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 | Calvin Kattar | 23-7 | L-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.
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10. Giga Chikadze (15-3)
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. Calvin Kattar (23-7)
Calvin Kattar is one of the stiffest tests in the featherweight division, however, a recent skid has placed him in the realm of an elite gatekeeper. He has lost three of his last four and came up short in several matchups that could have established himself as an elite fighter in the weight class. He is sure to get a difficult challenge in his next appearance, but another loss — especially a spectacular one — could lead to him being out of the UFC featherweight rankings.
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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 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.
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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)
Max Holloway is one of the greatest featherweights of all time, and to many UFC fans, he is the division GOAT. However, after a three-year run of dominance, he has permanently fallen to the position of the best 145-pounder not named Alexander Volkanovski after losing all three of their fights. Yet, he continues to compete at featherweight despite the fact he won’t get a title fight until “The Great” is dethroned.
In August he added a new layer to his legend when he faced fellow division star Chang Sung Jung in a dream fight and was able to definitively send him into retirement with a destructive KO win.
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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.
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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.
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