Please note that the rankings are done by a panel of MMA Freak writers and the previous rankings were on 2/3/14 and are in parenthesis:
~ 1 (1) ~
Demetrious Johnson
The word right now is that Demetrious Johnson’s next title defense will probably be against rising contender Ali Bagautinov at a date and event to be determined. Bagautinov may be a unique challenge for Johnson, however if he fights like he did against John Lineker, it’s not likely.
~ 2 (2) ~
John Dodson
If John Dodson defeats opponent John Moraga at UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Khabilov, the winner should in all logic get the next title shot against Demetrious Johnson following the his rumored title defense against Russian title contender Ali Bagautinov (or just the winner).
~ 3 (4) ~
Joseph Benavidez
Joseph Benavidez is looking for a rebound win and he will get his opportunity at UFC 172 against contender Tim Elliot on April 26th.
~ 4 (6) ~
Ian McCall
Injuries have kept Ian McCall from returning to the Octagon and at present there’s no word as to when he would return or against whom. Either way McCall has until August to recover before he becomes ineligible for the rankings but hopefully he will return sooner.
~ 5 (3) ~
John Moraga
John Moraga is now set to face John Dodson in a rematch of their 2010 match and expect the winner to get a possible UFC title shot.
~ 6 (8) ~
Ali Bagautinov
On an eleven fight win streak including three wins in the UFC, Ali Bagautinov is expected to be Demetrious Johnson’s next challenger.
~ 7 (7) ~
Jussier “Formiga” da Silva
Jussier “Formiga” da Silva picked up a recent submission win against Scott Jorgensen at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Henderson 2 on March 23rd, but a head butt that was missed by the referee is going to leave some controversy on the win and cast doubt on its’ legitimacy.
~ 8 (9) ~
John Lineker
There’s currently no news as to when John Lineker will be fighting next and his weight may be a determining factor due to him missing weight of late.
~ 9 (N/A) ~
Brad Pickett
Brad Pickett had a successful flyweight debut at UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Manuwa but with Ian McCall’s injury and fighting late replacement Neil Seery, it is hard to truly gauge his place in the flyweight title picture. The situation is similar to Daniel Cormier’s place at light heavyweight.
~ 10 (5) ~
Darrell Montague
After an injury forcing him to drop out of UFC 171 Darrell Montague now faces Kyoji Horiguchi on May 10th at UFC Fight Night 41.
~ Contenders ~
The following fighters received votes for the flyweight rankings and are listed as contenders: 11) Tim Elliot, Chris Cariaso, Zach Makovsky.