The featherweight division finds itself in a peculiar spot. For all intents and purposes, one could claim “nothing” has happened regarding the title picture going back to Alexander Volkanovski’s reclaiming of the title in April 2025. The Australian remained on the shelf following his decision win over Diego Lopes, and when the Octagon returns to Sydney for UFC 325, Volkanovski will face Lopes once again with the featherweight title on the line.
However, that’s not all that happened in the 10 months between title bouts. Lerone Murphy scored a massive knockout win over Aaron Pico, Aljamain Sterling jumped into the Top 5 with a win over Brian Ortega and streakingnewcomers in the Top 10, Youssef Zalal and Steve Garcia, racked up victories in hopes of getting a shot at the biggest names in the division this year.