Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Flyweight

1. Demetrious Johnson (24-2-1)

Johnson is seldom a man to settle, which is how he has fashioned himself the greatest 125-pound mixed martial artist of all-time. Rather than sit on the sidelines and wait for “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 24 to determine his next title challenger for Dec. 3, Johnson opted for another championship fight first: Johnson was set to go for his ninth straight successful title defense on July 30 against Wilson Reis at UFC 201. However, an injury has since forced his exit.

2. Joseph Benavidez (24-4)

If Benavidez is ever to challenge for the UFC flyweight title again, his path runs through “The Ultimate Fighter.” On Season 24 of the reality series, Benavidez will coach opposite fellow former title challenger Henry Cejudo. If Benavidez can notch a win over Cejudo at “The Ultimate Fighter 24” Finale on Dec. 3, he may get a third crack at the UFC flyweight crown.

3. John Dodson (18-7)

Try as he might, Dodson could neither will nor talk himself to victory against flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson in the UFC 191 main event on Sept. 5. “The Magician” was victimized for a second time by Johnson, as he dropped a unanimous decision in a rematch that never felt competitive. Dodson now finds himself in divisional limbo, having lost to the champion twice in the span of five fights. He has since moved back up to 135 pounds for a quick victory over Manny Gamburyan, but Dodson made it clear that a return to flyweight could be in the cards.

4. Henry Cejudo (10-1)

In his first UFC flyweight title challenge, Cejudo kissed his perfect record goodbye, as he went down to knees to the body from champion Demetrious Johnson in mere minutes. If Cejudo wants to get another crack at 125-pound gold in the near future, he will need to deal with Joseph Benavidez on Dec. 3 -- after they coach opposite one another on Season 24 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

5. Jussier da Silva (18-4)

Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace “Formiga” once again found himself on the brink of UFC title contention, but he was unable to get anything going against Henry Cejudo in a Nov. 21 decision loss contested mostly on the feet. Da Silva’s 4-3 Octagon record is deceptive, as those three defeats have come against some of the division’s best, but his losses have come at crucial points and kept him from fighting for gold.

6. Kyoji Horiguchi (17-2)

Horiguchi passed another test with flying colors on May 8, this time outworking experienced Irishman Neil Seery across three rounds at UFC Fight Night in Rotterdam. The 25-year-old “Kid” Yamamoto protégé has won 11 of his last 12 outings, including six inside the Octagon, with his lone defeat coming against flyweight king Demetrious Johnson.

7. Wilson Reis (20-6)

A winner in three of his last four fights, Reis landed an unexpected shot at UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson in the UFC 201 co-feature on July 30 in Atlanta. However, an injury forced “Mighty Mouse” to withdraw from the matchup and left Reis’ immediate future uncertain.

8. Matheus Nicolau Pereira (12-1-1)

After a successful UFC debut in November, Pereira dropped to 125 pounds to face John Moraga at “The Ultimate Fighter 23” Finale and outworked the former UFC title challenger over 15 minutes. After an eye-opening upset win to enter the flyweight division, Nicolau is now firmly in the mix at 125 pounds.

9. John Moraga (16-5)

Throughout his career, Moraga had only fallen short against the sport’s unquestioned elite, like Demetrious Johnson, Joseph Benavidez and John Dodson. However, on July 8, he was upset by 23-year-old Brazilian Matheus Nicolau Pereira, who frustrated a lackadaisical Moraga, stopped him from showing off his powerful punching and wrestling and dropped “Chicano John” back in the 125-pound pecking order.

10. Dustin Ortiz (15-5)

Ortiz has been involved in some close decisions during his UFC tenure, but his Jan. 30 meeting with Wilson Reis was not one of them. After a competitive opening round, Ortiz was gradually ground out by the Brazilian grappler and suffered his second loss on points in his last three outings.

Other Contenders: Ali Bagautinov, Magomed Bibulatov, Zach Makovsky, Justin Scoggins, Louis Smolka

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