Flyweights Fly: The Fight Site’s Favourite Flyweight Fights
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Were you scared that the UFC was going to axe the flyweight division?
Having TJ Dillashaw fight Henry Cejudo seemed to reveal the UFC’s scheme - Dillashaw would win, and the all-time great bantam would move back up to defend his 135lb title and the lineal flyweight championship would be all but forgotten about.
But things didn’t go to plan: Cejudo bombarded Dillashaw early and forced a stoppage as quickly as the fight had begun. The prior champ—the great Demetrious Johnson—wasn’t even in the UFC anymore, or the division (due to ONE’s odd weight-cutting practices). Perhaps the flyweight division had a reprieve?
If the waters were clear, they were about to be muddied again - Dillashaw was banned for use of performance enhancing drugs, and Henry Cejudo moved up to take the vacant bantamweight title in a fight with Marlon Moraes.
In the end, it seemed that the UFC got what they wanted - Henry Cejudo, the UFC flyweight champ, had killed his own division.
Or so we thought. Even after Cejudo signified his intentions to move up to 135lbs permanently, the UFC did not use this opportunity to bury their lightest male weight class for good, but instead booked a fight to crown a new champion with perenniel contender Joseph Benavidez taking on dangerous Brazilian contender Deiveson Figueiredo (and be sure to check out Sriram’s preview of the fight right here)
With this in mind, we decided to honour the division of misfortune by reminiscing about some of our favourite fights, in the hope you—faithful Fight Site reader—would check them out, tell your friends, and continue to watch the division’s best little battlers next time they’re on TV.
Each fight below has been selected by a staff member, who provide their own summaries and breakdowns as they see fit.
UFC 152 : Joseph Benavidez vs Demetrious Johnson
Philippe Pocholle-Marchetti: It seemed impossible for me to highlight some of the best UFC flyweight fights in history without including the inaugural flyweight title bout between future hall of famers Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson. Impossible both because of the two men involved, and the context, but mostly due to the non-stop back and forth action that colored this closely contested fight.
This fight was the final of the UFC Flyweight Championship Tournament. Joseph Benavidez defeated Yasuhiro Urushitani via knockout (Joseph parried the body kick and landed a crisp right hook that floored the Japanese veteran) to access the final of the tournament. For Demetrious, it wasn’t that easy, his semifinal fight with Ian McCall (another great UFC flyweight fight) ended up as a majority draw. DJ defeated McCall three months later in the rematch by unanimous decision. The two tournament favorites made it to the finals.
You would think that for an inaugural UFC title, the company would have made it the main event, but no, this fight was the co-main at UFC 152, just before the Jon Jones/Vitor Belfort light heavyweight title fight. Both fighters received a big pop from the Canadian audience during their walkouts, especially Benavidez, who approached the octagon while Stranglehold by Ted Nugent resonated in the arena. At the time Benavidez had 16 wins on his resume and seven of those were chokes. It’s fair to say that back then, Benavidez was more popular than DJ. He was part of Team Alpha Male, a team that hosted most of the top contenders of the lighter weight classes. Joe B’s teammates Chad Mendes and Urijah Faber both fell short in their title shot a few months before, but many believed that Benavidez would be the first champion from the Sacramento-based gym. Johnson rose up under the guidance of a great coach named Matt Hume, completely unheralded in comparison to the California super-team. Even though he already had a solid career, most fans only remembered Demetrious Johnson getting out-wrestled by then UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz. To be clear, at the time, nobody thought that Johnson would become one of the best and greatest fighters in MMA history, or that he would beat Anderson Silva’s record for most title defenses.
Looking back, it may go down as not only the most important fight in divisional history but also one of the best. It was an incredible scrap that was fought at a crazy pace. If Joseph slowed down a little in the championship rounds, he never stopped trying to catch DJ, but it ain’t that easy to catch a mouse. From crazy scrambles to great exchanges in the pocket that fight should have propelled the flyweight class as one of the hottest division.
Instead of that, the crowd booed the last round and seemed to already lost interest in the fight. Demetrious defeated Joseph Benavidez via Split Decision and became the first UFC Flyweight champion. The fight happened eight years ago and both men are still on the top of the world: DJ is the greatest flyweight ever and Joseph is the clear number two. Both are future hall of famers and legends of the sport, but soon enough we will see whether Benavidez can join his great rival as a UFC champion.
UFC on Fox: Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson
Kyle McLachlan: Not bad for a so-called ‘boring’ fighter, consider my vote for yet another ‘Mighty Mouse’ title fight. I waxed lyrical about this fight at length in my piece on D.J for this very site but in short you have John Dodson providing an excellent foil for the champion here: he’s as quick/quicker, his takedown defence is supernatural, and his punching power truly intimidating.
Johnson overcomes a few knockdowns and changes his tactics brilliantly as the fight goes on, laying into Dodson in a brutal fifth round. ‘The Magician’—sadly known nowadays for being a low-output counter-striker up at 135lbs—is also extremely durable, and demonstrates it here in a performance worthy of a champion.
Unfortunately for Dodson, the man on the opposite side of the cage was arguably the greatest champion in UFC history. Don’t let the fact this fight went to a decision put you off: it’s fast-paced, highly-technical, and has many exciting moments from start to finish. There isn’t a round in this fight that would score lower than an 8/10 from me, and some of the rounds are legitimate 10/10s.
I cannot recommend this fight enough: honestly one of the greatest title fights of all-time in my honest opinion. Skip the rematch unless you want to see just how much ‘Mighty Mouse’ improved by the time Dodson got another chance. Stick with the first one if you just want to see an exciting fight between two elite competitors.
UFC on Fox: Zach Makovsky vs Scott Jorgensen
Ryan Wagner: My colleagues have already taken some of the more obvious choices, so I decided to go with a lesser known gem. Since flyweights are known for a propensity to put on relentless scramble-fests, what fight could better represent the division than one of my all-time favorite scramble-fests?
The striking was mostly Makovsky lacing Jorgensen with left hands, slotting in smart counter straights and uppercuts as the aggressive Jorgensen advanced. The real draw, however, was the grappling. Makovsky’s brilliant takedown entries and finishes met a perfect foil in Jorgensen’s counter-wrestling.
Makovsky and Jorgensen put on a fantastic, well-rounded grappling display, using tactics that ran the gamut from Folkstyle Wrestling to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Makovsky chain wrestled from a brilliant high crotch, while Jorgensen looked for counter funk rolls and cradles.
Makovsky displayed a brilliant guard game, preventing Jorgensen from controlling him on top with Tristar’s trademark butterfly guard, using the hooks to elevate Jorgensen and attack a sweep or transition to single-leg X-guard.
Even the relatively static moments in the clinch were exciting, as both men actively contested position, fighting grips and attempting to strip underhooks rather than accepting an over/under position. When they clinched in the open, sparks flew as each man jostled and turned to break the other’s balance.
This fight is a grappling nerd’s wet dream, with enough technique to satisfy purists of any discipline and enough action to rouse the “just bleed” crowd.
UFC on ESPN: Joseph Benavidez vs. Dustin Ortiz 2
Ed Gallo: Perhaps it’s my recency bias kicking in, but this rematch between two of my all-time favorites in January of 2019 was perhaps the greatest flyweight showcase to date.
I’ve written extensively on the outrageously underrated Benavidez - highlighting his prowess against Dominick Cruz, showcasing the skills of the opposition he defeated, and focusing on specific aspects of single bouts - a breakdown of this very fight.
The basic appeal of Benavidez-Ortiz 2 is obvious, it was a high-paced wrestling match with endless scrambles and impressive transitions performed by both men. Benavidez showed off his unique counters and escapes, along with the rare ability to finish singles on the cage. Ortiz pushed Benavidez on the feet, playing with range and avoiding a lot of the offense that troubled him in their first meeting. More often than not, he created space and wrestled through tough positions, never failing to keep Benavidez working and adapting.
In the contentious three-round bout, each fighter offered a ton to unpack between striking, clinch, wrestling and grappling exchanges. As one of the world’s preeminent Dustin Ortiz respecters, I was delighted to see the Tennessee native’s progress shining through as he gave Benavidez the fight of his life.
Take a look at Ortiz’s best moments in their first fight.
Even in a more basic version of Dustin Ortiz, there’s a lot to like. Pressure footwork drew out the bursting offense of Benavidez, which he met by fading back with check hooks (form and mechanics needed work) or intercepted with push kicks and teeps.
Demonstrating intelligence and understanding of the links between his striking and wrestling, Ortiz was able to draw out and time those bursts for athletic, controlled takedown entries.
Ortiz had some great ideas, but his physicality bailed him out in many situations, which did make for some fun exchanges.
Five years later, Ortiz demonstrated his tremendous improvement.
The tools were largely the same, but Ortiz’s comfort as a striker and ability to push those advantages was what made the difference.
Fairly static pressure, hedged purely on reaction time, turned into a more measured feinting approach, from which Ortiz had a variety of defensive responses prepared - which he converted into his own flurries.
His pocket boxing wasn’t perfect, but he showed the composure to fire off tight hooks and get out of dodge or change levels before he found himself overextended in the exchanges. In terms of wrestling and grappling, it was still the shrugs, limp-arms and peak-outs keeping him alive and moving in most of their scrambles.
The biggest difference was that Ortiz figured out his game, sharpened his tools around it, and frankly, fought his ass off.
With all that being said, Benavidez was still able to find his spots and control key grappling exchanges, never fading in the face of Ortiz’s relentless assault. If you’re looking for greater detail, check out the linked articles.
This is a fight I’ll never forget, Joseph Benavidez vs. Dustin Ortiz 2 was one of the division’s proudest moments. Then we learned that before the bout, Dustin Ortiz had been released from his UFC contract, he had opted to fight out his contract. Bless you Dustin Ortiz, and #StayChoppin.
UFC 240: Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Alexandre Pantoja
Sriram: Like Benavidez/Ortiz 2, Figueiredo/Pantoja is a more modern classic; however, the focus is totally different. Joe-B and Ortiz showed the potential of what flyweights regularly do, with their relentless scrambling and blinding speed; on the other hand, Figueiredo/Pantoja was almost an elevated heavyweight fight, a blood-and-guts brawl between two terrifically potent flyweights that left the winner winded by the final bell. Alexandre Pantoja entered the favorite, likely due less to his own previous fight (a quick finish over the respectable but aging Wilson Reis) and more to Figueiredo’s rout at the hands of the crafty Jussier Formiga. As the fight developed, Figueiredo showed why that win was so impressive to start with; Pantoja was in it, but Deiveson put on a show.
Pantoja is classically a grappler, but the Reis fight showed some measure of natural power and a willingness to punch (which was further substantiated after the Figueiredo fight, in a wild brawl against Matt Schnell); that said, what marked Figueiredo’s success against Pantoja was just how much more comfortable he was in a firefight. While he wasn’t defensively amazing, Figueiredo was better in that sense than Pantoja, and legitimately devastated him each time he entered for the better part of two rounds; from pull-counters and counter-uppercuts to catching kicks and using that to create dominant angles, Pantoja couldn’t outgame the more natural (if less conventional) boxer for a good deal of time.
What kept “The Cannibal” in the fight was pure hustle and durability, against a Figueiredo who worked in hard short bursts and looked to rest between them; while Figueiredo was consistently able to leverage the athletic advantage to escape the ground and punished Pantoja in the clinch, the sheer tenacity of his opponent visibly wore on his tank through the latter half of the fight. As a showing of heart, Pantoja’s performance was excellent; however, even as he tired, Figueiredo’s ability to find his spots won him the fight. For example, as a decently competitive round 2 came to a close, Figueiredo decided to make something happen, and his sudden and furious assault left Pantoja shellshocked:
Figueiredo lands in transition, shooting a takedown but breaking with a left hook that sends Pantoja staggering. What follows is pure chaos; Figueiredo crashes into Pantoja with elbows, and chases him down with shifting offense as he just doesn’t allow him out of exchange-range for long. What results is a knockdown that sealed the fight for “Deus da Guerra”.
Was it competitive? Not particularly. Figueiredo slowed but still likely took round 3, largely on the strength of one of the most vicious uppercuts in recent times. Pantoja’s biggest success was just making it to the horn, as he was only in the fight for as long as Figueiredo took his breaks. But it speaks to the violence of Deiveson Figueiredo that even just a platform for him to do his thing turned into one of 2019’s best fights.
UFC 216: John Moraga vs. Magomed Bibulatov
Ben: John Moraga’s knockout win over Magomed Bibulatov, a surging, undefeated prospect and -500 favorite, is hands down my favorite moment in UFC Flyweight history.
In many ways, John Moraga is as ideal a representative of how the Flyweight division has been treated by both fans and the UFC. Perennially underrated and overlooked, Moraga’s role as a gatekeeper to some of the absolute best fighters in the world cannot, and should not, be understated, as it was both in this fight and throughout his career.
Moraga came into this fight as a complete afterthought, a stepping stone for Bibulatov to have a former title challengers name on his way toward getting his 15th win, and likely a top 10 ranking. Moraga, who was 1-3 in his last four outings, shocked fans with an absolutely blistering knockout win over the latest Chechen import to the UFC. If you think I’m overstating just how big a deal this win was for Moraga, just take a look at how he reacts after achieving this victory, listen to how Jon Anik touts this victory as a “career defining win”.
See for yourself, the fight is short, sweet, and has an absolutely beautiful KO, complete with Bibulatov falling back like a sack of lead, in a picturesque fashion.
One of the things we as analysts can often forget to do is just be in the moment of a fight, to be swept up in the emotion and thrill of what we’re watching. This fight was one of those moments for me, where I was able to just smile and be happy for Moraga, watching him bask in that moment. It was truly beautiful, and my personal favorite moment.