On Saturday night, top 10 UFC featherweights Aljamain Sterling and Youssef Zalal moved closer to a title opportunity in 2026 when they faced off in the main event of the promotion’s latest Fight Night card inside the UFC Apex.
Just like he did when he became champion at 135 pounds, Sterling used his excellent wrestling to win the first two rounds and earn a unanimous decision victory over the red-hot Jalal. Following their bout on Saturday, let’s take a look at where they now land in our updated UFC featherweight rankings.
10. Arnold Allen (20-4)
A few years ago, England’s Arnold Allen was being touted as a future title contender after winning 10 consecutive titles early in his UFC career. However, he then began facing the division’s top players and saw what appeared to be the end of the water at featherweight, as he lost two in a row.
However, he did win against Giga Chikadze in 2024. Unfortunately, he was sidelined for a year and a half before returning for a tough test at UFC 324 against Jean Silva. Despite his best efforts in a great battle, he failed against the Brazilian. Fell for the third time in his last four matches.
9. Yousuf Jalal (18-6-1)
After going winless four-straight, Youssef Zalal was fired from the UFC four years ago and had to fight his way back into the company. He did so and entered UFC 320 on an impressive seven-fight winning streak. In his tough scrap on the main card of the PPV, he dominated and scored a first-round submission victory over top-10 veteran, Josh Emmett.
The big win brought him into the limelight for the first time when he defeated former bantamweight king Aljamain Sterling. Unfortunately, the future Hall of Famer was able to outwit him. Their winning streak ended at eight straight.
8. Steve Garcia (19-5)
After losing two of his first three starts inside the Octagon and coming on the verge of retirement, veteran Steve Garcia has caught fire over the past four years. In that time, he has won seven in a row, with all but one of those victories coming by decision.
Three of his last four wins were first-round knockouts. He has violently earned his spot in the top 10 of our latest UFC featherweight rankings.
7. Yair Rodriguez (20-5)
After a period in which he struggled with injuries and some tough defeats, there were doubts whether Yair Rodríguez would ever reach his potential. He put all the uncertainties to rest with massive wins over Brian Ortega and Josh Emmett. The latter made him the new interim champion. However, his reign was short-lived as Alexander Volkanovski took back the undisputed spot at UFC 290.
He then suffered another decisive defeat in his home country to Brian Ortega in February. He will need to enter UFC 314 in a must-win situation if he ever wants to fight for UFC gold again. In a big fight welcoming Patricio Pitbull to the UFC, “El Pantera” scored a dominant win to get his name back into the championship conversation.
6. Aljamain Sterling (26-5)
After a stellar performance at bantamweight that should earn him a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame, Aljamain Sterling makes the jump to featherweight in 2024. While he split his first two at 145 pounds, his only loss came against the division’s top contender Movsar Evloev.
Since that loss, he has reeled off two consecutive wins, including an April main event victory over one of the division’s most popular fighters, Youssef Zalal.
5. Jean Silva (17-3)
If there was any doubt about how good Jean Silva was, he sent a huge message to the division by shutting down Bryce Mitchell’s grappling and stomping him on the feet at UFC 314. Unfortunately, despite seeing good points in his follow-up against Diego Lopes in September, he suffered a TKO loss, ending a 13-fight winning streak.
But he proved he remains a rising contender ranked 145 in January this year when he bounced back with a hard-fought victory at UFC 324 against another ranked fighter, Arnold Allen. The win gets them back on track and in the 2026 contender mix.
4. Leron Murphy (17-1-1)
England’s Leron Murphy has quietly become one of the best 145-pound fighters in the world. “The Miracle” had won nine in a row inside the Octagon, setting himself up for a title fight in his next bout with his victory at UFC 319.
However, instead, they were given the unsolved puzzle that is Movsar Evloev in March. Unfortunately, he was the victim of Russia’s latest decision loss. Murphy is still one of the best featherweights in the world, but a title shot in 2026 is no longer a possibility.
3. Diego Lopez (27-8)
After making his UFC debut in a very tough short-notice clash with Movsar Avloev, Diego Lopes has put in an impressive performance inside the Octagon. He is 6-3 in the UFC and has suffered setbacks in elite competition. However, in that time, he has picked up some big wins, including wins over Brian Ortega and Gene Silva.
In January, he got a second – perhaps unfair – chance at the title. And just like his opportunity in April 2025, he was outmatched and outmatched by division veteran Alexander Volkanovski. Still, the 31-year-old remains one of the must-watch fighters in the division.
2. Movser Avloev (20-0) – Top Contender
Since entering the UFC in 2019, former M1 star Movser Evloev has been a problem featherweight fighters can’t solve. Entering 2026, the Russian was 9-0 inside the Octagon and has wins over top talents like Diego Lopes, Aljamain Sterling and Arnold Allen.
Evalov extended his undefeated streak in March when he scored his biggest win against Leron Murphy in his enemy’s home country. Although he is not an exciting fighter, he has done more than enough to become Volkanovski’s No. 1 contender.
1. Alexander Volkanovski (28-4) – Champion
Alexander Volkanovski has solidified his place as the best featherweight of all time. However, a move up in weight for a second title shot and the rise of Ilya Topuria led to “The Great” suffering three consecutive losses and speculation that his best days were behind him.
However, he has bounced back from those setbacks to establish his dominance at 145 pounds with back-to-back wins over Diego Lopes. Most recently appearing in front of his countrymen at UFC 325. Although he did not get the finish, he once again proved that he is a cut above the Brazilian native.
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