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The UFC featherweight rankings showcase some of the best fighters in the entire sport. Where lightweight was once considered the deepest weight class in MMA, 145 pounds has caught up and become one of the premier divisions in the UFC.
With that in mind, here is the official Sportsnaut top 10 for the organization’s featherweight class.
After going winless in four-straight, Youssef Zalal was cut from the UFC four years ago 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 tough scrap on the main card of a PPV, he dominated and scored a first-round submission win on a top-10 stalwart, Josh Emmet.
The huge victory landed him his first headlining spot when he took on former bantamweight king Aljamain Sterling. Unfortunately, the future Hall of Famer was able to outwork him. Ending his win streak at eight straight.
After losing two of his first three inside the Octagon and seeming on the verge of being cut, veteran Steve Garcia caught fire over the last four years. In that time, he won seven straight, with all but one coming by decision. In his last four victories, three were first-round knockouts.
It is why he earned a featured opportunity at UFC Freedom 250 against two-time title challenger Diego Lopes. However, “Mean Machine” was not up to the challenge of elite competition and suffered a second-round TKO loss.
A few years ago, England’s Arnold Allen was primed to be a future title contender after winning 10 straight to start his UFC career. However, then he started to face the elites of the division and saw what the deep end of the water at featherweight was, as he lost two straight.
While he is still well outside the title pictures, he has won two of his last three. His latest was a workman-like effort as he scored a decision win against Melquizael Costa in a main event scrap in May.
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.
After an outstanding run at bantamweight that should land him a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame, Aljamain Sterling made the jump to featherweight in 2024. While he split his first two at 145 pounds, his lone loss came against the division’s top contender, Movsar Evloev.
Since that defeat, he has won two straight, including an April main event victory over one of the division’s hottest fighters, Youssef Zalal.
England’s Lerone Murphy has quietly become one of the best 145-pound fighters in the world. “The Miracle” had won nine straight inside the Octagon and seemingly set himself up for a title fight in his next bout with his win at UFC 319.
However, instead, he was given the unsolvable puzzle that is Movsar Evloev in March. Unfortunately, he was the Russian’s latest decision-loss victim. Murphy is still one of the best featherweights in the world, but a title shot in 2026 is now unlikely.
Since he entered the UFC in 2019, former M1 star Movsar Evloev has been a problem that fighters at featherweight have had serious trouble trying to solve. To begin his run in the Octagon, the Russian went 9-0 and scored wins over top talent like Diego Lopes, Aljamain Sterling, and Arnold Allen.
Evloev fairly earned a long-awaited title shot at UFC 333 against division legend Alexander Volkanovski. He found there are levels to this game and was soundly beaten by the 38-year-old. He will need to win at least a couple of fights before he gets another shot at UFC gold.
After earning his UFC contract in 2023 on DWCS, Jean Silva has emerged as the featherweight division’s most exciting fighter after scoring finishes in his first five bouts. However, when he took a big step up in competition against Diego Lopes last year, he found out the competition at the top of the division is serious.
Since the loss, “Lord” has won two straight, including a hard-fought third-round rear-naked choke victory over Jose Delgado in September.
After making his UFC debut in a very difficult short-notice clash with Movsar Evloev, Diego Lopes has had an impressive run inside the Octagon. He is 7-3 in the UFC, with his setbacks coming against elite competition. However, in that time, he has scored some big wins, including over Brian Ortega and Jean Silva.
After coming up short in a second attempt at UFC gold, Lopes returned at UFC Freedom 250. In a matchup with another top 10 talent, the man who calls Mexico home scored a second-round TKO win over Steve Garcia that sent a strong message he remains one of the division’s best.
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.
However, he has quieted the doubters since with three straight impressive performances. The latest came at UFC 333 when, despite a big size difference, he soundly outskilled Movsar Evloev to score his first knockout win in three years (15th overall). At 38, the Aussie is still one of the best fighters in the world.
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