Flyweight
1. Demetrious Johnson (27-2-1)
If you are going to break one of Anderson Silva’s marks, you ought to do it in style. This certainly was not lost on Johnson at UFC 216. In a title defense the world knew he would win, “Mighty Mouse” dominated challenger Ray Borg before hitting a breathtaking slam-into-armbar sequence that should earn him “Submission of the Year” honors, to boot. With the victory, Johnson earned his 11th straight UFC title defense, surpassing “The Spider’s” record of 10.2. 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 and has yet to establish a timetable for his return.3. Henry Cejudo (13-2)
Back-to-back losses to champ Demetrious Johnson and perpetual top challenger Joseph Benavidez have not hampered Cejudo. “The Messenger” bounced back from his first two career defeats in style in 2017, clobbering Wilson Reis in September and then dominating Sergio Pettis on the floor on Dec. 2 to nab consecutive top-10 wins and reassert himself in the UFC 125-pound title picture.4. Kyoji Horiguchi (20-2)
Despite being the focal point of Rizin Fighting Federation’s bantamweight tournament, the promotion took a curious amount of time to announce his quarterfinal opponent for Dec. 29 in Saitama, Japan. While Rizin announced the other three bracket pairings on Oct. 16, it was not until Nov. 3 that Horiguchi was officially paired with undefeated Brazilian Gabriel Leite de Oliveira, who knocked out Tatsuya Kawajiri in what was explicitly billed as a “wild card” bout to enter the tournament.5. Ray Borg (11-3)
Between his weight cut debacle postponing his challenge against Demetrious Johnson at UFC 215 and getting ensnared in the “Submission of the Year” when he finally fought “Mighty Mouse” three weeks later, the latter portions of 2017 have not been too kind to Borg. Nonetheless, the man just recently turned 24 years old and remains one of the brightest young talents in the lighter weight classes. “The Tazmexican Devil” will look to get back in the win column against another one of 125-pound’s best up-and-coming talents when he faces Brandon Moreno at UFC Fight Night 126 on Feb. 18 in Austin, Texas.6. Jussier da Silva (20-5)
Every time “Formiga” seems to get a big win or a successful streak going, he bumps up against an imminent UFC title contender. After losing to Ray Borg in Brazil in March, da Silva bounced back in style in September, choking out Yuta Sasaki in the first round. Da Silva’s bid for back-to-back wins now runs through hostile territory, as he takes on Australia-based South Dakotan Ben Nguyen at UFC 221, the promotion’s debut in Perth, Australia, on Feb. 10.7. 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 (16-3)
A little less than four months after notching the biggest win of his pro career, Pettis was brought back to Earth. “The Phenom” earned his fourth straight win with a tidy decision over Brandon Moreno in Mexico City in August, but the Roufusport product could not cope with the wrestling of Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo at UFC 218 on Dec. 2 and lost a unanimous verdict.9. Brandon Moreno (14-4)
Moreno may have lost a one-sided 25-minute decision to Sergio Pettis in Mexico in August, but “The Assassin Baby” really dodged a bullet after the contest when he was found faultless in his positive test for clenbuterol, this after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency reviewed his diet and attributed the test to steroid levels endemic to the Mexican meat market. Now, Moreno can turn his focus toward what may be the most difficult bout of his career, as he is lined up to face recent UFC flyweight title challenger Ray Borg at UFC Fight Night 126 on Feb. 18.10. John Moraga (18-6)
Moraga put an end to a dismal three-fight losing streak in June, earning a unanimous decision over little-known Ashkan Mokhtarian. His subsequent bout seemed to cast “Chicano John” as the showcase and springboard opponent for undefeated Chechen Magomed Bibulatov, who entered their UFC 216 clash as a -600 favorite. Instead, Moraga came out swinging early and blew away Bibulatov with a devastating left hook, handing him the first loss of his career and claiming perhaps his biggest victory to date.Other Contenders: Magomed Bibulatov, Tim Elliott, Ben Nguyen, Hiromasa Ogikubo, Dustin Ortiz.
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