Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

---

Flyweight

1. Alexandre Pantoja (29-5) | UFC [1]

Pantoja made short work of former Rizin bantamweight king Kai Asakura in the UFC 310 headliner, winning via second-round submission at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “The Cannibal” now has three successful flyweight title defenses to his credit and for the first time during his reign, he didn’t need the full 25 minutes to get the job done. Pantoja will look to continue his reign against former “TUF” foe Kai Kara-France in the UFC 317 co-main event.

2. Brandon Royval (17-7) | UFC [2]

Royval slowed Tatsuro Taira’s ascent in the UFC Vegas 98 headliner, as he outlanded his foe on the feet and survived some precarious grappling situations to capture a split-decision triumph at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Oct. 12. “Raw Dawg” has earned back-to-back victories over Taira and Brandon Moreno since falling to Alexandre Pantoja in a 125-pound title bout at UFC 296 in December 2023. The Factory X product was supposed to meet Manel Kape in a headlining matchup on March 1 but was forced to withdraw due to injury. That bout has been rescheduled for UFC 317.

3. Brandon Moreno (23-8-2) | UFC [3]

Moreno delighted the home crowd at UFC Mexico, taking a hard-fought five-round verdict over Steve Erceg in the evening’s main event at Arena CDMX in Mexico City on March 29. With back-to-back triumphs over Erceg and Amir Albazi, it’s clear that “Assassin Baby” belongs near the top of the flyweight division. After his latest victory, Moreno expressed a desire to fight on the upcoming Noche UFC card set for Guadalajara, Mexico on Sept. 13.

4. Amir Albazi (17-2) | UFC [4]

In his first Octagon appearance since June 2023, Albazi never got going against Brandon Moreno, losing a clear-cut unanimous decision in the UFC Edmonton headliner at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on Nov. 2. Not only did “The Prince” suffer his first loss in six Octagon appearances, but he appeared to be a clear level below his Mexican opponent. It’ll be back to the drawing board for Albazi, who could have entered the title discussion had his night gone differently. Next, Albazi will face Japanese prospect Tatsuro Taira in a main event bout on Aug. 2.

5. Kai Kara-France (25-11, 1 NC) | UFC [5]

In his first fight in more than a year, Kara-France made a statement, flooring former title challenger Steve Erceg twice on his way to a first-round technical knockout victory in the UFC 305 co-main event at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. That snaps a two-bout skid for “Don’t Blink” who was coming off a contentious split-decision loss to Amir Albazi in June 2023. As it turns out, that effort was enough for the City Kickboxing representative to land a flyweight title shot, as he will face Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 317.

6. Steve Erceg (12-4) | UFC [7]

Though he actually outstruck Brandon Moreno in the UFC Mexico headliner, Erceg nonetheless lost a unanimous decision to the former flyweight king at Arena CDMX in Mexico City on March 29. After going 3-0 to begin his Octagon tenure, “Astro Boy” has dropped three consecutive outings — albeit all against top-tier competition in Moreno, Kai Kara-France and Alexandre Pantoja. Perhaps Erceg might be due for a softer matchmaking touch in his next fight.

7. Muhammad Mokaev (14-0, 1 NC) | UFC [8]

“The Punisher” won the battle but may have lost the war at UFC 304. While the 23-year-old phenom defeated Manel Kape by decision in a fight that was elevated to a grudge match by multiple scuffles during fight week, the fight itself was a strange, tepid affair. To make things worse for the Dagestani by way of England, UFC President Dana White, apparently tired of Mokaev's antics, announced after the event that the promotion would not be re-signing him. Mokaev has since signed with Brave FC and easily dispatched the unheralded Joevincent So via first-round submission on Dec. 13.

8. Manel Kape (21-7) | UFC [9]

Kape continued to make his case for a title shot in the UFC Vegas 103 headliner, as he stopped Asu Almabayev via third-round technical knockout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. By ending his opponent’s 17-bout professional winning streak, “Starboy” may have set himself up for a rematch with Alexandre Pantoja, who defeated the former Rizin champ in his Octagon debut in February 2021. Kape has won six of his last seven outings and will look to stake his claim to a title shot when he meets Brandon Royval at UFC 317.

9. Tatsuro Taira (16-1) | UFC [10]

Taira wasn’t quite ready to make the leap at UFC Vegas 98, where he dropped a split decision to Brandon Royval in the evening’s main event at the UFC Apex on Oct. 12. The Japanese standout looked dominant at times with his grappling, but his striking wasn’t on the same level — and that proved to be the difference in one of the year’s best fights. Taira’s stock didn’t fall too far in a competitive defeat, and he will return to action against Amir Albazi in a UFC Fight Night headliner on Aug. 2.

10. Ramazonbek Temirov (19-3) | UFC [12]

Temirov won his 11th consecutive professional outing at UFC Fight Night 253 on March 1, as he took a unanimous verdict over Charles Johnson at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The 28-year-old Uzbekistan native will look to add to his ledger when he meets Asu Almabaev at UFC Abu Dhabi on July 26.

Other Contenders: Alex Perez, Charles Johnson, Asu Almabaev, Tagir Ulanbekov, Joshua Van.

Jump To »
HEAVYWEIGHT
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
MIDDLEWEIGHT
WELTERWEIGHT
LIGHTWEIGHT
FEATHERWEIGHT
BANTAMWEIGHT
FLYWEIGHT
WOMEN'S FEATHERWEIGHT
WOMEN'S BANTAMWEIGHT
WOMEN'S FLYWEIGHT
WOMEN'S STRAWWEIGHT
WOMEN'S ATOMWEIGHT