Image: John Brannigan/Sherdog.com illustration
Featherweight
1. Alexander Volkanovski (25-1) | UFC [1]
Volkanovski was virtually flawless in his championship trilogy bout against Max Holloway at UFC 276, sweeping the scorecards by identical 50-45 counts in a lopsided unanimous decision triumph. The City Kickboxing stalwart has won 12 straight in UFC competition and a whopping 22 in a row overall, clearly establishing him as one of the top pound-for-pound talents in the sport. His rivalry with Holloway now clearly in the rearview mirror, Volkanovski has set his sights on a move to 155 pounds and two-division dominance.2. Patricio Freire (33-5) | Bellator [2]
“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.3. Max Holloway (23-7) | UFC [3]
Holloway had a decent case that his rematch with Alexander Volkanovski should’ve gone his way, but as for their trilogy in the UFC 276 co-main event? Not so much. The Hawaiian was beaten to the punch by his rival at every turn in a lopsided unanimous decision defeat. While previous victories over the likes of Yair Rodriguez and Calvin Kattar show that “Blessed” still has plenty left in the tank, his days as a championship contender may be a thing of the past — especially as long as Volkanovski remains at the top.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. Yair Rodriguez (14-3, 1 NC) | UFC [6]
Rodriguez didn’t get to make the statement he wanted to make against Brian Ortega in the UFC on ABC 3 main event, but he’ll nonetheless move forward with a victory that occurred as a result of his opponent suffering a shoulder injury late in the opening round of their bout. Whether it’s enough to warrant a featherweight title shot against Alexander Volkanovski is currently unclear, but it’s significant enough that “El Pantera” has his first Octagon triumph since October 2019. Rodriguez figures to be in another high-profile fight even if a championship fight isn’t in his immediate future.6. Brian Ortega (15-3, 1 NC) | UFC [5]
Misfortune befell Ortega in the UFC on ABC 3 headliner when he suffered a shoulder injury in the opening round of his featherweight showdown with Yair Rodriguez at UBS Arena in Elmont., N.Y., on July 16. The injury rendered “T-City” unable to continue, and if it requires surgery, the former 145-pound title challenger could be on the shelf for a significant period of time. When Ortega is ready to return to action — whether that be in a rematch with Rodriguez or against a different opponent — he will look to bounce back from a stretch that has seen him drop three of his last four Octagon appearances.7. Josh Emmett (18-2) | UFC [7]
Emmett didn’t blow Calvin Kattar out of the water in the UFC on ESPN 37 main event, but his powerful punches were just enough to secure a split decision from the judges at the Moody Center in Austin on June 18. The 37-year-old Emmett has compiled a five-fight winning streak at 145 pounds, and after proving he can survive through the deep waters of a 25-minute bout, believes he is on the cusp of championship contention. At the very least, another highly-ranked contender should be on deck for the Team Alpha Male representative.8. Calvin Kattar (23-6) | UFC [8]
Kattar’s boxing-based style was on full display in the UFC on ESPN 37 headliner, as he worked behind a precise jab to bloody the face of opponent Josh Emmett in their featherweight bout at the Moody Center in Austin. However, “The Boston Finisher” never put an emphatic stamp on the fight, and while many observers believed he deserved to get the nod, that ultimately resulted in him losing a split decision to his more heavy-handed foe. Kattar has gone the full five rounds in each of his last four Octagon appearances, falling to 2-2 in those bouts after his latest defeat.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. Movsar Evloev (16-0) | UFC [10]
Evloev put on a masterclass against Dan Ige in the UFC Fight Night 207 co-main event, mixing takedowns and crisp striking for a dominant unanimous decision triumph at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The former M-1 Global title holder’s sparkling record includes five straight triumphs at 145 pounds, and he appears ready to enter the next tier of contenders. With his skill set, Evloev could be a problem for the rest of the division for years to come.Other Contenders: Chan Sung Jung, Bryce Mitchell, Giga Chikadze, Dan Ige, Ilia Topuria.
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