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The UFC Featherweight division is one of the most exciting and competitive in the promotion, with some of the greatest fighters ever competing in the 145lb weight class.
The fighters in this class are some of the most well-rounded and dangerous in the UFC. With a wide variety of fighters, explosive strikers, the best technical grapplers and more, there are few divisions as entertaining to watch than the Featherweights.
Winning the UFC Featherweight title means you are among the best of the best and respected among your peers. However, the way a fighter wins and how the fans feel about him can be equally important in cementing a legacy.
These legacies will be examined as I look to rank the greatest UFC Featherweight fighters in history, including one of the most popular and notorious fighters of all time.
5. Ilia Topuria
You don’t call yourself “The Legend” unless you believe you’re an all-time great, and Ilia Topuria is just that.
He recently rechristened himself “La Leyenda” after Topuria vacated the UFC Featherweight Title. He ended his reign with a record of 16 fights and 0 defeats, an impressive total as he moves up to lightweight.
As one of the hardest hitters in the UFC, it is easy to see why Topuria was so dominant. Recent knockout wins over Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway have helped cement his legacy as he moved up a weight class.
Topuria is undefeated and a supremely confident fighter who excels in grappling as well as striking. He is a fighter who could have dominated the division for years if he had the ambition.
4. Conor McGregor
There are few men more notable and notorious in the UFC than Conor McGregor, who dominated the Featherweight division for a time.
The Irishman racked up five wins on the bounce to earn himself a shot at the Interim Featherweight Champion, as McGregor knocked out Chad Mendes to become the champion for the first time.
McGregor beat Jose Aldo, an all-time great, with a record-setting 13-second knockout at UFC 194 to become the Undisputed UFC Featherweight Champion and stamp his authority in the division.
He was known for his pinpoint accuracy and ability to read opponents, which he used to great effect during his time as a Featherweight.
He never lost the title and vacated it due to inactivity, but McGregor’s popularity in the chase helped the Featherweight division thrive like never before.
3. Alexander Volkanovski
The Australian powerhouse is synonymous with the UFC Featherweight division, establishing himself as one of the most complete fighters it’s ever seen.
After moving down from Lightweight, Volkanovski began a dominant undefeated streak in the Featherweight division.
Despite losing two fights to Islam Makhachev for the Lightweight title, Volkanovski won 12 fights in a row, which included a trilogy of wins over Holloway.
Volkanovski lost the title to Topuria, but that took nothing away from his ability in the octagon.
The Australian’s incredible technical striking and wrestling ability meant he is able to dominate the pace of a fight and control his opponents inside the octagon, picking up victories over some of the best.
2. Max Holloway
Few fighters can claim to be as iconic in the UFC Featherweight division as Holloway.
The Hawaiian sensation went on a sensational 13-fight winning streak en route to picking up the World Championship.
His incredible cardio and technical skills helped him overwhelm his opponents like no other and become one of the great champions in the Featherweight Division.
Holloway boasted wins over some of the all-time greats, including back-to-back decisive wins over Aldo.
The number of wins he possesses (26 with 8 losses) is only matched by the ferocity of his matches, with fans always guaranteed entertainment when “Blessed” is on the card.
1. Jose Aldo
It’s hard to give anybody the crown of the greatest Featherweight in UFC history over Jose Aldo.
Aldo moved over to the UFC from the WEC in 2011, with an 18-1 record that showed him to be one of the top fighters in his weight class.
He proved that in spades, enjoying an undefeated decade of dominance over the Featherweight division. Aldo defended the belt seven times in that spell, showing a command of the division rarely seen in the UFC.
It was not only his skill that was impressive but his longevity. Despite losing to McGregor and Holloway, he came back in 2018 with a huge win over Jeremy Stephens, as Aldo beat the Boogeyman with a clattering body shot that put him down in a heap.
Aldo sports a record of 15 wins and 8 losses. However, his influence and dominance in the early days of the Featherweight division make him the greatest Feather fighter in UFC history.