The Rankings: The Flyweights: Oct 28, 2016

flyweight rankings

The Rankings are just that – The MMA Manifesto’s rankings of the best fighters in mixed martial arts today.  Check back every Monday and Friday for our rankings of a different weight class.  Next up: The Flyweights Rankings.

Voting Panel: Jeff Fox, Daniel Vreeland, Ryan MacDonald, and Ricky Leone.

 

*stipulations: 1) any fighter currently suspended or 2) inactive for at least 12 months (without an upcoming fight scheduled) are excluded from the rankings

(click on fighter’s name for detailed scouting report)

 

The Flyweight Rankings

 

1) (Last ranking: 1) Demetrious Johnson – UFC Flyweight Champion – 40 points (out of a possible 40)

Demetrious Johnson poses UFC on Fox 9 weigh-ins
(Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)             

 Record: 24-2-1
 Last Five Fights: 5-0
 Record vs Top 10: 6-0 (W-Cejudo, W-Horiguchi, W-Bagautinov, W-Benavidez, W-Moraga, W-Benavidez)
 Next Fight: vs TBA – TUF 24 Finale – Dec 3rd

Untouchable as champ?  It’s looking that way.

 

2) (2)  Joseph Benavidez – UFC – 36 points
             Record: 24-4
             Last Five Fights: 5-0
             Record vs Top 10: 3-2 (W-Bagautinov, W-Moraga, L-Johnson, W-Formiga, L-Johnson)
             Next Fight: vs #3 Henry Cejudo – TUF 24 Finale – Dec 3rd

Will Joe Jitsu ever get to the top of the mountain?

 

3) (3) Henry Cejudo – UFC – 32 points 
            Record: 10-1
            Last Five Fights: 4-1
            Record vs Top 10: 1-1 (L-Johnson, W-Formiga)
            Next Fight: vs #2 Joseph Benavidez – TUF 24 Finale – Dec 3rd

The Messenger, like everyone else, was no match for Mighty Mouse.

 

4) (4) Kyoji Horiguchi – UFC – 24 points
             Record: 17-2
            Last Five Fights: 4-1
             Record vs Top 10: 0-1 (L-Johnson)
            Next Fight: vs #7 Ali Bagautinov – UFC Fight Night: Mousasi vs Hall 2 – Nov 19th

Supernova is back to his winning ways.

 

5) (5) Jussier ‘Formiga’ da Silva – UFC – 23 points
            Record: 19-3
            Last Five Fights: 4-1
            Record vs Top 10: 2-2 (L-Cejudo, W-Reis, W-Makovsky, L-Benavidez)
            Next Fight: TBA

Four wins out of his last five fights, all versus top talent, for Formiga.

 

6) (6) Wilson Reis – UFC – 20 points
             Record: 21-6
             Last Five Fights: 4-1
             Record vs Top 10: 0-1 (L-Formiga)
            Next Fight: TBA

Will Reis ever get his title shot now?

 

7) (7) Ali Bagautinov – UFC – 10 points
           Record: 14-4
           Last Five Fights: 3-2
           Record vs Top 10: 0-2 (L-Benavidez, L-Johnson)
           Next Fight: vs #4 Kyoji Horiguchi – UFC Fight Night: Mousasi vs Hall 2 – Nov 19th

Bagautinov finally got off the schneid.

 

8) (NR) Matheus Nicolau – UFC – 7 points
                 Record: 12-1-1
                 Last Five Fights: 5-0
                 Record vs Top 10: 1-0 (W-Moraga,
                Next Fight: vs Ulka Sasaki – UFC Fight Night: Mousasi vs Hall 2 – Nov 19th

The future is bright for the 23-year-old Brazilian

 

9) (tied) (NR) Magomed Bibulatov – WSOF Flyweight Champion – 7 points
                              Record: 13-0
                              Last Five Fights: 5-0
                              Record vs Top 10: 0-0
                            Next Fight: TBA

13 up, 13 down for the WSOF champ.

 

9) (tied) (NR) Brandon Moreno – UFC – 7 points
                              Record: 12-3
                              Last Five Fights: 5-0
                              Record vs Top 10: 0-0
                             Next Fight: vs Ryan Benoit – TUF 24 Finale – Dec 3rd

Losing early on TUF proved to be a blessing in disguise for Moreno, as he shocked Louis Smolka as a late replacement earlier this month.

 

9) (tied) (NR) John Moraga – UFC – 7 points
                              Record: 16-5
                              Last Five Fights: 2-3
                              Record vs Top 10: 0-3 (L-Nicolau, L-Benavidez, L-Johnson)
                             Next Fight: vs Zack Makovsky – UFC 206 – Dec 10th

Moraga is coming up on two years since his last win.

 

 

Dropped out: (8) Ian McCall, (9) Louis Smolka, (10) Justin Scoggins (moved to bantamweight)

Bubbling under: Ian McCall, Kairat Akhmetov, Ray Borg, Louis Smolka, Zach Makovsky, Dustin Ortiz

 

Rankings:

Heavyweights
Light Heavyweights
Middleweights
Welterweights
Lightweights
Featherweights
Bantamweights
Women’s Bantamweights
Women’s Strawweights
Pound for Pound
Non-UFC Fighters

 

Check back on Monday for our Women’s Bantamweight rankings.

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