cejudo could be a future flyweight king. When Cejudo made it to the UFC and finally got to challenge Demetrious Johnson, he was blown out in the first round. Then he lost a razor-thin split decision to Joseph Benavidez in December. How would Cejudo respond? The answer was “in style.” At UFC 215, Cejudo dominated another recent UFC title challenger, Wilson Reis, destroying the Brazilian en route to a TKO stoppage in less than six minutes.4. Kyoji Horiguchi (20-2)
Before Horiguchi became one of the world's best flyweights, he was a fine bantamweight prospect. Now participating in Rizin Fighting Federation's 2017 bantamweight tournament, he has headed back to his old division as the face and focal point of the grand prix. So far so good: In the opening round of the tournament on July 30 in Saitama, Japan, Horiguchi wasted popular Japanese action fighter Hideo Tokoro in less than two minutes.5. Ray Borg (11-2)
Having missed weight in two of his last four bouts, there was concern that history may repeat itself when Borg was granted a flyweight title shot for UFC 215 in Edmonton, Alberta. Borg never made it to weigh-ins, pulling out two days before the fight over an illness he claimed was unrelated to his cut. Nonetheless, “The Tazmexican Devil” will still get his date in championship court, instead challenging Demetrious Johnson for the 125-pound title at UFC 216 on Oct. 7 in Las Vegas.6. Jussier da Silva (20-5)
“Formiga” is the longest tenured top-10 flyweight in the game, and it is hard to fathom that in a five-year UFC career he has not been one of the 10 men to face Demetrious Johnson for the 125-pound title. Nonetheless, the Brazilian standout was undeterred by his loss to Ray Borg earlier this year, returning at UFC Fight Night 117 in Saitama, Japan. There, he ran right over talented grappler Yuta Sasaki, choking him out in the first round with his patented back-control skills.7. Wilson Reis (22-8)
Reis is a sturdy veteran and a legitimate top-10 flyweight, but his last two Octagon appearances have been nightmarish. In his April UFC title challenge against Demetrious Johnson, “Mighty Mouse” toyed with the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt before effortlessly armbarring him in the third round. Hoping to get back in the title race at UFC 215, Reis ran into an invigorated Henry Cejudo, who pelted him for six minutes before stopping him. Reis is now 3-3 in his last six bouts.8. Sergio Pettis (16-2)
Since he turned pro seven years ago at just 18 years old, it was expected that one day Pettis would be a 125-pound star. There were stumbling blocks along the way, including an upset knockout loss to Ryan Benoit in his UFC flyweight debut. Since then, “The Phenom” has won four in a row, and on Aug. 5 in Mexico City, he cooled off red-hot prospect Brandon Moreno, taking a 25-minute decision and the biggest win of his still-young career.9. Brandon Moreno (14-4)
Moreno was the No. 16 seed in the tournament on “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 24 and was choked out by Alexandre Pantoja in the opening round. Moreno made his official UFC debut in October and began a shocking hot streak, as he knocked off Louis Smolka, Ryan Benoit and Dustin Ortiz in a seventh-month span. In front of a partisan Mexican crowd on Aug. 6, however, Moreno was brought back to Earth by fellow up-and-comer Sergio Pettis, who used technique and fitness to best “The Assassin Baby” over 25 minutes.10. Dustin Ortiz (17-7)
Ortiz in April slipped to 2-4 in his previous six fights when he fell victim to Mexican prospect Brandon Moreno's surprising hot streak. However, he got back on track in a major way on Aug. 5 in Mexico City, blowing away Team Alpha Male's Hector Sandoval with a devastating 15-second knockout to keep pace in an intensifying 125-pound division.Other Contenders: Magomed Bibulatov, Tim Elliott, Tyson Nam, Ben Nguyen, Alexandre Pantoja.
Continue Reading » Women’s Featherweight