1. Max Holloway (UFC champion)
With an amazing performance against Brian Ortega at UFC 231, Holloway has cemented himself as the greatest featherweight of all time. Holloway has won 13 straight fights including Ortega, Jose Aldo twice, and has literally cleaned out the 145-pound division. My guess is Max is going to move up to 155 and vacate the title in 2019.
2. Brian Ortega
Ortega lost against Holloway, but he turned in an amazing gutsy performance. Ortega is now an even bigger cult hero then he was before the Holloway fight. If Holloway vacats, I expect Ortega to dominate the division for a long time.
3. Jose Aldo Jr.
Aldo dominated Jeremy Stephens in his last fight. Jose was the featherweight champion for 10 years through WEC and the UFC. Aldo is scheduled to face Renato Moicano in early 2019
4. Renato Moicano
Moicano is a monster for anyone. He was defeated with a walk off submission by Ortega in 2018 in a fight he was winning. With a win over Jose Aldo, Moicano will earn a title shot.
5. Frankie Edgar
Edgar is featherweight royalty. His last 3 wins were against Cub Swanson, Yair Rodriguez, and Jeremy Stephens. Pretty good huh? Edgar may fight for the title again in 2019
6. Alexander Volkanovski
Volkanovski is a 145 lb monster with a big win over Chad Mendes at UFC 232. Volkanovski needs to beat a top 5 fighter to get into the title picture.
7. Jeremy Stephens
Getting knocked out by Jose Aldo is nothing to be ashamed of. Stephens has been a stall worth of the featherweight division and puts on an exciting fight every time.
8. Mirsad Bektic
With a big split decision against Ricardo Lamas, Bektic proves he belongs. Bektic has actually won 12 out of his last 13 fights. My question is, is he a big enough name to get a big fight? Bektic is a very dangerous fighter.
9. Ricardo Lamas
Lamas has beaten Darren Elkins, Diego Sanchez, and Charles Oliviera. That’s an impressive resume. His fights are spectacularly exciting including his fight with Max Holloway where he hung in tough against the champion.
10. Yair Rodriguez
Rodriguez is a warrior and had the greatest knockout I have ever seen against Korean Zombie at UFC Denver. Yair is going to get a big fight in 2019 based on that performance.
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