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Featherweight
1. Alexander Volkanovski (24-1) [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, could be next, although Volkanovski also referenced a potential move to 155 pounds in the aftermath of his latest triumph.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. A rematch with Freire will go down at Bellator 277.3. Max Holloway (23-6) [3]
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.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. He’ll get a chance to do the same against McKee at Bellator 277 on April 15.6. Yair Rodriguez (13-3, 1 NC) [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” should be in line for another high-profile booking in his next Octagon appearance.7. Calvin Kattar (23-5) [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 should be in line for another ranked foe in his next outing.8. Josh Emmett (17-2) [9]
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.9. Arnold Allen (18-1) [10]
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) [8]
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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