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Flyweight

1. Ian McCall (11-2-1)

McCall couldn’t catch a break in his UFC debut: after being announced the loser of a decision against Demetrious Johnson, it was revealed that the bout had been scored a majority draw and should have gone to a fourth round. As such, “Uncle Creepy” and “Mighty Mouse” will duel again later this year, with the winner moving on to face Joseph Benavidez for the vacant UFC flyweight title.

2. Jussier da Silva (15-1)

Jussier da Silva was let down when a March bout with Darrell Montague didn’t materialize. “Formiga” continues to stay as active as he can, however, taking on all comers in either hemisphere. Most recently, da Silva stayed within Brazil and recorded a triangle choke win over Argentina’s Martin Coria to stay busy.

3. Joseph Benavidez (16-2)

During his tenure at bantamweight, it was often said that Benavidez could be the best flyweight fighter in the world. On March 3, he took the first step toward proving that claim by punching out Shooto champion Yasuhiro Urushitani at UFC on FX 2. Having guaranteed himself a shot at the UFC flyweight title, Benavidez now awaits the winner of the Demetrious Johnson-Ian McCall rematch.

4. Demetrious Johnson (14-2-1)

Demetrious Johnson, oddly, is exactly where he stood before his first bout with Ian McCall: a fight away from getting a chance to become the UFC’s first flyweight champion. Due to their controversial March draw in Australia, “Mighty Mouse” will meet “Uncle Creepy” in a rematch at UFC on FX 3 on June 8, less than a month after Johnson ties the knot with his long-time fiancée.

5. Yasuhiro Urushitani (19-5-6)

Shooto’s former 123-pound ace was dealt the first knockout loss of his lengthy career on March 3, falling in his UFC debut to former bantamweight contender Joseph Benavidez. The defeat snapped a five-fight winning streak which had seen Urushitani defeat Pancrase champ Kiyotaka Shimizu, Yuki Shojo and Ryuichi Miki.

6. Mamoru Yamaguchi (26-6-3)

The flyweight division’s longest-tenured face and star, Mamoru Yamaguchi’s MMA schedule has been lean since losing to Jussier da Silva last August. However, the former two-division Shooto champion has again busied himself working his striking in the Shoot Boxing ring, where he dropped a unanimous decision to Naguranchan Masa M-16 in their rematch on April 13.

7. Darrell Montague (9-2)

A new father, Darrell Montague’s parental duties took precedence over a potential March clash against Jussier da Silva under the Tachi Palace Fights banner. Now settled into fatherhood, “The Mongoose” will return to action at TPF 13 on May 10, where he’ll meet Taylor McCorriston.

8. Nam Jin Jo (7-4)

Since making his debut as a 14-year-old teenager, South Korean Nam Jin Jo has always had it tough, fighting above his weight class and experience level. However, on March 10, things finally came together in the way that the 21-year-old had hoped for, as he finally got a chance for a big fight at flyweight and capitalized, knocking off former Shooto world champion Shinichi Kojima by majority decision.

9. Shinichi "B.J." Kojima (12-5-5)

After two years away from action, Shinichi Kojima got back into the swing of things with consecutive wins over Masaaki Sugawara and Kiyotaka Shimizu. However, the former Shooto world champion’s tendency for inconsistence reared its ugly head again on March 10, as he dropped a majority decision to hard-charging South Korean upstart Nam Jin Jo in the Shooto ring.

10. Louis Gaudinot (5-1)

Louis Gaudinot is lucky in that next time in the Octagon, he'll get to compete at his more natural weight class at 125 pounds. However, it won't be easy for the green-haired dynamo, as he'll meet big-punching Brazilian prospect John Lineker, who will cut down from bantamweight for his flyweight debut.

Other contenders:

Timothy Elliott, Haruo Ochi, Dustin Ortiz, Sean Santella, Jose Maria Tome.

With his drop to 115 pounds, previously ninth-ranked Yuki Shojo exits the flyweight rankings.