Despite the belt only changing hands a mere six times since the division’s inception 12 years ago, the UFC Flyweight Championship has produced one of the more fascinating title lineages in UFC history. From Demetrious Johnson’s legacy-defining reign, to Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo’s exciting tetralogy, the story of the 125-lb. strap is one that is steeped with some of the most spectacular moments in MMA.
From Humble Beginnings…
In March of 2012, the UFC kicked off their newly-instated flyweight class by hosting a special four-man tournament to determine who would become the division’s inaugural champion. By September of that year, only two men remained, Joseph Benavidez and the aforementioned Demetrious Johnson.
In comparison to Benavidez, who breezed past his first opponent in the competition with a blistering second-round knockout, the road toward the tournament final wound up becoming much longer for Johnson. In the semifinals, he first had to contend with former Tachi Palace Fights Flyweight Champion Ian McCall, whom Johnson would go to a draw with in their first encounter before finally getting the win three months later in a rematch by unanimous decision. At UFC 152, Johnson and Benavidez had their highly-anticipated showdown, with “Mighty Mouse” just barely eking out a close split decision to become the first-ever UFC Flyweight Champion.
Johnson’s Reign As Champ
For the next six years, Johnson went on to embark on the most dominant title run in promotional history, defending his 125 lbs belt an impressive 11 consecutive times, reigning for 2,142 days. He also accumulated several other major records, including most submission wins in UFC title fights at five and most control time in UFC flyweight history at 1:26:54.
Regarded as a pound-for-pound staple for the majority of his reign, it looked as though no one would be able to stop the domination of “Mighty Mouse.” That was until, in 2018, a surging contender in the weight class managed to claw his way back into title contention again after falling to Johnson once before two years ago, that contender being Henry Cejudo.
Cejudo Knocks on the Door
After a successful wrestling career, which saw him win gold at the 2008 Olympic Games, Cejudo began his journey into mixed martial arts in 2013, fighting five times in that year alone and going undefeated by the time he signed with the UFC in late 2014. He then won his first four fights in the company before a first round knockout loss to then champion Demetrious Johnson spelled the first setback of his career.
The defeat didn’t keep “Triple C” down for long, however, as the former Olympian quickly rebounded with two wins over Wilson Reis and Sergio Pettis to earn another shot at the seemingly-unstoppable 125-lb. kingpin at UFC 227. Unlike their first contest, which ended in a quick stoppage win for “Mighty Mouse,” Cejudo showcased his rapid improvement by taking Johnson to the scorecards. After giving him easily the toughest test of his six-year reign, it was Cejudo who emerged victorious by split decision to be crowned the new flyweight champion and hand Johnson his first loss in almost seven years.
Henry Cejudo’s Reign as Champ
For the first defense of his newly-acquired strap, Cejudo took on bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw at UFC on ESPN+1. A reputable hard puncher at 135 lbs., Dillashaw had decided to move down in weight to challenge Cejudo for the chance to earn a second belt. For all his lofty dreams, though, “Triple C” ended up closing out the show early with a stunning first-round knockout over the Bantamweight king to solidify his place at the top of the flyweight pecking order.
As grand as this win was for Cejudo, his time as the 125-lb. champion would not last as long as his predecessor, as he also opted to move up in weight to challenge Marlon Moraes for the vacant 135-lb. belt in the wake of Dillashaw being suspended for a failed drug test. Despite a rocky start to the contest, Cejudo ultimately secured the knockout in the third round to become only the fourth fighter in UFC history to hold two different belts at the same time.
Cejudo Moves to Bantamweight and Figuereido takes on Benavidez
Following this history-making performance, Cejudo opted to vacate his Flyweight throne to become a full-time Bantamweight competitor. Over the next several years, the title would change hands multiple times between two different individuals as they partook in one of the most storied championship rivalries of all time.
With the belt now up for grabs, Brazil’s Deiveson Figueiredo faced veteran flyweight fighter Joseph Benavidez at UFC on ESPN+ 27 for the vacant championship. Unfortunately, Figueiredo wasn’t able to compete for said championship after a failed trip to the scales rendered him ineligible to win the strap. This didn’t stop “Deus da Guerra” from dismantling Benavidez by second-round TKO to walk away with the victory.
Weight Miss Sets up a Rematch, Figuereido Secures Belt
The pair then met up five months later in a runback for the still empty flyweight throne. This time there wouldn’t be any controversy, as Figueiredo not only made weight successfully, but also finished Benavidez yet again, this time with a positively brutal round one rear naked choke to, at last, become the new 125-lb. champion.
In his first outing as a titleholder, Figueiredo easily submitted Alex Perez to notch his first defense at UFC 255. Competing on the same card was another top flyweight who also made easy work of his opponent with a swift stoppage victory by the name of Brandon Moreno. Almost immediately after the event, both men agreed to make a quick turnaround to clash less than a month later at UFC 256.
Taking the earlier rounds with his striking, it looked as though Figueiredo was on track to earn his second defense of his reign. As the fight progressed, however, the champion’s gas tank began to noticeably diminish, allowing Moreno to seize the momentum with his superior volume. The fight went the full five round distance, but after Figueiredo was deducted a point in round three for a low blow, it ended up resulting in a draw, leading the UFC to rebook the pair at a later date for a highly-anticipated rematch.
Figuereido vs. Moreno: Chapters Two and Three
What no one could have predicted at the time was that this draw was about to propel these two fighters into the greatest rivalry in 125 lbs history. Over the next two years, they would meet up three more times, with Moreno taking the belt from Figueiredo at UFC 263, only for the Brazilian to retake his championship in their following bout at UFC 270.
With the score tied at one win apiece, the seemingly eternal rivals crossed paths for a final time at UFC 283. In the third round, Moreno landed a wide left punch that caused Figueiredo’s eye to almost instantly start to swell up. At the behest of the ringside doctor, the contest was ultimately stopped, making Moreno a two-time flyweight champion.
Moreno’s Second Stint as Flyweight Champion Thwarted by Pantoja
Having closed out his championship feud with his long-time nemesis, “The Assassin Baby” was set to take on a man who had already defeated him twice before, Alexandre Pantoja, at UFC 290. Earlier on in their careers, Moreno and Pantoja had competed against each other on two occasions, once in an exhibition bout on The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions, where Moreno lost by submission, and again in the UFC, with Pantoja winning by unanimous decision.
For their barn-burning third encounter, both men logged arguably the best flyweight fight in MMA history. For five rounds, they continually battered each other with devastating punches, with both competitors landing over 160 strikes each. However, it was Pantoja’s elite-level grappling and nigh uncrackable chin that allowed him to weather Moreno’s onslaught to capture the belt with a hard-fought split decision.
The Flyweight Championship Today
After a tumultuous three years where the strap changed hands multiple times, Pantoja has looked to be the first stable flyweight champion since Demetrious Johnson, with him having already logged two title defenses over Brandon Royval and Steve Erceg. Expected to compete one more time before the year is over, fans eagerly await the next part in the exciting saga of the 125-lb. championship.
