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 (27-8) | UFC [3]

The third time proved to be the charm for Holloway, who played the role of spoiler by defeating Dustin Poirier via unanimous decision in the UFC 318 headliner in New Orleans. While Poirier bids the sport farewell, “Blessed” looks capable of making a run at 155 pounds at this stage of his UFC career. As the reigning BMF champion, Holloway will have no shortage of suitors, but he also has his sights set on a run at the undisputed 155-pound title before all is said and done.

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. Evloev was supposed to face Aaron Pico in a five-round co-main event at UFC Abu Dhabi on July 26 before withdrawing due to injury.

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. Lerone Murphy (17-0-1) UFC [7]

After going nearly four years without a finish, Murphy made the strongest statement possible in the UFC 319 co-headliner, where he rendered Aaron Pico unconscious with a spinning back elbow in the opening stanza of their encounter at the United Center in Chicago on Aug. 16. Murphy’s promotional winning streak now stands at nine, and his latest effort may have very well punched his ticket to a UFC featherweight title shot.

8. Yair Rodriguez (20-5, 1 NC) | UFC [9]

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,” was rumored to be receiving a title shot against Alexander Volkanovski at Noche UFC before the event was moved from Guadalajara to San Antonio.

9. 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.

10. Timur Khizriev (18-0) | PFL [11]

Khizriev completed a strong 2024 campaign with a unanimous decision triumph over Brendan Loughnane to earn a Professional Fighters League featherweight championship. After a year that also included wins over the likes of Gabriel Braga, Enrique Barzola and Brett Johns, the 29-year-old Dagestani has not competed in 2025. However, he did have a scary encounter where he was hospitalized after being shot by two attackers in his home country in July.

Other Contenders: Josh Emmett, Aljamain Sterling, Brian Ortega, Youssef Zalal, Rajabali Shaidullaev.

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