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Featherweight
1. Alexander Volkanovski (24-1) | UFC [1]
At UFC 273, Volkanovski authored the type of leave-no-doubt performance that Hall of Fame legacies are built upon, as he overwhelmed Chan Sung Jung en route to a fourth-round technical knockout victory in the evening’s main event at Vystar Veteran’s Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., on April 9. That makes three successful featherweight title defenses and 21 straight professional triumphs overall for Volkanovski, who has established himself as one of the top pound-for-pound talents in the sport. A trilogy with Max Holloway, who was supposed to face the City Kickboxing representative at UFC 272, is expected for UFC 276 on July 2.2. Max Holloway (23-6) | UFC [2]
Holloway engaged in another classic at UFC Fight Night 197, as he outdueled Yair Rodriguez for five rounds for a unanimous decision triumph in the card’s featherweight headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Nov. 13. “Blessed” absorbed some heavy artillery from his opponent — particularly in the opening stanza — but he effectively blended his striking and grappling down the stretch to get the nod from the cageside judges. That victory helped set up a trilogy with reigning 145-pound king Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 272 before an injury forced Holloway to withdraw from the event. Instead, the Hawaiian will face Volkanovski at UFC 276.3. Patricio Freire (33-5) | Bellator [3]
“Pitbull” earned arguably the most important win of his storied career on April 15, defeating A.J. McKee by unanimous decision in the main event of Bellator 277 to take back his featherweight belt. With the hard-fought rematch behind him, Bellator’s first ever four-time champion should have plenty to keep him busy, including a potential rubber match with McKee — even if it takes place at lightweight — and rising contenders like Adam Borics and Aaron Pico stringing together impressive win streaks.4. A.J. McKee (18-1) | Bellator [4]
After opening his career with 18 straight fights’ worth of uninterrupted and frequently breathtaking dominance, McKee tasted defeat for the first time as a professional, coming up short against Patricio Freire in their rematch at Bellator 277 on April 15. In the immediate wake of the hard-fought title bout, the “Mercenary” proclaimed himself to be done with the featherweight division, and said that any trilogy fight with “Pitbull” would have to take place at lightweight. Whether that is Bellator’s next move, or McKee ends up first facing the other “Pitbull” brother, 155-pound champ Patricky Freire, remains to be seen.5. Brian Ortega (15-2, 1 NC) | UFC [5]
For a couple fleeting moments in the third round of his UFC 266 headlining clash with Alexander Volkanovski, it appeared as though Brian Ortega might secure a Hail Mary submission. Unfortunately for “T-City,” Volkanovski was able to escape on both occasions, and the Aussie went on to batter and bloody Ortega for a unanimous decision triumph at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. While Ortega is unquestionably one of the top featherweights in the sport, he nonetheless appears to be a step behind the top two men in the division, Volkanovski and Max Holloway, both of whom he has lost to in 145-pound title bouts. Ortega will attempt to get back on track when he meets Yair Rodriguez on July 16.6. Yair Rodriguez (13-3, 1 NC) | UFC [6]
Rodriguez showed no signs of ring rust following a two-year layoff, as he battled Max Holloway tooth-and-nail in the UFC Fight Night 197 headliner before ultimately losing a unanimous decision on Nov. 13 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Rodriguez was the rare opponent who didn’t fade against Holloway, making for one of 2021’s best bouts. As a result, the Mexican’s stock doesn’t fall far in defeat. “El Pantera” will return to action against two-time title challenger Brian Ortega in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card on July 16.7. Calvin Kattar (23-5) | UFC [7]
One year removed from a lopsided decision loss to Max Holloway in the UFC on ABC 1 headliner, Kattar rebounded in impressive fashion at UFC on ESPN 32, as he bloodied and battered Giga Chikadze for five rounds en route to a convincing victory at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Jan. 15. Kattar showed no ill effects from the beating he took against Holloway, as he relied on consistent forward pressure, boxing and vicious standing elbows to end Chikadze’s nine-bout professional winning streak. “The Boston Finisher” has won three of his last four Octagon appearances and is set to face Josh Emmett in the UFC Austin main event on June 18.8. Josh Emmett (17-2) | UFC [8]
After a lengthy hiatus due to knee surgery, Emmett made a triumphant return at UFC 269, taking a hard-fought decision win over Dan Ige at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 11. Perhaps even more impressive was that when Emmett was unable to finish his opponent after landing a knockdown in Round 1, the Team Alpha Male product remained patient as the fight went to the judges. Emmett has now won four in a row and six of his last seven in UFC competition. Emmett will next lock horns with Calvin Kattar in the main event of UFC Austin on June 18.9. Arnold Allen (18-1) | UFC [9]
Allen entered UFC Fight Night 204 with one of the longest winning streaks in the featherweight division, but the Englishman hadn’t really done much to stand out during a recent run that included four consecutive decision triumphs. That changed in London on March 19, as Arnold “Almighty” tore through former lightweight contender Dan Hooker in the evening’s co-main event, battering his foe with a barrage of strikes en route to a first-round TKO stoppage. With his UFC winning streak extended to nine, Allen is doing everything he can to climb closer to the top of the weight class.10. Chan Sung Jung (17-7) | UFC [10]
Jung stepped in for the injured Max Holloway to receive his first title fight in nearly a decade at UFC 273, but he was never competitive in falling to Alexander Volkanovski via fourth-round technical knockout in the evening’s main even at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., on April 9. After the lopsided defeat, “The Korean Zombie” indicated that he may be considering retirement — though that decision was hardly final. Always a fan favorite, the 35-year-old South Korean would still have plenty of interesting matchup possibilities if he elects to stick around.Other Contenders: Bryce Mitchell, Giga Chikadze, Dan Ige, Movsar Evloev, Ilia Topuria.
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