5 most exciting featherweights in the UFC right now

Max Holloway and Brian Ortega are both amongst the most exciting featherweights

The first UFC show of 2022 goes down next weekend, and in the main event, two of the promotion’s most exciting featherweights are set to throw it down.

𝐎𝐍𝐄. 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄. 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊. 💥

[ #UFCVegas46 | Jan 15th LIVE on @ESPN ] https://t.co/cBWkxsTFjV

The promotions’s featherweight division is undoubtedly one of their most stacked, with plenty of talent inside and outside the top ten, but it’s also one of the most exciting to watch.

With its fighters blending speed and skill with power and explosiveness, the 145lbs division has arguably more exciting fighters than any other weight class in the promotion.

With that considered, here are the five most exciting featherweights to watch in the promotion right now.

#5. Max Holloway – Former UFC featherweight champion

Max Holloway has proclaimed himself as the company's best boxer and is one of the promotion's most exciting featherweights

Ranked as both the top contender in the featherweight division, as well as the No.7 pound-for-pound fighter in the entire company, it’s safe to say that Max Holloway is a tremendous talent inside the octagon.

A consummate striker who has labeled himself as the “best boxer in the UFC”, Holloway’s ability to chain combinations together is practically second-to-none in the promotion. The Hawaiian never takes a step backwards when he’s inside the octagon, and his non-stop striking attack makes him a nightmare for most opponents.

‘Blessed’ lost his featherweight title to Alexander Volkanovski back in December 2019 in somewhat of an upset, but after failing to regain it in a rematch, he’s gotten himself back on track with wins over Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez.

The Rodriguez fight, in particular, was one of the most exciting we’d been treated to in the promotion in a long time, with Holloway going to war with his Mexican opponent and trading wild strikes for five rounds, and both men suffering tremendous damage.

Incredibly, the fight saw the Hawaiian become the first fighter in the promotion's history with over 3000 strikes landed in total.

Milestone night for @BlessedMMA at #UFCVegas42:

1️⃣ Became the first UFC fighter with over 3,000 total strikes landed

💥 Landed UFC career-high 3 takedowns

🚫 The only fighter in UFC history to have at least 25 fights and never get knocked down https://t.co/R9XLJwcuMI

The only reason Holloway isn’t higher on this list is due to his lack of finishes in recent fights – ignoring doctor stoppages, he hasn’t finished an opponent since Jose Aldo in 2017 – but there’s no doubt that ‘Blessed’ is one of the most exciting fighters out there at 145lbs.