Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Flyweight

1. Brandon Moreno (21-6-2) | UFC [1]

Moreno got the last laugh against Deiveson Figueiredo, as he improved to 2-1-1 against the Brazilian with a doctor stoppage victory at UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro. Moreno now begins his second reign as flyweight champion with the Figueiredo rivalry clearly in his rearview mirror. Up next is an intriguing showdown against Alexandre Pantoja — who owns wins over Moreno at UFC Fight Night 129 and on “TUF 24” — at UFC 290 in Las Vegas on July 8.

2. Deiveson Figueiredo (21-3-1) | UFC [2]

Figueiredo didn’t get the conclusion he wanted to his rivalry with Brandon Moreno, as a completely swollen right eye resulted in a doctor stoppage loss after three rounds in the UFC 283 co-main event. Not only does the Brazilian relinquish the flyweight belt, but he falls to 1-2-1 in his tetralogy with Moreno. After initially announcing plans to move up to bantamweight, “Deus da Guerra” will remain at 125 pounds, though he did withdraw from a proposed clash with Manel Kape at UFC 290.

3. Kai Kara France (24-10, 1 NC) | UFC [3]

Things were going relatively well for Kara France in his interim flyweight title bout against Brandon Moreno at UFC 277 before a well-placed liver kick and flurry of punches ended his night 4:34 into Round 3. The setback snapped a three-bout winning streak for “Don’t Blink” and spoiled his hopes of a title unification fight against Deiveson Figueiredo. Kara France is now 7-3 in UFC competition, with two of those defeats coming at the hands of Moreno. Kara France was forced to withdraw from a bout against Alex Perez at UFC 284 due to injury and will instead return to action against Amir Albazi on June 3.

4. Askar Askarov (14-1-1) | UFC [4]

Askarov could have locked up a future title shot with a win over Kai Kara France at UFC on ESPN 33, but after a strong start, the Dagestani was unable to dictate the terms of the action down the stretch in a unanimous decision defeat. It’s the first career setback for the man known as “Bullet,” who owns a resume that includes wins over Joseph Benavidez, Alexandre Pantoja — along with a draw against Brandon Moreno. Askarov was unable to make weight for a matchup with Brandon Royval at UFC Fight Night 212, resulting in the cancellation of the bout. Askarov was released from the UFC at his request and has signed with Absolute Championship Akhmat, where he is scheduled to face Azamat Kerefov on July 21.

5. Alexandre Pantoja (25-5) | UFC [5]

Pantoja made short work of former title challenger Alex Perez at UFC 277, winning via neck crank 1:31 into the opening round of their flyweight feature. “The Cannibal” has won three straight and four of his last five within the Las Vegas-based promotion. The former Resurrection Fighting Alliance title holder will next face Brandon Moreno — whom he has already defeated in UFC competition — in a championship clash at UFC 290.

6. Brandon Royval (15-6) | UFC [6]

Royval solidified his status as one of the flyweight division’s most entertaining fighters with a brilliant first-round finish of Matheus Nicolau at UFC on ESPN 44. After suffering back-to-back losses to Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja, “Raw Dawg” has rebounded with successive triumphs over Nicolau, Matt Schnell and Rogerio Bontorin to maintain his status as a contender to watch.

7. Matheus Nicolau (19-3-1) | UFC [7]

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.

8. Alex Perez (24-7) | UFC [8]

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 was supposed to meet Manel Kape at UFC on ESPN 43, but a medical issue forced him off the card on the day of the fight.

9. Matt Schnell (16-7, 1 NC) | UFC [9]

Schnell was unable to capitalize on the momentum of an enthralling submission victory against Su Mudaerji at UFC on ABC 3, as he fell to Matheus Nicolau via second-round knockout in their featured clash at UFC on ESPN 42. “Danger” has won just one of his last four appearances within the Las Vegas-based promotion after authoring a four-bout winning streak from October 2017 to August 2019. He’ll look to get back on track against David Dvorak on June 10.

10. Manel Kape (18-6) | UFC [10]

Kape nearly delivered a finish on two occasions against David Dvorak at UFC Fight Night 216, threatening his opponent with a kimura late in Round 1 and rocking his foe with knees in punches in the second stanza. While the stoppage didn’t materialize, the former Rizin title holder nonetheless cruised to a unanimous decision triumph, giving him three consecutive triumphs in UFC competition. Kape had hoped to continue his momentum against Alex Perez at UFC on ESPN 43, but his opponent withdrew from the bout on the day of the fight due to a medical issue. Kape was briefly booked in a high-profile clash against ex-champ Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 290 before his opponent withdrew from the bout.

Other Contenders: Jarred Brooks, Amir Albazi, David Dvorak, Azamat Kerefov, Tim Elliott.

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