Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Featherweight

1. Ilia Topuria (17-0) | UFC [1]

Topuria called his shot and delivered, as he knocked out Charles Oliveira in the UFC 317 headliner. With the victory, “El Matador” becomes the first undefeated fighter to be a two-division UFC champion. Topuria now has successive knockout victories over Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Oliveira — a run that’s as impressive as any in recent memory. There already appears to be plenty of momentum building for a 155-pound title defense against Paddy Pimblett, who entered the Octagon to face off with Topuria after the UFC 317 main event.

2. Alexander Volkanovski (27-4) | UFC [2]

Even at 36 years old, Volkanovski showed he still has something left in the tank, as he reclaimed featherweight gold with a hard-fought decision triumph against Diego Lopes in the UFC 314 headliner. It was a much-needed return to the win column for the Aussie on the heels of back-to-back knockout losses against Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev, but having a lengthy second title reign will be more challenging than ever in a talented division.

3. Max Holloway (26-8) | UFC [3]

Holloway looked sharp for two rounds against Ilia Topuria, but “Blessed” ultimately succumbed to his opponent’s otherworldly power at the 1:34 mark of Round 3 in the UFC 308 main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 26. Holloway is now winless in his last four bids for featherweight gold. He will put his BMF crown on the line in a trilogy against Dustin Poirier at UFC 318 in New Orleans on July 19

4. Movsar Evloev (19-0) | UFC [4]

Evloev survived by the skin of his teeth at UFC 310, as he took a narrow unanimous verdict over former bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling in a grappling-heavy affair. The Russian’s resume now includes triumphs over the likes of Sterling, Arnold Allen and Diego Lopes, but the lack of finishes on his resume — all nine of his UFC wins have gone the distance — could impede his progress to the top of the division.

5. Diego Lopes (26-7) | UFC [5]

Lopes threw a couple of scares into Alexander Volkanovski in the UFC 314 headliner, but that ultimately wasn’t enough to overcome his opponent’s all-around excellence in a unanimous decision defeat at the Kaseya Center in Miami on April 12. The Brazilian sees a five-bout winning streak come to an end in defeat, but his title opportunity also arrived sooner than expected. The Lobo Gym MMA will attempt to return to the win column against Jean Silva in the Noche UFC main event on Sept. 13.

6. Arnold Allen (20-3) | UFC [6]

Allen snapped a two-fight skid at UFC 304, taking a unanimous decision triumph over Giga Chikadze in Manchester on July 27. While the 30-year-old Brit couldn’t get past difficult tests against the likes of Max Holloway and Movsar Evloev, he nonetheless owns an 11-2 mark in UFC competition. “Almighty” figures to have plenty of time to make another run at featherweight gold before all is said and done.

7. Brian Ortega (16-4, 1 NC) | UFC [7]

Ortega was put on his heels early in his UFC 306 matchup with Diego Lopes and never recovered, losing a unanimous decision at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Sept. 14. While he displayed tremendous heart in making it to the final bell, “T-City” was rocked in both the first and third frames and was unable to mount a serious comeback against his Brazilian foe. Ortega has lost three of his last four Octagon appearances dating back to 2021. He’ll look to get back on track against Aljamain Sterling at UFC Shanghai.

8. Yair Rodriguez (20-5, 1 NC) | UFC [8]

Rodriguez gave Patricio Freire a rude welcome to the featherweight division at UFC 314, controlling the range with his versatile striking arsenal to take a clear-cut unanimous decision triumph over the former Bellator champion at the Kaseya Center in Miami. That ends a two-fight losing streak for “El Pantera,” who has targeted a spot on the upcoming Noche UFC card in Guadalajara, Mexico in September.

9. Lerone Murphy (16-0-1) UFC [9]

Murphy relied on intelligent movement and a varied striking arsenal to confound Josh Emmett and take a unanimous decision triumph in the UFC Vegas 105 headliner on April 5 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. “The Iceman” has won eight straight contests at 145 pounds, a run that includes triumphs over the likes of Emmett, Edson Barboza and Dan Ige. With five consecutive decisions on his ledger, the 33-year-old Brit will likely need another statement-making victory to enter the next tier of contenders.

10. Jean Silva (16-2) | UFC [10]

“Lord” was completely dominant at UFC 314, running roughshod over Bryce Mitchell on the feet as well as on the canvas en route to a second-round ninja choke submission. The emphatic win extended Silva’s streak to 13 straight, the last five of which have been by stoppage in the UFC Octagon. The 28-year-old Brazilian will return to action against former title challenger Diego Lopes at Noche UFC on Sept. 13.

Other Contenders: , Timur Khizriev, Josh Emmett, Aljamain Sterling, Youssef Zalal, Rajabali Shaidullaev.

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