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Flyweight
1. Alexandre Pantoja (27-5) | UFC [1]
Pantoja put on a dominant performance in the co-main event of UFC 296, grounding Brandon Royval seemingly at will and doing grimy work from top position for most of five rounds. While the result was not the frenetic fireworks show fans may have hoped for, “The Cannibal” effectively denied Royval any chance to employ his hyper-aggressive kickboxing and grappling, retaining his belt while facing next to no real danger. One danger Pantoja does face is a dearth of ready contenders, as he is now 2-0 against Royval and 3-0 against Brandon Moreno, counting their meeting on “The Ultimate Fighter.” As such, Pantoja will have to hope that someone like Amir Albazi or Manel Kape puts on an impressive performance in their upcoming outings—and emerges healthy enough to fight again soon.2. Brandon Moreno (21-7-2) | UFC [2]
Moreno showed at UFC 290 that he was an improved fighter from the one who faced Alexandre Pantoja earlier in his career. However, that still wasn’t enough, as Moreno dropped a split decision to his Brazilian rival in an instant classic at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Moreno’s stock shouldn’t fall far in defeat, but with his unofficial record against Pantoja is nonetheless 0-3. “The Assassin Baby” was supposed to take on rising contender Amir Albazi in a five-round, co-main event at UFC Mexico, but after his original foe suffered an injury, Moreno will instead face Brandon Royval in a rematch of a 2020 contest.3. Deiveson Figueiredo (22-3-1) | UFC [3]
Figueiredo enjoyed a successful bantamweight debut, taking a three-round verdict against Rob Font at UFC Austin on Dec. 2. The ex-flyweight champion flashed his power in spurts and also blended in takedowns against his veteran foe, which allowed him to rebound from a loss to longtime rival Brandon Moreno at UFC 283. With no draining weight cuts to navigate, “Deus da Guerra” seems to have found a home at 135 pounds.4. Amir Albazi (17-1) | UFC [4]
In his first fight on the big stage, Albazi captured a contentious split-decision triumph over former interim title challenger Kai Kara-France in the UFC on ESPN 46 headliner. Though many observers felt Albazi didn’t deserve the win, he nonetheless came the closest of the two combatants to finishing the fight when he nearly locked in a rear-naked choke in the third round. The Iraqi flyweight has now won six straight outings — including five in UFC competition. Albazi was supposed to meet Brandon Moreno in a five-round, co-main event at UFC Mexico, but a neck injury forced him to withdraw from the bout.5. Kai Kara-France (24-11, 1 NC) | UFC [5]
Kara-France hoped that a victory over rising contender Amir Albazi in the UFC on ESPN 46 main event would keep him near the top of the contender’s queue, but instead the City Kickboxing standout suffered a controversial split-decision defeat at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. While the bout was extremely competitive for the much of the 25 minutes, Kara-France still outlanded his opponent by more than 50 significant strikes by fight’s end, which led many to believe that “Don’t Blink” deserved the nod. He was supposed to return against Manel Kape at UFC 293 in Sydney, but a concussion forced him to withdraw from the event.6. Askar Askarov (15-1-1) | ACA [6]
After being granted his UFC release in 2022, Askarov sat out for the majority of 2023 before making his return at Absolute Championship Akhmat 166, where he outpointed Alan Gomes on Nov. 24. The 31-year-old Fighting Eagle representative has won four of five outings since 2020, a run that includes noteworthy triumphs against Alexandre Pantoja, Joseph Benavidez and Tim Elliott.7. Brandon Royval (15-7) | UFC [7]
Royval came up short in his challenge of Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 296, as he was never able to get his go-for-broke striking and grappling assault untracked in the face of the champ’s takedowns and top game. The result was a straightforward decision loss in a surprisingly mid-tempo five-round fight. The loss leaves Royval 0-2 against the champ, and while he is one of the most reliably exciting fighters in a division full of them, his freewheeling style has consistently failed him against the elite of the elite. “Raw Dawg” will replace the injured Amir Albazi and face Brandon Moreno in the UFC Mexico co-main event on Feb. 24.8. Matheus Nicolau (19-3-1) | UFC [8]
Nicolau saw a six-bout winning streak snapped in violent fashion at UFC on ESPN 44, where he suffered a first-round knockout loss to fellow Top 10 flyweight Brandon Royval in Kansas City. The Brazilian has lost just twice in his last 14 professional outings dating back to 2013, and with a respectable UFC ledger that includes triumphs over the likes of Matt Schnell, David Dvorak, Tim Elliott and Manel Kape, shouldn’t be too far removed from contention even after his most recent setback. Unfortunately, a showdown with Manel Kape at UFC Fight Night 234 was scrapped when his foe missed weight by 3.5 pounds.9. Manel Kape (19-6) | UFC [9]
Kape withstood a game effort from replacement foe Felipe dos Santos at UFC 293, as the former Rizin Fighting Federation champion relied on superior striking power and accuracy to capture a unanimous decision triumph in Sydney. “Starboy” has won four straight outings within the Las Vegas-based promotion. Kape was supposed to face Matheus Nicolau at UFC Fight Night 234, but the bout was canceled when he missed weight by 3.5 pounds.10. Alex Perez (24-7) | UFC [10]
In his first appearance since falling to Deiveson Figueiredo in a flyweight title bout in November 2020, Perez was outclassed by Alexandre Pantoja in a first-round submission loss at UFC 277. After beginning his promotional tenure with wins in six of his first seven appearances, the Team Oyama representative has lost back-to-back fights for the the second time in his professional career, which leaves him plenty of work to do if he hopes to reach the top of the division again. Perez will face unbeaten prospect Muhammad Mokaev next at UFC Saudi Arabia on March 2.Other Contenders: Matt Schnell, Jarred Brooks, Azamat Kerefov, Muhammad Mokaev, Kyoji Horiguchi.
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