We rank the UFC’s featherweight champions, men and women, from worst to best.
The featherweight division has hosted some of the greatest fighters to ever grace the sport. From the phenom that is Cris “Cyborg” Justino to all-out superstar Conor McGregor, the division has always produced the goods for fight fans over the years. After a dominant five-year stint as champion, will Jose Aldo’s legacy see him claim the top spot, or has Amanda Nunes’ complete and utter supremacy see her inch her way to No. 1? We look at the best fighters from the UFC’s featherweight division, from worst to best.
7. Germaine de Randamie
With a 46-0 kickboxing record (30 TKOs), Germaine De Randamie is no joke. There is no avoiding the fact that she was subject to mass scrutiny after refusing to defend her title against Justino in 2017. The overwhelming criticism that she was “not fulfilling her duties as champion” was followed by the promotion stripping her of the belt. Although this undoubtedly tainted her legacy after claiming the belt from Holly Holm at UFC 208 (a controversy in itself), De Randamie still stands as a top contender in the bantamweight division. Going 3-1 since the incidents of 2017, De Randamie is still widely considered as one of the best female fighters on the planet.
6. Alexander Volkanovski
The current champion has limitless potential, let’s get that straight. However, his run as champion so far has been somewhat overlooked by fans. Wins over Mendes, Aldo and Holloway back to back to back? How can he be so low on the list? Well, it’s the way the previous two fights played out. Although the majority of folks would argue that Volkanovski won the first meeting pretty clearly, his second clash with former champion Max Holloway left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. A razor close decision saw Volkanovski retain his title back at UFC 251. With a resume like his, it’s unquestionable that he is currently the best featherweight in the world. However, as tensions rise in the lead up the clash with Brian Ortega, that could all change in the blink of an eye.
5. Cris “Cyborg” Justino
The hype around Justino in the lead up to her debut was real. The UFC essentially made the women’s 145 pound division around her, and it paid off. Headlining multiple cards, Justino snatched the gold belt just three fights into her UFC career. In a one-sided affair against Tonya Evinger at UFC 214, Justino made it 12 KO/TKO stoppages in a row. Her first defense came against Holly Holm, a decisive victory which further cemented Justino as one of the best women to ever do it. However, the question on everyone’s mind was this: who is the best? With Nunes tearing through challenger after challenger at bantamweight, an all-Brazilian clash was the fight to make. After clocking in one more title defense, Justino and Nunes met in a frantic, minute-long flurry which seen Nunes send Justino off her feet with an overhand right. A fight years in the making, over in 51 seconds. Worth the wait? Absolutely.
4. Conor McGregor
McGregor’s 2013-2015 sweep of the featherweight division will go down in history. As if witnessing a spectacle, fans tuned in eagerly every time the Irishman fought. Will Mystic Mac deliver? Yes, he will. Racking up five wins in a row, McGregor challenged for the interim belt against Chad Mendes at UFC 189. In a bloody, scrappy main-event, McGregor found Mendes chin with a straight left and closed the show in the second round. The stage was then set, McGregor vs. Aldo was scheduled. Regarded as the most anticipated fight in UFC featherweight history, McGregor ended things in a flash, scoring a 13 second knockout over the champion. Previously undefeated for a decade, Aldo was distraught. McGregor then decided to scrap the featherweight division for good, and spent his later years bouncing between lightweight and welterweight. With no defenses, one may argue that his spot is undeserving. However, the manner he won the belt and the magnitude of fans and hype he brought to the sport must be taken into account.
3. Max Holloway
Holloway is beloved by fight fans around the world. The former champion looked unstoppable during his streak of 13 wins, breaking his opponents down with output statistics never seen before. After winning the belt from Jose Aldo and defending it, Holloway’s massacre of Brian Ortega led fans to believe he was unstoppable. After losing a close decision to Dustin Poirier at 155 for the interim belt, Holloway again defended his featherweight strap against veteran Frankie Edgar. Volkanovski stepped up when all hope for the division seemed lost, and took the champion to a decision, edging out Holloway and claiming gold. After a decisive rematch, it’s hard to argue against the prospect that Max Holloway will be champion again at some point in the future, and his recent dissection of top contender Calvin Kattar is leading fans to believe he has reached his peak. An awful, awful prospect for the rest of the division.
2. Amanda Nunes
After the aforementioned clash with Justino, there was no longer doubt in fans minds regarding who the best female fighter on the planet was. Nunes absolute domination of her opposition is unmatched. In a bloody beat down of Miesha Tate at UFC 200, Nunes compiled eight championship victory wins, with her most recent coming against Megan Anderson in just two minutes of the first round. It is a rarity to come across a fighter with no weaknesses, no holes in their game to target and execute upon. Nunes is that fighter. Flawless Jiu Jitsu, powerful striking and ferocious clinch work have allowed Nunes to climb the ladder of greatness, where she sit alone as the greatest female fighter in the world.
1. Jose Aldo
When we think featherweight, we think Jose Aldo. For years the Brazilian dominated the WEC and UFC rosters. 5 round thrillers with Mendes and one-sided beatdowns against greats such as Urijah Faber and Jeremy Stephens have cemented Aldo as the greatest champion in featherweight history. He is divisional royalty, and it doesn’t stop at 145. Aldo has now made the cut to bantamweight, coming up short in a title fight against Petr Yan last year, but managing to re-establish himself as a top contender with recent wins over Marlon Vera and Pedro Munhoz.