Featherweight
1. Max Holloway (18-3)
He debuted in the UFC as an undertrained 20-year-old scrapper. Now he has 17 UFC bouts, 11 straight wins and a brutal, thrilling stoppage of the greatest 145-pounder of all-time on his resume. Holloway now rules the featherweight division courtesy of his third-round knockout of Jose Aldo at UFC 212 in Rio de Janeiro, and, at just 25 years old, seems to be the best young fighter in the sport. Things have not been easy for the “Blessed” Hawaiian so far in the UFC, and they figure to stay that way. With Aldo out of the immediate picture, Holloway seems primed to make his first UFC title defense against Frankie Edgar, another all-time great.2. Jose Aldo (26-3)
Aldo is always vague about his next step, in victory or defeat. Following his June loss to Max Holloway at UFC 212 in Rio de Janeiro, Aldo has alternated between hinting at a potential return for UFC 217 on Nov. 4 and saying his real dream is to box. The former is far more likely in the interim, and the rumors now favor Aldo returning in New York City against Ricardo Lamas, a man against whom Aldo defended the UFC featherweight title in February 2014.3. Frankie Edgar (22-5-1)
Edgar was a big winner at UFC 211 in May, hammering and halting rising Mexican prospect Yair Rodriguez in 10 minutes. Better than that for “The Answer,” he was a winner by proxy at UFC 212, too: The former UFC lightweight champ's two failed title bids against Jose Aldo seemed like they may disqualify him from another shot at featherweight gold indefinitely, but Max Holloway's rousing knockout of Aldo in Rio de Janeiro could install the still-outstanding Edgar as his first UFC title challenger.4. Ricardo Lamas (18-5)
Back-to-back stoppages of Charles Oliveira and Jason Knight have Lamas right back in the UFC featherweight title hunt; in fact, the last man to beat Lamas was current champion Max Holloway in June 2016. A third consecutive win would be a help to “The Bully's” cause, but if rumors hold true and Lamas gets a chance to rematch the greatest featherweight ever, Jose Aldo, he could leap forward in the line of contenders. In Lamas' first and only UFC title bid, Aldo won a unanimous decision at UFC 169 in February 2014.5. Cub Swanson (25-7)
Swanson, a perennial top-10 featherweight and perhaps the best fighter in the division to never get a crack at a WEC or UFC title, deserved better than a five-round main event with Conor McGregor training partner Artem Lobov. Nonetheless, Swanson accepted the dubious headlining fight for the UFC's return to Nashville, Tennessee, and then performed in true Cub Swanson fashion, for better or for worse: Swanson indulged Lobov's free-swinging style and ate 123 significant strikes, more than any fight in his pro career, but still comfortably prevailed via unanimous decision after an entertaining brawl that arguably had no business going 25 minutes.6. Darren Elkins (23-5)
One of MMA's quintessential grinders, Elkins has now won five straight fights, courtesy of his UFC on Fox 25 split decision over Dennis Bermudez. While "The Damage" has gone 12-3 in his last 15 Octagon appearances, his recent streak over quality opposition seems to be a reflection of his relocation to Team Alpha Male and the improvements it has roused in his overall game.7. Brian Ortega (12-0, 1 NC)
In Ortega's July 2014 UFC debut, he choked out Mike de la Torre in just 99 seconds and then tested positive for the steroid drostanolone. Since serving his suspension and returning to action, Ortega has been a thrilling revelation at 145 pounds, putting together four consecutive third-round stoppages. The undefeated Ortega's thrilling run has come against increasingly stiff opposition, with victories over Thiago Tavares, Diego Brandao, Clay Guida and the previously undefeated Renato “Moicano” Carneiro at UFC 214. It is time for “T-City” to take another step up.8. Chan Sung Jung (15-4)
After nearly four years away from the sport, it seemed divine when “The Korean Zombie” returned from mandatory military duty in his home country and smashed through Dennis Bermudez in February. Jung doubled down after his win, calling out and securing a bout with fellow former UFC title challenger Ricardo Lamas, only to suffer a knee injury and withdraw from the UFC 214 card.9. Doo Ho Choi (14-2)
After the fight Choi had with Cub Swanson at UFC 206 in December, people would have been excited about nearly any future opponent for “The Korean Superboy,” but his pairing with fellow free-swinging prospect Andre Fili for UFC 214 on July 29 seemed especially good. Unfortunately, Choi suffered a shoulder injury that knocked him out of the contest and will keep him on the shelf until October or later.10. Patricio Freire (26-4)
Freire seemingly closed out his feud with Daniel Straus in April, choking out his rival to take his third win in their four encounters. Now a two-time Bellator MMA featherweight champ, “Pitbull” will wind up defending his title against another man he has already beaten when he meets Daniel Weichel once more at Bellator 188 on Nov. 16 in Tel Aviv.Other Contenders: Renato Carneiro, Andre Harrison, Calvin Kattar, Jason Knight, Yair Rodriguez.
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