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Featherweight
1. Alexander Volkanovski (23-1) [1]
In his first title bout against someone other than Max Holloway, Volkanovski delivered in the UFC 266 main event, outlanding Brian Ortega by 126 significant strikes and surviving a couple of dangerous submissions en route to a unanimous decision victory. The City Kickboxing representative has won 20 consecutive professional fights and 10 straight in UFC competition to further cement his place as one of the sport’s top pound-for-pound talents. Despite a 2-0 record against Holloway, a third date with the talented Hawaiian could loom, provided he gets past Yair Rodriguez in November.2. A.J. McKee (18-0) [2]
McKee had a star-making performance at Bellator 263, as he rocked Patricio Freire with a head kick and then rendered his opponent unconscious with a guillotine choke in their headlining encounter at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on July 31. Not only does McKee claim featherweight gold, but he earned a cool $1 million for making it through the promotion’s 145-pound bracket. McKee finished all four of his opponents — Freire, Darrion Caldwell, Derek Campos and Georgi Karakhanyan — in the grand prix and now looks poised to be one of the sport’s top featherweights for years to come.3. Max Holloway (22-6) [3]
Holloway erased the sting of back-to-back losses to Alexander Volkanovski in emphatic fashion at UFC on ABC 1, where he authored a dominant five-round verdict against Calvin Kattar at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The 29-year-old Hawaiian set several striking records in a masterful performance. Just as important, “Blessed” reaffirmed his place as one of the Las Vegas-based promotion’s top stars with a big victory on network television. Holloway was supposed to meet Yair Rodriguez in the main event of a UFC card on July 17, but the bout was postponed after the ex-champion suffered an injury. The rebooking against Rodriguez is slated for Nov. 13.4. Brian Ortega (15-2, 1 NC) [4]
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 on Sept. 25. 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.5. Patricio Freire (32-5) [5]
Freire is a champ-champ no longer, as he was relieved of his 145-pound belt in a first-round submission loss to A.J. McKee in the Bellator 263 headliner on July 31. “Pitbull” is still arguably the greatest talent to compete under the Bellator banner, but he recently vacated his lightweight belt to pursue a rematch with McKee at 145 pounds. It’s worth nothing that Freire has bounced back from adversity before: The Brazilian has twice lost featherweight title bouts in the California-based promotion only to avenge those defeats further down the road.6. Chan Sung Jung (17-6) [6]
“The Korean Zombie” proved he isn’t the brawler he used to be at UFC on ESPN 25, as he relied on takedowns and positional dominance to capture a unanimous decision triumph over Dan Ige at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on June 19. The Fight Ready export has won three of his last four promotional appearances and rebounded from a decision loss to Brian Ortega at UFC Fight Night 180 in October 2020. Another ranked opponent is likely next for the 34-year-old South Korean.7. Calvin Kattar (22-5) [7]
Kattar was almost too tough for his own good at UFC on ABC 1, as he absorbed a whopping 445 significant strikes in a unanimous decision loss to ex-champ Max Holloway at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 16. Only time will tell if the punishment Kattar took will shorten his career. In the present, the setback halts the momentum of the “The Boston Finisher,” who had been victorious in four of five Octagon appearances heading into the bout. Kattar will return approximately a year later to face Giga Chikadze at UFC Fight Night on Jan. 15.8. Josh Emmett (16-2) [8]
Emmett earned his third consecutive triumph in the Octagon at UFC on ESPN 11, as he captured a unanimous decision triumph over Shane Burgos. The Team Alpha Male product has not competed since that June 2020 appearance after suffering a severe knee injury in the bout that included a completely torn ACL among other myriad issues. Emmett will make his long-awaited return against Dan Ige at UFC 269.9. Arnold Allen (17-1) [9]
Allen added another impressive notch to his belt at UFC on ABC 2, when he scored a decision win over fellow up-and-coming featherweight Sodiq Yusuff on April 10. That makes 10 straight professional triumphs – including eight in the Las Vegas-based promotion – for the 27-year-old Englishman, whose best days might yet be ahead of him.10. Giga Chikadze (14-2) [10]
Chikadze quieted the doubters in the UFC on ESPN 30 main event, as he earned an impressive technical knockout victory against Edson Barboza at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Aug. 28. “Ninja” has won nine straight professional outings – including seven in the UFC – and has been at his best when the competition level increased in finishes of Barboza and Cub Swanson. Chikadze will take another step up when he meets Calvin Kattar in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card on Jan. 15.Other Contenders: Dan Ige, Edson Barboza, Movsar Evloev, Ilia Topuria, Bryce Mitchell.
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