Where We Stand: Flyweight Division | December 2023

Outlook: Pantoja turned in a true champion’s performance in his rematch with Royval. “The Cannibal” adjusted well throughout the bout with Royval, utilizing his wrestling whenever his opponent started to find a rhythm on the feet and maintaining control steadily throughout. Pantoja’s next challenger is unclear. The matchup between Brandon Moreno and Amir Albazi could serve as a No. 1 contender fight, but Pantoja’s win over Moreno muddies that up a little bit. Either way, the Brazilian closed an unforgettable 2023 with a rock-solid title defense.

Outlook: “The Assassin Baby” hasn’t fought since losing his belt to Pantoja at UFC 290. The fact that Moreno didn’t successfully defend the undisputed title is a mark on his resume, but he has a wealth of championship experience unparalleled in the division. His fight against Albazi in Mexico City is surely a tentpole moment in his career, and it could set him up for another title fight in 2024.

Outlook: “The Prince” staked his claim for a title shot with a razor-close decision win over Kai Kara-France in the UFC APEX. Although some felt the judges got the scores wrong, Albazi showed he is worthy of competing against the flyweight elite just five fights into his UFC tenure. Given the shake-up at the top of the division, combined with his close win, Albazi will probably need another victory to solidify his resume for a title shot. Luckily for him, he is the newest entrant and therefore has all the options open. Royval makes sense in the Top 5, but he could also cement his spot in the pecking order fighting down against someone like Kape.

Outlook: Royval might feel disappointed not only with the result in his first championship opportunity but also in his decision to try fighting in a more calculated way. His final round was arguably his best as he turned up the pace and fought with the reckless abandon that made “Raw Dawg” one of the most entertaining fighters on the roster. Even so, flyweight is the division of opportunities, and Royval could easily find himself back in the title picture with a couple wins. He could face the loser of Moreno and Albazi or someone on the rise like Manel Kape or Muhammad Mokaev. Regardless, Royval still has plenty of top-flight fights ahead of him.

Outlook: “Don’t Blink” had quite the frustrating 2023 campaign. After an injury kept him out of UFC’s return to Australia at UFC 284, he lost a debatable decision to Albazi and was kept out of UFC’s second Oceania-set event when a concussion prevented him from fighting Kape in Sydney. The 30-year-old Kiwi remains one of the division’s most clinical knockout artists, however, and he only needs a couple wins to get back into the title conversation in full. A rematch with Royval is something anybody would watch, but he could also face one of the many Top 5 hopefuls like Kape and Mokaev, or a fellow top-flight fighter coming off a loss in Nicolau.

Outlook: Nicolau saw his momentum halt after running into Royval’s knee, but the 30-year-old Brazilian is still one of the more intriguing talents at 125 pounds. He has a multitude of options for his next fight, including anyone in the Top 5, other than Royval, to solidify his spot.