Flyweight
1. Demetrious Johnson (24-2-1)
“Mighty Mouse” likes to stay active, so it was not unusual when he signed up to defend his flyweight title against Wilson Reis at UFC 201, despite already having a Dec. 3 title defense scheduled against the winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 24. The bad news: A Johnson injury nixed that in-between title defense and left Reis out in the cold. The good news: As mentioned, we are still promised another 2016 outing from one of the very best fighter’s in the sport, even if his challenger will come via a reality show.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. 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.”4. Jussier da Silva (19-4)
Following a split decision loss to 2008 Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medalist Henry Cejudo in November, da Silva rebounded smoothly on Sept. 24 in his native Brazil, soundly out-grappling divisional standout Dustin Ortiz to reaffirm himself as one of the 125-pound division’s finest. However, in order for “Formiga” to earn a title shot, several more of those sorts of wins will have to be in order, with the Brazilian stuck behind the likes of Cejudo, Joseph Benavidez and, of course, the forthcoming “Ultimate Fighter” winner. Da Silva has been penciled in to a Jan. 15 clash with Sergio Pettis under the UFC Fight Night banner.5. Kyoji Horiguchi (18-2)
He had to wait a few extra weeks for the fight after a UFC card in the Philippines was canceled, but when Horiguchi got to face fellow former UFC title challenger Ali Bagautinov on Nov. 19 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, he was in control for the entire 15 minutes and won a unanimous decision. The 26-year-old former Shooto world champion is now 3-0 since his April 2015 title loss to reigning champion Demetrious Johnson.6. Wilson Reis (21-6)
Reis nearly lucked into a UFC flyweight title shot against Demetrious Johnson over the summer, but a “Mighty Mouse” injury snapped Reis out of that dream. If the Brazilian is going to get another UFC title chance, he will first need to deal with Yuta Sasaki at UFC 208 on Jan. 208 in Anaheim, California.7. Matheus Nicolau Pereira (12-1-1)
After two quick and impressive wins in the Octagon, Pereira had a prime opportunity to announce his arrival as a UFC flyweight title challenger. Instead, the Brazilian upstart was yanked from his slated Nov. 19 bout with Yuta Sasaki in Sao Paulo, Brazil, due to a potential anti-doping violation which will stick Pereira on the sidelines for the immediate future.8. John Moraga (16-5)
Coming off of a loss to Joseph Benavidez in May, Moraga turned around quickly for “The Ultimate Fighter 23” Finale on July 8 but wound up being upset by Brazilian upstart Matheus Nicolau Pererira, who earned a tidy decision over “Chicano John.”9. Dustin Ortiz (15-6)
Ortiz has lost three of his last four bouts inside the Octagon and is in need of a win to keep pace at 125 pounds. Ortiz’s do-or-die chance comes at UFC 206 on Dec. 10 in Toronto, where he takes on similarly slumping Zach Makovsky, who has also dropped three of his last four fights in the UFC.10. Magomed Bibulatov (13-0)
One of MMA’s most enigmatic talents, it is hard to say what comes next for the undefeated Bibulatov. While he holds the WSOF flyweight title, he says he wants to fight in the UFC. At the same time, he is more active than ever for his home base promotion Akhmat MMA, and Bibulatov’s ties to his homeland run deeper: He is the head of personal security for Chechnya President Ramzan Kadyrov.Other Contenders: Ali Bagautinov, Zach Makovsky, Brandon Moreno, Ben Nguyen, Louis Smolka
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