Where We Stand: Featherweight Division | September 2021

Outlook: Alexander “The Great” hasn’t done anything but act like and fight like a true champion, and that’s exactly what he did in the second defense of his belt against Brian Ortega. He displayed the technical know-how, fight IQ and resilience that makes him such an all-around puzzle for everyone. Coming up is likely the winner between the November bout between Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez. Volkanovski says he is a champion chasing the contenders and expressed his frustrations with only fighting once in the last year or so. With that in mind, the Holloway-Rodriguez fight will be indicative of what’s to come for the featherweight king.

UFC 266 Rewind: Results, Highlights & More | Official Scorecards | Who Won Bonuses? | The Scorecard

Outlook: Holloway very well could’ve sat back and waited for a title shot after demolishing Calvin Kattar on Fight Island – a notion to which both UFC President Dana White and Volkanovski agreed. However, Holloway wants activity, and so he will follow through on an earlier booking against Yair Rodriguez. A win keeps Holloway at the top of the queue while also giving “Blessed” another chance to show his skills against a dynamic striker. It’s rare to have an expected trilogy in which one fighter bested the other in the previous two fights, but it’s a testament to both Holloway’s body of work as well as the close nature of the second fight in particular against Volkanovski.

Outlook: “T-City” was definitely a better version of himself in his second title shot compared to his fight against Max Holloway at UFC 231, but other than a pair of deep submission attempts, he wasn’t able to push Volkanovski into many uncomfortable moments. Now, the 30-year-old has some rebuilding to do. He looked excellent in his comeback bout against Chan Sung Jung, and there are plenty of fights for him in the top half of the division. Despite the loss, he certainly earned the respect of Volkanovski and his peers, so the future remains bright for LA’s Ortega.

Outlook: Two years have passed since Yair Rodriguez fought, but that doesn’t dim the shine of the Mexican’s contender status. Myriad factors played into the inactivity, and yet, he is one win over Max Holloway away from earning a featherweight title shot. It’s a clear path with a big roadblock, but throughout his UFC career, Rodriguez has shown the dynamic goods worthy of his elite status in the division. He isn’t as battle-tested as some in the Top 5, but skill-for-skill, Rodriguez is right there. Taking out a former champ is about as big of a statement one can make before actually going for the belt, and that’s the sole task Rodriguez needs to concern himself with as the year closes out.

Outlook: “The Korean Zombie” returned to form in a hard-fought but ultimately comfortable decision win over Dan Ige in June. After the fight, he tested the waters about a fight with Max Holloway, but with that temporarily out of the picture, a few different tests are still out there. Kattar is still looking for a fight to bounce back from his loss to Holloway. Jung could always just wait for the Holloway-Rodriguez fight to play out and take the loser as well. If Holloway wins and earns a title shot, that sets up a potential rematch against Rodriguez, and anyone who calls themselves a fight fan wouldn’t mind watching those two run it back after their 2018 Fight of the Year.

Outlook: After putting his toughness on full display against perhaps the best version of Holloway to date, Kattar took some necessary time off to recover from that war. He’s the freshest name in the division’s Top 5, and so the possibilities are also vast in terms of who he fights next. In fact, Holloway is the only fighter in the division’s Top 8 whom he has fought. That said, his next fight is crucial. He needs a statement victory to solidify his elite status in the division. Whether that’s fighting someone above him like The Korean Zombie or Brian Ortega, or defending his spot against surging 145ers like Arnold Allen and Giga Chikadze, Kattar is in an decisive spot when it comes to the trajectory of his climb up the ladder.