Jason Burgos
On Saturday night, the UFC returned to Mexico City with a card led by national darling and former flyweight king Brandon Moreno. Heading into his bout with short-notice replacement Lone’er Kavanagh, he was a sizable favorite. However, after five hard-fought rounds, the English prospect stunned Mexican fans with a big upset win over their favorite fighter.
Let’s look at how Kavanagh forced some big changes to our latest UFC flyweight rankings.
10. Lone’er Kavanagh (10-1)
Despite a 3-1 record in the UFC, England’s Lone’er Kavanagh lands a spot in our latest UFC flyweight rankings. The reason is a massive upset win in March over division legend Brandon Moreno. The 26-year-old came in on short notice and had to adjust to the high altitude of Mexico City, yet it didn’t matter as he scored a career-defining win over the former champion in his hometown.
9. Asu Almabayev (22-3)
Former M1 and Brave CF star Asu Almabayev entered the UFC having won 13 straight. He extended his hot streak inside the Octagon by winning his first four fights and scored victories over top 15 fighters Matheus Nicolau and Ode Osbourne. Unfortunately, when he took a big step up in competition against Manel Kape in March, he suffered his first loss in eight years.
However, he has bounced back from the setback with a pair of victories, including a big submission win over top-15 stalwart Alex Perez in November.
8. Amir Albazi (17-3)
Amir Albazi was one of the hottest fighters in the 125-pound division heading into his November 2024 clash with former champion Brandon Moreno. He had won six straight, including over top-10 fighter Kai Kara-France. Unfortunately, Moreno showed there are levels to this game and soundly defeated the native of Iraq.
Due to injuries, “The Prince” would then sit on the sidelines for over a year and finally made his return in February. But he was served more tough luck when he faced Kyoji Horguchi and was again outmatched by a faster and more savvy fighter. Albazi’s title fight dreams are looking bleak to start 2026.
7. Brandon Royval (17-9)
Brandon Royval has quietly been one of the best 125-pound fighters in the world for quite some time. While he has come up short in some big fights, he owns a few impressive victories, including one over former division king Brandon Moreno.
However, fighting the best constantly comes with risk. At UFC 317, he took on the challenge of rising star Joshua Van and was surprisingly outgunned by the 23-year-old. Then, in December, he headlined a UFC Fight Night card against dangerous striker Manel Kape 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 in some of the greatest fights in the division’s history and is a two-time champion. However, father time comes for all legends and he has been tapping on the Mexican’s shoulder in recent years.
Moreno was 3-2 heading into a clash in his home country against prospect Lone’er Kavanagh and needed a win to stay on the fringe of the title conversation. Unfortunately, he was on the wrong end of a surprise upset in Mexico City. There is a real possibility that it was the last time fans saw Moreno in the Octagon.
5. Kyoji Horiguchi (36-5)
After leaving the UFC nearly a decade ago, Kyoji Horiguchi had a fantastic run outside the company and has long been viewed as the best flyweight not in the UFC. In November of 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 got a stiff test from Amir Albazi. However, he once again outclassed one of the better flyweights in the world. After his latest victory, Horiguchi may be one win away from a title fight in 2026.
4. Manel Kape (22-7)
It hasn’t always been easy for Manel Kape in the UFC, but “Starboy” remains one of the division’s most exciting fighters. In his last eight fights, he is 7-1 with five finishes. One of the biggest knocks on his Octagon resume was the lack of marquee wins. Well, he got that in December.
In a UFC Fight Night headlining role, he took on top-five stalwart Brandon Royval, and Kape scored a massive first-round knockout win. He is as close as ever to a title shot in 2026.
3. Joshua Van (16-2) – Champion
Joshua Van has quietly put together an impressive run in the Octagon. At UFC 317, he got a massive opportunity in a clash with top-five stalwart Brandon Royval and scored a hard-fought career-defining decision victory. The win earned the Myanmar native a championship opportunity at UFC 323.
In the co-main event of the card, he became the second-youngest champion, but it was bittersweet after Pantoja suffered a freak non-contact injury to his elbow that forced an immediate end to the fight in Round 1. He is 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 representing the country at the highest levels of the sport. However, former Shooto champ Tatsuro Taira has a real chance to eventually be the first UFC champ from the land of the rising sun.
After nine fights, he is 8-1 with one razor-thin loss to Brandon Royal. However, at UFC 323, he likely elevated himself into a title opportunity in 2026 with a huge TKO win over division legend Brandon Moreno.
1. Alexandre Pantoja (30-6)
Brazil’s Alexandre Pantoja has had a long, hard road to becoming the UFC flyweight king. He toiled away inside the division for years before he was finally able to earn a title fight at UFC 290. In his first chance at being champion, he made good by scoring a second (third unofficial) win over division king Brandon Moreno.
He has been on a roll ever since and is putting himself in the discussion as one of the best 125ers of all time. At UFC 317, he extended his win streak to eight straight with another dominant win, this time over Kai Kara-France. Pantoja has a case as the best flyweight ever, not named Demetrious Johnson.
