The UFC returned to pay-per-view on Saturday night with UFC 320 in Las Vegas, NV. On the evening’s main card, rising featherweight star Youssef Zalal faced off with top-10 stalwart Josh Emmett in a battle of ranked 145ers.
In the end, the youngster pulled off a massive win by tapping Emmett in Round 1 with an armbar. So where does “The Moroccan Devil” now rank among the best in the world in our updated UFC featherweight rankings? Find out below.
10. Josh Emmett (19-5)
Over the last five years, few fighters at 145 pounds have been better and more consistent than Josh Emmett. Over his 16-fight UFC career, he has scored huge wins over fights like Shane Burgos, Calvin Kattar, Dan Ige, and Bryce Mitchell. However, at 40, Father Time is tapping on his shoulder.
That showed at UFC 320 in his clash with surging 29-year-old Youssef Zalal. Despite being a talented wrestler, Zalal was able to get him to the ground and make him tap in Round 1. Emmett is now on the brink of falling out of the top 10 at 145 pounds.
9. Jean Silva (16-3)
If there were any doubts about how good Jean Silva was, he sent a massive message to the division at UFC 314 by shutting down Bryce Mitchell’s grappling and pummeling him on the feet. But even better, instead of getting another knockout win, he actually submitted the American.
He took his 13-fight win streak into his first UFC main event in September against Diego Lopes. Unfortunately, despite looking good at points in the fight, he suffered a devastating TKO loss. Nevertheless, it was a fight of the year contender, and he remains one of the company’s most exciting fighters.
8. Youssef Zalal (17-5-1)
After going winless in four-straight, Youssef Zalal was cut from the UFC and had to fight his way back into the company. He did that and entered UFC 320 on an impressive seven-fight win streak. In his toughest fight year, and on the main card of a PPV, he dominated and scored a first-round submission win on the top-10 stalwart. Zalal has some big fights in his future.
7. Arnold Allen (20-3)
There are few fighters who 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 a decisive loss to Max Holloway.
That was followed up by another setback to Movsar Evloev. However, he bounced back at UFC 304 with an important victory over talented striker Giga Chikadze.
6. Aljamain Sterling (25-5)
After an outstanding run at bantamweight that should land him a run in the UFC Hall of Fame one day, Aljamain Sterling made the jump to featherweight in 2024. While he has split his first two in the division, he has faced elite-level competition in Calvin Kattar (win) and Movsar Evloev (loss). In his most recent outing, he took on former title challenger Brian Ortega and scored a rock-solid win. It doesn’t move him up in our latest rankings, but he keeps his spot in the top 10.
5. Yair Rodriguez (19-5)
After a period where he battled injuries and some tough losses, there was doubt as to whether 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. However, his reign was short-lived as Alexander Volkanovski took back the undisputed spot at UFC 290.
He then followed that up with another decisive loss in his home country to Brian Ortega in February. He entered UFC 314 in a must-win situation if he ever wanted to fight for UFC gold again. In a big fight welcoming Patricio Pitbull to the UFC, “El Pantera” posted a dominant win to get his name back in the championship conversation.
4. Movsar Evloev (19-0)
Movsar Evloev has been outstanding to begin his UFC career. He has won his first nine inside the Octagon and scored wins over proven featherweight veterans like Hakeem Dawodu and Dan Ige. He took another step closer to title contention when he scored a hard-fought victory over former bantamweight king Aljamain Sterling at UFC 310. While it wasn’t easy, he was under pressure in a big moment and came through looking like a future title challenger.
3. Diego Lopes (27-7)
After making his UFC debut in a very difficult short-notice clash with Movsar Evloev, Diego Lopes has become one of the featherweight division’s elite talents. While he came up short in his first title opportunity at UFC 314, he still owns wins over Brian Ortega and Dan Ige. He scored one of his biggest yet in September with a fight of the year contender against Jean Silva at Noche UFC. Lopes remains one of the very best at 145 pounds.
2. Lerone Murphy (17-0-1)
England’s Lerone Murphy has quietly become one of the best 145-pound fighters in the world. “The Miracle” has won nine straight inside the Octagon, and seemingly set himself up for a title fight in his next fight with his win at UFC 319. His nasty KO victory over Aaron Pico was one of the best of 2025 and put champ Alexander Volkanovski on notice.
1. Alexander Volkanovski (27-4)
Alexander Volkanovski has solidified his place as the best featherweight of all time. However, trips up in weight for a second title and the rise of Ilia Topuria led to three straight losses for “The Great” and speculation that his best days were behind him.
With Topuria choosing to leave the division and move up to lightweight, the Australian was gifted another chance at the 145-pound belt at UFC 314 when he faced Diego Lopes for the vacant title. In April, the legend turned back the clock one more time and proved he is still an elite fighter to become a two-time featherweight champ.
