Image: John Brannigan/Sherdog.com illustration
Featherweight
1. Alexander Volkanovski (25-2) | UFC [1]
Volkanovski performed admirably in the UFC 284 headliner, giving Islam Makhachev everything he could handle for five rounds before ultimately falling in a closely-contested unanimous decision defeat. The reigning UFC featherweight champion undeniably raised his stock in the loss, and he has a legitimate claim to a rematch against his Dagestani rival. However, there’s also business to attend to in his weight class, where Yair Rodriguez claimed interim gold with a dominant performance in the UFC 284 co-main event. While Volkanovski can clearly hang with the world’s best at lightweight, it seems likely that he turns his attention to a 145-pound title unification bout next.2. Patricio Freire (35-5) | Bellator [2]
Freire was methodical in victory against Kleber Koike Erbst at Rizin 40, as he denied his foe’s takedown attempts and landed solid offense on the feet en route to a unanimous decision triumph against the Japanese promotion’s featherweight champion. “Pitbull,” who is currently on his third reign as Bellator’s 145-pound king, has won 10 of his last professional appearances dating back to 2017. A potential trilogy against A.J. McKee, the only man to defeat him during that time, looms large — but the date of such a matchup might depend upon how McKee fares in the Bellator lighweight grand prix.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. Next, Holloway will square off against surging English contender Arnold Allen on April 15.4. Yair Rodriguez (15-3, 1 NC) | UFC [4]
Rodriguez authored perhaps the most complete performance of his career to date, as he battered Josh Emmett en route to a second-round submission victory in the UFC 284 co-main event. “El Pantera” has lost just twice in 13 Octagon appearances, and he now has an interim championship belt to add to his trophy case. With Alexander Volkanovski coming up just short in his bid to become a two-division champion, a 145-pound title unification bout between the reigning champ and Rodriguez looms large in the coming months.5. A.J. McKee (20-1) | Bellator [5]
McKee had his hands full with Rizin Fighting Federation lightweight king Roberto Satoshi de Souza on New Year’s Eve, but “Mercenary” was ultimately able to emerge with a unanimous decision triumph in the Rizin 40 headliner. The former Bellator featherweight king improves to 2-0 at 155 pounds and will next take part in the promotion’s lightweight grand prix, though he won’t get his desired first-round matchup with Usman Nurmagomedov. Instead, he’ll lock horns with Patricky Freire at an as yet to be announced event.6. Arnold Allen (19-1) | UFC [6]
Allen’s first main event appearance in the Octagon didn’t go exactly as planned, but the Englishman was nonetheless victorious after opponent Calvin Kattar suffered a knee injury in their featherweight bout at UFC Fight Night 213. Arnold “Almighty” appeared to be finding a rhythm in the opening stanza before the fight’s unfortunate ending, but he’ll have to wait another day to see how his skills translate to a five-round affair. Allen will take a 10-fight winning streak into his toughest test to date: A showdown with Max Holloway on April 15.7. Josh Emmett (18-3) | UFC [7]
Emmett had no answers for Yair Rodriguez at UFC 284, as he was outgunned on the feet before succumbing to a triangle choke at the 4:19 mark of Round 2 in their interim featherweight title tilt at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. That snaps a five-bout winning streak for the Team Alpha Male product, who had emerged as a contender with recent victories over the likes of Calvin Kattar, Dan Ige and Shane Burgos. With Emmett turning 38 in March, it’s fair to wonder if this was his last great opportunity to become a UFC champion.8. Brian Ortega (15-3, 1 NC) | UFC [8]
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.. The injury rendered “T-City” unable to continue, and 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.9. Calvin Kattar (23-7) | UFC [9]
An awkward landing following a leaping attack led to Kattar suffering a knee injury in the opening round of his headlining showdown with Arnold Allen at UFC Fight Night 213. Though “The Boston Finisher” came out for the second round, it only took one low kick from his opponent to bring an end to the fight. Kattar, who has lost three of his last four Octagon appearances, could now face a lengthy recovery process before he returns to the cage.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. An injury forced Evloev to pull out of a headlining clash against Bryce Mitchell at UFC Fight Night 214 on Nov. 5.Other Contenders: Ilia Topuria, Chan Sung Jung, Bryce Mitchell, Giga Chikadze, Dan Ige.
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