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Flyweight
1. Henry Cejudo (16-2)
After a shaky first round, Cejudo turned up the heat on Marlon Moraes in the UFC 238 main event, winning via third-round technical knockout to become the fourth simultaneous two-division champion in the history of the Las Vegas-based promotion. It’s difficult to deny the Olympic gold medalist as one of the sport’s pound-for-pound best given recent wins over Demetrious Johnson, T.J. Dillashaw and Moraes. “The Messenger” plans on defending on both his flyweight and bantamweight belts – and he even has designs on making an eventual move to 145 pounds. All those plans will likely have to wait until 2020 as Cejudo recovers from shoulder surgery.2. Demetrious Johnson (28-3-1)
Johnson kicked off his One Championship tenure with a second-round guillotine choke submission of Yuya Wakamatsu in the opening round of the promotion’s flyweight grand prix. “Mighty Mouse” survived a game effort from his unheralded opponent before locking in a power guillotine choke at the 2:40 mark of the second round at One “A New Era” on March 31. A closely contested split-decision setback against Henry Cejudo in his final UFC appearance is Johnson’s only loss since 2011. The AMC Pankration product will look to continue his run through the bracket when he locks horns with Tatsumitsu Wada at One “Dawn of Heroes” on Aug. 2.3. Joseph Benavidez (28-5)
If such a thing still exists in the UFC, it appears that Benavidez is once again the No. 1 contender in the flyweight division. The 34-year-old won his third straight — and ninth out of 10 overall — at UFC on ESPN 3, where he improved to 2-0 against Jussier da Silva with a second-round technical knockout victory. Benavidez remains an interesting potential foe for reigning flyweight king Henry Cejudo considering he already has defeated the Olympic gold medalist.4. Jussier da Silva (23-6)
By losing to Joseph Benavidez for a second time, “Formiga” may have seen his last best chance at flyweight title contention slip through his fingers. The 34-year-old Brazilian’s second-round TKO defeat to Benavidez at UFC Minneapolis snapped a four-bout winning streak for da Silva. He remains one of the top flyweights in the world, but a climb to a long-desired title shot could prove extremely difficult now.5. Sergio Pettis (17-5)
Amid rumors of the flyweight division’s eventual demise in the UFC, Pettis announced his intention to return to bantamweight, where he competed during his first four Octagon appearances. The early returns weren’t promising, as the Roufusport product dropped a clear-cut unanimous verdict to Rob Font at UFC on Fox 31. Following what appeared to be a breakthrough win over Joseph Benavidez at UFC 225, the 25-year-old Pettis has lost two straight. Pettis was forced to pull out of a proposed 135-pound clash against Ricardo Ramos at UFC on ESPN 3 due to injury. Pettis will return to flyweight for a matchup against Alex Perez at UFC Mexico City on Sept. 21.6. Deiveson Figueiredo (16-1)
After suffering the first loss of his professional career to Jussier Formiga at UFC Nashville this past March, Figueiredo rebounded nicely against another one of his countrymen at UFC 240, taking an entertaining unanimous verdict over Alexandre Pantoja. With wins in five of his six Octagon appearances, the 29-year-old Marajo Brothers Team representative remains a strong contender in what appears to be a rejuventated flyweight division.7. John Moraga (18-7)
Moraga had a three-fight winning streak snapped at UFC Fight Night 135 in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he ran into unbeaten Brazilian Deiveson Figueiredo. While “Chicano John” rocked his counterpart early, Figueiredo gradually took control down the stretch, ultimately earning a stoppage via second-round technical knockout. At the very least, the battle-tested Moraga figures to be a tough gatekeeper for the division as his career progresses.8. Dustin Ortiz (19-8)
While he was certainly improved, Ortiz still couldn’t get the best of Joseph Benavidez in their rematch at UFC Fight Night 143 in Brooklyn, N.Y. The 30-year-old Combat Sports Academy was competitive in all aspects of the fight, but ultimately lost a narrow unanimous decision. Ortiz saw a three-bout winning streak come to an end, but he remains a difficult test for virtually anyone at 125 pounds. Ortiz completed his UFC contract in Brooklyn and could be competing elsewhere if he chooses to continue fighting at flyweight.9. Alexandre Pantoja (21-4)
A trio of victories against Brandon Moreno, Yuta Sasaki and Wilson Reis helped Pantoja gain entry into the flyweight Top 10. His ascent was slowed at UFC 240, where he dropped a decision to Deiveson Figueiredo in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on July 27. “The Cannibal” was swept by identical 30-27 counts on the scorecards against Figueiredo and is now 5-2 within the Las Vegas-based promotion since his debut in January 2017.10.Jordan Espinosa (14-5)
After needing a pair of victories on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender series to earn a UFC contract, Espinosa was successful in his Octagon debut, taking a clear-cut unanimous decision over Eric Shelton at UFC Nashville in March. The Luttrell-Yee MMA product has won five bouts in a row and has lost just once in his last 12 professional appearances dating back to July 2014. Espinosa will look to continue his momentum when he faces Matt Schnell at UFC on ESPN 5.Other Contenders: Rogerio Bontorin, Brandon Moreno, Ali Bagautinov, Kai Kara-France, Askar Askarov.
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