UFC featherweight rankings: Aljamain Sterling enters the top 10 after UFC 300

Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

*Rank*	*Fighter*	Record	Last 3 Results
#1	Ilia Topuria	15-0	W-W-W
#2	Alexander Volkanovski	26-4	L-L-W
#3	Max Holloway	25-7	W-W-L
#4	Josh Emmett	18-4	W-L-L
#5	Movsar Evloev	18-0	W-W-W
#6	Brian Ortega	16-3	W-L-L
#7	Yair Rodriguez	19-5	L-L-W
#8	Arnold Allen	19-3	L-L-W
#9	Aljamain Sterling	23-4	W-L-W
#10	Giga Chikadze	14-3	L-W-W

The UFC featherweight rankings are a showcase of some of the elite fighters in one of the best weight classes in the entire sport. Where the lightweight was once considered the deepest weight class in the promotion, 145 pounds has caught up and become one of the premier divisions in the MMA world leader.

With that in mind, here is the official Sportsnaut top-10 for the organization’s featherweight class.

10. Giga Chikadze (15-3)

ufc featherweight rankings — Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Giga Chikadze began his UFC run on absolute fire by winning his first seven fights — three by technical knockout. He seemed primed for a title opportunity in 2022. However, in January of that year, he came up against the always-difficult challenge of Calvin Kattar and suffered his first loss inside the Octagon. That and his inactivity over the last year have led to him dropping in recent UFC featherweight rankings.

He returned in August with a decisive win over Alex Caceres, but it was surprising he did not score a finish on the former TUF champion.

9. Aljamain Sterling (23-4)

After putting together a championship resume at bantamweight, Aljamain Sterling got off to a strong start in his featherweight debut when he stifled and shut down rankings stalwart Calvin Kattar at UFC 300. While the performance didn’t blow fans away it showed “Aljo” is just as difficult to deal with at 145 pounds as he was at 135.

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8. Arnold Allen (19-3)

There are few fighters that have been better than Arnold Allen over the last decade. His recent 11-fight win streak was one of the best in division history and it turned him into one of the United Kingdom’s top fighters. However, his title contender hopes were derailed in April in a decisive loss to Max Holloway.

Now, “Almighty” has the first losing skid of his career as he was unable to halt the hot streak of Russian Movsar Evloev in January. Allen has quickly fallen down our UFC featherweight rankings after such an impressive start to hi career.

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7. Yair Rodriguez (19-5)

After a period where he battled injuries and some tough losses, there was doubt if Yair Rodriguez would ever reach his potential. He quieted all the uncertainty with massive wins over Brian Ortega and Josh Emmett. The latter made him the new interim champion. He earned a chance to prove he is the best in the world when he faced Volkanovski in July at UFC 290. However, in defeat, he proved he is still a level below the division king when he lost by third-round TKO.

He then followed that up with another decisive loss in his home country to Brian Ortega in February. Now, the former interim king has fallen into the same hole he had to dig himself out of a few years ago.

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6. Brian Ortega (16-3)

There is no denying that Brian Ortega is one of the better fighters in the featherweight division over the last decade. However, after losses to Max Holloway, Alexander Volkanvoski, and Yair Rodriguez, there were doubts he could ever be champion.

While it remains to be seen if he can reach the top of the division, he showed in February that he can beat the championship-level competition when he scored an impressive come-from-behind submission victory over former interim titlist Yair Rodriguez.

5. Movsar Evloev (18-0)

Fast-rising star Movsar Evloev has been outstanding to being his UFC career. He has won his first eight inside the Octagon and scored wins over proven featherweight veterans like Hakeem Dawodu and Dan Ige. The biggest knock on him is he has scored zero finishes in the Octagon and only has just seven in his 17 career wins.

While he didn’t get a finish at UFC 297, he got another big notch on his belt when he added Englishman Arnold Allen to his hit list and inched closer to title contention.

4. Josh Emmett (18-4)

Until his disappointing interim title fight loss to Yair Rodriguez in February, Josh Emmett was on the greatest run of his fighting career as he won five straight and scored big wins over Shane Burgos and Calvin Kattar. At 38, the championship clock was already ticking on “CCO.”

In his June return, he again showed his impressive toughness, but he was soundly dominated by rising star Ilia Topuria in the UFC Jacksonville main event. That likely put a final nail in his hopes of ever fighting for UFC gold.

However, he bounced back from that setback at UFC 296 with a thunderous highlight reel KO of Bryce Mitchell. He may never get a title opportunity but he now has a legendary KO that is one of the most memorable in division history.

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3. Max Holloway (25-7)

ufc pound for pound rankings — Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Max Holloway will go down as one of the great UFC featherweights of all time. His victories over fighters like Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar solidified that fact. However, he elevated himself to a new level when he stepped out of the division at UFC 300 and took the BMF title off Justin Gaethje in a destructive fashion. A 145-pound title fight is likely in “Blessed’s” future.

2. Alexander Volkanovski (26-4)

Alexander Volkanovski has solidified his place as the best featherweight of all time. However, recent ventures up in weight have led to his only two defeats as a member of the UFC roster. Until now, in February “The Great” was handed his first loss at 145 pounds when Topuria dethroned him at UFC 298. It will be interesting to see where the champ goes next with not much more to prove in the sport.

1. Ilia Topuria (15-0)

After five straight wins to start his UFC career, Ilia Topuria became one of the new rising stars at 145 pounds. Then big wins over Bryce Mitchell and former interim championship challenger Josh Emmett cemented his place as not just an impressive talent but a true world title contender.

In February, he stamped his place in division history when he was able to be the first man to not only hang an L on Alexander Volkanovski at featherweight but also finish him in dramatic fashion. At just 27, Topuria is set up to begin a lengthy and dominant title run of his own over the next few years.