On Saturday night, the UFC returned to Mexico City with a card headlined by national darling and former flyweight king Brandon Moreno. Heading into his contest with short-notice replacement Lon’er Kavanagh, he was a big favourite. However, after five tough fights, the English prospect stunned Mexican fans with a huge upset victory over their favorite fighter.
Let’s see how Kavanaugh forced some big changes in our latest UFC flyweight rankings.
10. Loner Kavanaugh (10-1)
Despite a 3-1 record in the UFC, England’s Lon’er Kavanagh has earned a spot in our latest UFC flyweight rankings. That’s thanks to a huge upset win over division stalwart Brandon Moreno in March. The 26-year-old arrived at short notice and had to adjust to the high altitude of Mexico City, yet it didn’t matter as he secured a career-defining victory over the former champion in his hometown.
Former M1 and Brave CF star Asu Almabayev enters the UFC riding a streak of 13 consecutive wins. He extended his hot streak inside the Octagon by winning his first four fights and scoring victories over top 15 fighters Matthias Nicolau and Odd Osbourne. Unfortunately, when they took a big step forward in the competition against Manel Cape in March, they suffered their first defeat in eight years.
However, he has bounced back from the setback with two wins, including a big submission win over top-15 veteran Alex Perez in November.
8. Amir Albazi (17-3)
Amir Albazi was one of the hottest fighters in the 125-pound division heading into a November 2024 showdown with former champion Brandon Moreno. He had won six in a row, including over top-10 fighter Kai Cara-France. Unfortunately, Moreno showed that there are many levels to this game and he soundly defeated the Iraq native.
Due to injuries, “The Prince” sat on the sidelines for over a year and finally made his return in February. But he faced more difficult fate when he faced Kyoji Horaguchi and was again outmatched by a faster and more intelligent fighter. Albazi’s dreams of a title fight in early 2026 are looking bleak.
7. Brandon Royval (17-9)
Brandon Royval has quietly been one of the best 125-pound fighters in the world for quite some time. Although he has fallen short in some big fights, he has some impressive wins, including a victory over former division king Brandon Moreno.
However, fighting the best comes with constant risk. At UFC 317, he accepted the challenge of rising star Joshua Van and surprisingly lost to the 23-year-old. Then, in December, he headlined a UFC Fight Night card against dangerous striker Manel Cape and was on the wrong end of the first knockout loss of his career.
6. Brandon Moreno (22-10-2)
Few flyweights have been better than Brandon Moreno. He has been involved in some of the greatest fights in the history of the division and is a two-time champion. However, for all legends there comes a father’s time and he has been looking over the Mexican’s shoulder in recent years.
Moreno was 3-2 heading into the matchup against potential loanee Kavanaugh in his home country and needed a win to stay in title contention. Unfortunately, he was on the wrong end of a stunning upset in Mexico City. There is a real possibility that this was the last time fans saw Moreno in the Octagon.
5. Kyoji Horiguchi (36-5)
Since leaving the UFC nearly a decade ago, Kyoji Horiguchi has had a stellar run outside the company and has long been viewed as the best flyweight outside of the UFC. In November 2025, the former dual Rizin and Bellator champion made his triumphant return to the promotion with an impressive decision win over Tagir Ulanbekov.
The Japanese star returned in February and faced a tough test from Amir Albazi. However, he once again defeated one of the better flyweights in the world. After his latest win, Horiguchi could be one win away from a title shot in 2026.
4. Manel Cape (22-7)
It hasn’t always been easy for Manel Kapp in the UFC, but “Starboy” remains one of the most exciting fighters in the division. In his last eight fights he is 7-1 with five finishes. The biggest flaw in his Octagon resume was the lack of a marquee win. Well, he got it in December.
In a UFC Fight Night headlining role, he defeated top five veteran Brandon Royval and Cape scored a major first round knockout victory. He’s as close as ever to a title shot in 2026.
3. Joshua Vann (16-2) – Champion
Joshua Vann has quietly put in an impressive performance in the Octagon. At UFC 317, he got his big opportunity in a clash with top-five veteran Brandon Royval and earned a hard-fought career-defining decision victory. The win earned the Myanmar native a championship opportunity at UFC 323.
In the card’s co-main event, he became the second youngest champion, but it was bittersweet when Pantoja suffered a non-contact injury to his elbow, leading to an immediate end to the fight in Round 1. He’s the new king of the division, but he didn’t earn the top spot in that fight.
2. Tatsuro Taira (18-1) – Top Contender
It has been a very long time since Japan has had a fighter represent the country at the highest level of the sport. However, former Shooto champion Tatsuro Taira finally has a real chance to become the first UFC champion from the land of the rising sun.
After nine bouts, he is 8–1 with one very narrow loss to Brandon Royal. However, at UFC 323, he potentially pushed himself to a title opportunity in 2026 with a big TKO win over division veteran Brandon Moreno.
1. Alexandre Pantoja (30-6)
Brazil’s Alexandre Pantoja has had a long, difficult journey to become the UFC flyweight king. He worked hard inside the division for several years before finally being able to win a title fight at UFC 290. In his first opportunity to become champion, he performed well by scoring his second (third unofficial) victory over division king Brandon Moreno.
Since then he has been on a steady rise and has earned himself the spotlight as one of the top 125 players of all time. At UFC 317, he extended his win streak to eight consecutive with another dominant victory, this time over Kai Kara-France. Pantoja has a case for being the best flyweight ever not named Demetrious Johnson.
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