Latest news with #AlexanderVolkanovski
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC featherweight rankings: Alexander Volkanovski returns to No. 1 spot after UFC 314
The UFC featherweight rankings showcase some of the best fighters in the entire sport. Where lightweight was once considered the deepest weight class in MMA, 145 pounds has caught up and become one of the premier divisions in the UFC. With that in mind, here is the official Sportsnaut top 10 for the organization's featherweight class. Related: 1. Alexander Volkanovski (27-4) Alexander Volkanovski has solidified his place as the best featherweight of all time. However, trips up in weight for a second title and the rise of Ilia Topuria led to three straight losses for 'The Great' and speculation that his best days were behind him. With Topuria choosing to leave the division and move up to lightweight, the Australian was gifted another chance at the 145-pound belt at UFC 314 when he faced Diego Lopes for the vacant title. In April, the legend turned back the clock one more time and proved he is still an elite fighter to become a two-time featherweight champ. 2. Movsar Evloev (19-0) Movsar Evloev has been outstanding to begin his UFC career. He has won his first nine inside the Octagon and scored wins over proven featherweight veterans like Hakeem Dawodu and Dan Ige. He took another step closer to title contention when he scored a hard-fought victory over former bantamweight king Aljamain Sterling at UFC 310. While it wasn't easy, he was under pressure in a big moment and came through looking like a future title challenger. 3. Diego Lopes (26-7) After making his UFC debut in a very difficult short-notice clash with Movsar Evloev, Diego Lopes has caught fire inside the Octagon. He has won five straight and scored wins over top 15 stalwarts Sodiq Yusuff, Dan Ige, and, most recently, a UFC 306 win over former title challenger Brian Ortega. That is why he fought for gold at UFC 314. While he gave a solid effort, his loss to Alexander Volkanovski showed he still has some work to do if he wants to be a UFC champion one day. 4. Lerone Murphy (16-0-1) England's Lerone Murphy has quietly become one of the best 145-pound fighters in the world. 'The Miracle' has won eight straight inside the Octagon, and none was bigger than his latest victory at UFC Vegas 105 over Josh Emmett. The American has been a stalwart of the top 10 for years, so scoring a win over one of the weight class's elite went a long way toward proving the undefeated has serious title contender potential 5. Yair Rodriguez (19-5) After a period where he battled injuries and some tough losses, there was doubt as to whether Yair Rodriguez would ever reach his potential. He quieted all the uncertainty 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 followed that up with another decisive loss in his home country to Brian Ortega in February. He entered UFC 314 in a must-win situation if he ever wanted to fight for UFC gold again. In a big fight welcoming Patricio Pitbull to the UFC, 'El Pantera' posted a dominant win to get his name back in the championship conversation. 6. Josh Emmett (19-5) Over the last five years, few fighters at 145 pounds have been better and more consistent than Josh Emmett. Over his 15-fight UFC career, he has scored huge wins over fights like Shane Burgos, Calvin Kattar, Dan Ige and Bryce Mitchell. However, at 40, Father Time is tapping on his shoulder. While he is still a very good fighter, he has lost three of his last four fights, and his dream of one day fighting for UFC gold is done. 7. Arnold Allen (20-3) There are few fighters who have been better than Arnold Allen over the last decade. His recent 11-fight win streak was one of the best in division history, and it turned him into one of the United Kingdom's top fighters. However, his title-contender hopes were derailed in a decisive loss to Max Holloway. That was followed up by another setback to Movsar Evloev. However, he bounced back at UFC 304 with an important victory over talented striker Giga Chikadze. 8. Jean Silva (16-2) If there were any doubts about how good Jean Silva is, he sent a massive message to the division at UFC 314. He passed a huge test by completely shutting down Bryce Mitchell's grappling and pummeled him on the feet. But even better, instead of getting another knockout win, he actually submitted the American. He has won 13 straight overall and all five in the Octagon. 'Lord' is a problem. 9. Aljamain Sterling (24-5) After an outstanding run at bantamweight that should land him a run in the UFC Hall of Fame one day, Aljamain Sterling made the jump to featherweight in 2024. While he has split his first two in the division, he has faced elite-level competition in Calvin Kattar (win) and Movsar Evloev (loss). While he may never fight for gold at 145 pounds, he will be a big problem for any fighter in the top 10 for as long as he stays in it. 10. Youssef Zalal (17-5-1) After losing three straight and being on the brink of being cut, Youssef Zalal has caught fire over the last three years. In that time, he has won seven straight, with the biggest yet coming in February when he scored a definitive win over top 15 stalwart Calvin Kattar. Related Headlines Six Philadelphia Eagles Who Must Step Up for Another Super Bowl Run Steelers Make T.J. Watt Highest-Paid Defender in NFL History Derrick Lewis Next Fight: 3 Options for 'Black Beast's' UFC Return, Including Sergei Pavlovich UFC Lightweight Rankings: Where Do Poirier and Holloway Land Ahead of UFC 318 Showdown?
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Max Holloway Casts Doubt on Ilia Topuria's Championship Streak
Max Holloway Casts Doubt on Ilia Topuria's Championship Streak originally appeared on Athlon Sports. New UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria is arguably on one of the best win streaks of all time, according to most spectators, but not Max Holloway. Topuria, who is 17-0 (9-0 UFC), has put together one of the most impressive three straight performances inside the octagon, knocking out Alexander Volkanovski, Holloway, and most recently Charles Oliveira to become a two-division champion at UFC 317. "Yeah, he beat the names, and you can't deny that. Then, when you look, it just sucks with everything that's going on when you look at that Volk fight – Volk coming off what he did (losing to Islam Makhachev by knockout). That's kind of crazy. But people just look at the name. They're not looking at the record,' Holloway said. In October 2024, Topuria knocked Holloway out at UFC 308 while defending his featherweight title for the first time. It was the first-ever knockout loss in Holloway's career, but he thinks Topuria has been given a good hand. "They're just like, 'Oh, Alex was the champ,' and then me and then Charles. Charles was on a one-fight win streak,' Holloway added. To Holloway's point, it seems like he's referring to Volkanovski being compromised after returning so soon after being finished in his previous fight. He didn't mention it there, however, Holloway has alluded to the fact that going back down to 145 pounds for their bout was tougher than earlier in his career. 'At the end of the day, they're just moments and they're just names. It is one of the greatest names, for sure, that he beat in history. But the man is doing what he's supposed to do. The UFC are lining people up for him, and he's just knocking them down. So, fair play to him." This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
Time of India
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
UFC heads back to Perth with 'Fight Night' debut this September
The UFC has announced its return to Perth, Australia, on September 28, 2025, for a Fight Night event. This marks Perth's fourth time hosting a UFC event, but its first Fight Night, raising anticipation due to Australia's strong MMA scene. Homegrown champions like Alexander Volkanovski and Jack Della Maddalena add to the excitement. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The UFC officially confirmed on Monday that it will return to Perth , Western Australia, with UFC Fight Night set for Sunday, September 28, 2025. This marks the fourth time Perth will host a UFC event, but notably, it will be the city's first-ever Fight Night card, as all previous events were pay-per-view previously hosted UFC 221 in February 2018, UFC 284 in February 2023, and UFC 305 in August 2024. While no matchups have been announced yet, anticipation is high given Australia's strong MMA presence, including homegrown champions Alexander Volkanovski (featherweight) and Jack Della Maddalena (welterweight).Since the Perth event is a Fight Night and not a pay-per-view, the chances of Jack Della Maddalena defending his welterweight title against former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev there are virtually Perth event takes place just a month before the UFC's annual marquee pay-per-view in Abu Dhabi, increasing the likelihood that Jack and Islam could appear in Perth - if not to fight, then at least to help promote a potential showdown in Abu Dhabi.
USA Today
15-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC announces return to Perth
The UFC is headed back to Perth, Western Australia. For the first time, Perth will host a UFC Fight Night rather than a pay-per-view. The event takes place Sept. 27 (Sept. 28 locally) at RAC Arena. The card will be the fourth the city has hosted in UFC history. The other three were UFC 221 (February 2018), UFC 284 (February 2023) and UFC 305 (August 2024). The promotion announced the event officially Monday, though no bouts were revealed. The Oceanic region is home to numerous UFC fighters, including featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena. With a title unlikely to be on the line, ranked fighters from the region who do not have a fight on the books who could headline the event include Israel Adesanya, Dan Hooker, and Kai Kara-France.
USA Today
09-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Alexander Volkanovski reveals family's unexpected request after reclaiming UFC title
Alexander Volkanovski's family advised him to retire after reclaiming his UFC featherweight title earlier this year. Volkanovski (27-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC) returned from a 14-month layoff to defeat Diego Lopes for the vacant featherweight title at UFC 314 in April. Volkanovski was able to rebound from back-to-back knockout losses to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria – the first losing skid of his career. "Straight after the fight, my whole family was just like, 'Why didn't you just put the gloves down in the middle of the octagon straight away?' They all wanted me to retire," Volkanovski said in an interview with Demetrious Johnson. "They all wanted me to, but now that I'm making the decision to keep going, I'm not probably going to bring that back up purely because maybe they're worried about affecting my frame of mind. Which I'm all right, they can say what they want, I'll deal with that OK. "I think maybe they're just trying to be selective. But they made it clear that they all wanted me to stop straight after this fight, and I'm going to be real: A lot of people don't want to talk about this, but I always was fighting for money, looking after my family. If I'm going to get punched in the face to do so, yeah, whatever, I'll try not to. It's never been about my actual legacy. Yeah, legacy that I leave behind is only going to help me build my empire for my family, and that's all that matters for me. The legacy will come with that." Volkanovski has no plans of hanging up his gloves just yet. He awaits his next title challenger, who could be Yair Rodriguez or the winner of the UFC on ABC 9 co-main event between Movsar Evloev and Aaron Pico on July 26.
