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Featherweight
1. Alexander Volkanovski (26-3) | UFC [1]
No one was surprised when Volkanovski agreed to a short-notice rematch with Islam Makhachev at UFC 294, but the City Kickboxing product couldn’t replicate his efforts from the first meeting, when he pushed the reigning lightweight champ to the brink of defeat. The rematch ended in much more emphatic fashion, as Volkanovski fell victim to a Makhachev head kick in the opening stanza. A featherweight title defense is next for Volkanovski, who will lock horns with top contender Ilia Topuria in the UFC 298 headliner.2. Max Holloway (25-7) | UFC [2]
Holloway asked for Chan Sung Jung and then put on a show in Singapore, sending “The Korean Zombie” into retirement with a third-round knockout victory in the UFC Fight Night 225 headliner. In victory, “Blessed” earned his first UFC finish since 2018 and has won four of his last five promotional outings dating back to 2021. With his path back to the top of the division still murky, Holloway will move to 155 pounds to challenge Justin Gaethje for the BMF belt at UFC 300.3. Patricio Freire (35-7) | Bellator [3]
Freire’s fateful choice to accept a booking on just days’ notice while in Japan to corner his brother Patricky ended in disaster. Facing the relatively unheralded Chihiro Suzuki at Super Rizin 2, “Pitbull” was leveled in under three minutes by a huge right hand. The Brazilian will attempt to right the ship when he faces Jesus Pinedo at the PFL vs. Bellator Champs event on Feb. 24.4. Yair Rodriguez (19-4, 1 NC) | UFC [4]
Heading into the UFC 290 main event, Rodriguez had the look of a dangerous underdog. That was before the inevitability of Alexander Volkanovski set in, as “El Pantera” was largely dominated in a third-round technical knockout defeat. While Rodriguez drew nods of acknowledgement from his opponent for his striking ability, the same problems that plagued the Mexican star earlier in his career — namely, defensive wrestling — surfaced once again on his biggest stage to date. Next, Rodriguez will square off against the returning Brian Ortega in a rematch at UFC Mexico.5. Ilia Topuria (14-0) | UFC [5]
Topuria was in peak form in the UFC on ABC 5 main event, as he tagged former interim title challenger Josh Emmett with crisp punching combinations while relying on smart movement to avoid heavy return fire in a lopsided unanimous decision triumph. Perhaps the only thing that could have made the performance better was a finish, but Emmett proved to be exceedingly tough in defeat. As it stands, “El Matador” has won his first six appearances in the Octagon, which is enough to warrant a title shot against Alexander Volkanovski in the UFC 298 main event.6. Movsar Evloev (18-0) | UFC [10]
Evloev inched closer to championship contention with a three-round verdict against Arnold Allen at UFC 297. While the former M-1 Global champion didn’t score many style points in victory, he did keep his undefeated record intact while extending his UFC winning streak to eight. Another highly-ranked opponent figures to be next for the Russian standout.7. Arnold Allen (19-3) | UFC [6]
Allen was largely ineffective against Movsar Evloev at UFC 297, as he dropped a unanimous decision to his undefeated Russian adversary at the Scotiabank Center in Toronto on Jan. 20. After beginning his Octagon tenure with 10 consecutive triumphs, “Almighty” has lost consecutive outings to Max Holloway and Evloev. Consider the caliber of the competition, there is no shame in defeat, but the Englishman does have some work to do to be considered among the division’s elite.8. Josh Emmett (19-4) | UFC [7]
Emmett put on an explosive performance at UFC 296, putting Bryce Mitchell to sleep with a single, crushing overhand right in the first round of their main card clash. With the late “Knockout of the Year” contender, Emmett snapped the first losing streak of his career and indicated that even at nearly 39, he has more to offer the division. While he faces a hard road to the top given his lopsided losses to Yair Rodriguez and Ilia Topuria, two of the fighters ranked above him, Emmett has staked out his place as the gatekeeper to the Top 5 for the immediate future.9. 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 was shelved for a significant period as a result. Ortega will attempt to settle unfinished business when he rematches Rodriguez in five-round, co-main event at UFC Mexico.10. 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, will make his return to action against former bantamweight king Aljamain Sterling at UFC 300.Other Contenders: Chan Sung Jung, Bryce Mitchell, Giga Chikadze, Movlid Khaybulaev, Edson Barboza.
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