Featherweight
1. Jose Aldo (26-2)
It is not the Conor McGregor rematch he assuredly wants, but Aldo is set for a Brazilian homecoming to unify the UFC featherweight crown. Aldo headline UFC 212 on June 3 in Rio de Janeiro against interim champion Max Holloway in what could easily be one of the most thrilling bouts of the entire year.2. Max Holloway (17-3)
It took 10 straight wins in the UFC and an interim title strap, but Holloway finally has the sort of big fight for which he has been angling. Following his December blowout of Anthony Pettis to win his interim trinket and his subsequent “Where’s Jose Waldo?” media campaign, the 25-year-old Hawaiian dynamo is now set to unify the featherweight title against Jose Aldo at UFC 212 on June 3 in Rio de Janeiro.3. Frankie Edgar (21-5-1)
Edgar picked up a quality unanimous decision win over Jeremy Stephens on the stacked UFC 205 card in November. Following successful groin surgery, “The Answer” has ended up on another top-to-bottom outstanding UFC offering, jumping onto the UFC 211 lineup on May 13 in Dallas, where he is scheduled to take on fast-rising featherweight prospect Yair Rodriguez.4. Cub Swanson (24-7)
Sometimes, things just do not make sense. Such is the nature of Swanson’s next outing. After an electrifying and violent win over Doo Ho Choi in December, Swanson will get a headlining slot on April 22, when the UFC heads back to Nashville, Tennessee. Yet it will come against Conor McGregor training partner and barely .500 fighter Artem Lobov, who is just 2-2 in the Octagon.5. Ricardo Lamas (17-5)
Often a forgotten man at 145 pounds since his unsuccessful February 2014 UFC title challenge against Jose Aldo, Lamas remains one of the division’s finest competitors, but he needs to draw some attention to himself. He may be now receiving a gift, as he has become an object of fighting desire for Chan Sung Jung, leading Lamas to publicly tell “The Korean Zombie” to “be careful what you ask for.”6. Anthony Pettis (19-6)
It seemed like a dream for Pettis when the former lightweight kingpin dropped to 145 pounds, styled against Charles Oliveira in August and then lucked into an interim featherweight title fight with Max Holloway at UFC 206 that could have set him up for a long-awaited, once-scheduled bout with Jose Aldo. Instead, it became a nightmare: Pettis blew weight, clocking in at 148 pounds, and then got beaten around the cage by Holloway until the Hawaiian put him away with a kick to the body and torrent of punches in Round 3.7. Charles Oliveira (21-7, 1 NC)
Oliveira is 1-3 in his last four fights and has spent most of his five-year featherweight tenure battling the scale. The timing seems as good as any for “do Bronx” to head back to 155 pounds where he started his career, but he is certainly not being thrown a softball in his lightweight return. Oliveira will square off with former Bellator MMA lightweight champion Will Brooks at UFC 210 on April 8 in Buffalo, New York.8. Chan Sung Jung (15-4)
After three and a half years away from MMA fulfilling mandatory military service in his native South Korea, “The Korean Zombie” blew up Dennis Bermudez in less than three minutes in his return on Feb. 4. The 30-year-old action fighter has been quick to target a path back up the UFC ranks toward another potential title shot, calling out another former UFC title challenger, Ricardo Lamas, for a bout later this year.9. Jeremy Stephens (25-13)
It has been win-loss-win-loss at featherweight for Stephens. If “Lil’ Heathen” is to keep pace in the intensifying 145-pound division and get a critical win after his loss to Frankie Edgar at UFC 205 in November, he will need to deal with Brazilian prospect Renato Carneiro at UFC on Fox 24 on April 15.10. Darren Elkins (22-5)
Elkins’ bout with Mirsad Bektic at UFC 209 was a bloody beatdown for two rounds, and Elkins was on the business end of it. However, with a volley of punches and a shocking head kick, “The Damage” became the first man to defeat the touted prospect, authoring a major upset and one of the best in-fight comebacks in MMA history. It gave the Indiana native his fourth straight win in 18 months, a run that includes quality victories over Chas Skelly and Godofredo Castro.Other Contenders: Dennis Bermudez, Doo Ho Choi, Andre Fili, Brian Ortega, Yair Rodriguez
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