Ranking the 5 greatest UFC featherweights of all time
The UFC featherweight division is among the most competitive divisions in the promotion. Over the years, the division has produced some of the best mixed martial artists.
Take a quick look at every featherweight champion in UFC history below:
Veterans like Max Holloway, Brian Ortega, and Chan Sung Jung have fought their way to the top of the rankings. However, promising new prospects such as Clavin Kattar, Giga Chikadze, Arnold Allen, and Dan Ige have also made their way into the top ten.
With such fierce competition, it's sometimes easy to forget that the featherweight division didn't even exist before 2010. It wasn't until the WEC merged with the UFC that the 145lbs weight class was added. With the relatively young age of the division in mind, let's look at the top five featherweights of all time:
#5. Frankie Edgar
Frankie 'The Answer' Edgar has been a part of the UFC since 2007 and has fought in three different weight classes. Initially, he competed as a lightweight and became known for his high-paced, explosive style. In 2010, Edgar became the lightweight champion and defended his title thrice.
The American made his featherweight debut in 2013 but lost against then-champion Jose Aldo. Being a shorter fighter, the former lightweight used the peekaboo style of boxing, utilizing slips and feints to close the distance between himself and his opponent.
Edgar was also well versed in wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Throughout his long career, Edgar never backed down from challenging fights. 'The Answer' defeated opponents like B.J. Penn, Cub Swanson, Yair Rodrigues, and even current lightweight champion Charles Oliveira.
The New Jersey native fought for the featherweight title three times but came up short every time. There is little doubt that Frankie Edgar will go down in history as one of the best featherweights who never won the title.