Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Flyweight

1. Shinichi Kojima (9-3-5)
Kojima’s dismal Jan. 18 draw with Jesse Taitano was another in a long line of lackluster performances for Shooto’s 123-pound world champion. He’ll need a better performance in the third defense of his title on March 20, when he stakes his crown against Yuki Shoujou.

2. Mamoru Yamaguchi (20-5-3)
While the last two years have been up-and-down for the former divisional king, Yamaguchi put on a brilliant display away from MMA on Feb. 11. He took to the world of stand-up and earned a unanimous verdict over Shoot Boxing 122-pound provisional champion Noriyuki Enari.

3. Yuki Shoujou (8-4-2)
After his thrilling, come-from-behind submission victory over Yasuhiro Urushitani in September, Shoujou was more than deserving of a Shooto world title opportunity. Thankfully, the International Shooto Commission agreed, and the all-action Shoujou will challenge Kojima for Shooto’s 123-pound belt on March 20.

4. Yasuhiro Urushitani (15-4-6)
Quickly looking to atone for his shocking September loss to Shoujou, Urushitani got back into action and picked up an easy victory on Nov. 8, as he hacked open an overmatched Kiyotaka Shimizu for a first-round stoppage inside Cage Force.

5. Ryuichi Miki (8-2-3)
Miki’s evolution continued Jan. 31, as he destroyed solid veteran Homare Kuboyama and punched him out in the first round. The victory should mark a consistent step up in competition for the 25-year-old Gutsman Shooto Dojo product.

Other contenders: Daniel Otero, Rambaa Somdet, Masaaki Sugawara, Jesse Taitano, Alexis Vila.