UFC featherweight title history: Volkanovski on top again, Holloway, Topuria and more

Take a look at a chronological history of the UFC featherweight belt.

The featherweight title is back around the waist of Alexander Volkanovski after UFC 314.

Take a look at a chronological history of the UFC’s 145-pound title, which migrated over from the WEC in 2010 when the promotions merged.

Jose Aldo

Jose Aldo

Date: Nov. 20, 2010
Event: UFC 123
Opponent: N/A
Total reign: 1.848 days
Title defenses: Mark Hominick, Kenny Florian, Chad Mendes, Frankie Edgar, Chan Sung Jung, Ricardo Lamas, Chad Mendes

Conor McGregor (interim)

Jul 11, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Conor McGregor (blue gloves) celebrates after defeating Chad Mendes (not pictured) in their interim featherweight title bout during UFC 189 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. McGregor won via second round TKO. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Date: July 11, 2015
Event: UFC 189
Opponent: Chad Mendes
Total reign: N/A
Title defenses: None

Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor after knocking out Jose Aldo in 13 seconds at UFC 194.

Date: Dec. 12, 2015
Event: UFC 194
Opponent: Joe Aldo
Total reign: 350 days
Title defenses: None (stripped of title)

Jose Aldo (interim)

Jose Aldo

Date: July 9, 2016
Event: UFC 200
Opponent: Frankie Edgar
Total reign: N/A
Title defenses: None

Jose Aldo

May 11, 2019; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Jose Aldo (red gloves) reacts to fight against Alexander Volkanovski (blue gloves) during UFC 237 at Jeunesse Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Silva-USA TODAY Sports

Date: Nov. 26, 2016
Event: N/A
Opponent: N/A
Total reign: 189 days
Title defenses: None

Max Holloway (interim)

Max Holloway

Date: Dec. 10, 2016
Event: UFC 206
Opponent: Anthony Pettis
Total reign: N/A
Title defenses: None

Max Holloway

Max Holloway

Date: June 3, 2017
Event: UFC 212
Opponent: Jose Aldo
Total reign: 925 days
Title defenses: Jose Aldo, Brian Ortega, Frankie Edgar

Alexander Volkanovski

Alexander Volkanovski, UFC 245

Date: Dec. 14, 2019
Event: UFC 245
Opponent: Max Holloway
Total reign: 1,526 days
Title defenses: Max Holloway, Brian Ortega, Chan Sung Jung, Max Holloway, Yair Rodriguez

Yair Rodriguez (interim)

Feb 12, 2023; Perth, WA, AUSTRALIA; Yair Rodriguez (red gloves) is interviewed after defeating Josh Emmett (not pictured) during UFC 284 at RAC Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasmin Frank-USA TODAY Sports

Date: Feb. 12, 2023
Event: UFC 284
Opponent: Josh Emmett
Total reign: N/A
Title defenses: None

Ilia Topuria

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Ilia Topuria celebrates his championship victory against Alexander Volkanovski during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Date: Feb. 17, 2024
Event: UFC 298
Opponent: Yair Rodriguez
Total reign: 419 days
Title defenses: Max Holloway

Alexander Volkanovski

Apr 12, 2025; Miami, Florida, UNITED STATES; Alexander Volkanovski (red gloves) reacts after defeating Diego Lopes (not pictured) during UFC 314 at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Date: April 12, 2025
Event: UFC 314
Opponent: Diego Lopes
Total reign: Incumbent
Title defenses: First title reign: Max Holloway, Brian Ortega, Chan Sung Jung, Max Holloway, Yair Rodriguez

Video: Watch 34 of the sickest and slickest and scariest submissions in UFC history

It’s an off week for the UFC, but the promotion’s social media and video team stays ever-busy even when no new fights are happening.

It’s an off week for the UFC, but the promotion’s social media and video team stays ever-busy even when no new fights are happening.

The UFC has put together a compilation video of 34 of what it’s calling the scariest submissions in its history, and it goes back a ways, too. We’re talking Hughes-Trigg level of old school on some of these finishes.

So check them out in the video above.

UFC lightweight Grant Dawson has ‘a nagging suspicion’ about his next fight

Grant Dawson feels like the odd man out in the UFC lightweight rankings.

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – [autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] feels like the odd man out in the UFC lightweight rankings.

Dawson (23-2-1 MMA, 11-1-1 UFC) is eager to climb the ladder to reach his goal of becoming UFC champion but doesn’t think his next fight will help propel him there. The American Top Team fighter currently sits at No. 14 in the UFC’s lightweight standings.

Dawson defeated Diego Ferreira by unanimous decision at UFC 311 in January and sees himself likely drawing another unranked lightweight for his next fight.

“I’m a little worried about the lightweight division to be honest with you,” Dawson told MMA Junkie. “It seems like everybody is really tied up. I have a nagging suspicion my next fight is going to be outside the top 15, which kind of sucks, but I’m very interested to see what happens after that.”

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, surging contender Fares Ziam (17-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) mentioned that he’s open to Dawson next, and Dawson likes that idea.

“Fares Ziam, he said in an interview that he’d fight me. I said let’s do it, let’s go, and I haven’t heard anything since,” Dawson said. “So, that’s kind of who I’m thinking. Nasrat (Haqparast) is also up there. I think he’s on a five-fight win streak, he definitely deserves somebody in the top 15. So, yeah, I was really hoping for Iganacio Bahamondes, but that’s not happening. So, it’s probably one of those two.

“But honestly, I’m probably going to get a phone call and get some guy I’ve never heard of and have to fight that guy, but it’s fine. I told them that as long as it’s not (Renato) Moicano, and it’s not (Mateusz) Gamrot, the answer is yes. My No. 1 goal this year was to get three fights in. I’ve got one so far, get another one shortly, and then get another one at the end of the year. Hopefully break into the top 10, maybe the top five by the end of this year would be really great.”

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USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, April 15: UFC 314 results in multiple upward shifts

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC 314 and 2025 PFL World Tournament 2.

UFC 314 was a major card – with major impacts.

Coming out of Saturday’s fight card in Miami, multiple fighters shifted upward in the official USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings including [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag], [autotag]Jean Silva[/autotag], [autotag]Virna Jandiroba[/autotag], and [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag].

Additionally, another impactful (though lesser so) fight card took place in the Sunshine State. 2025 PFL World Tournament 2 featured wins from [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] and [autotag]Ekaterina Shakalova[/autotag].

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.

Kyoji Horiguchi explains UFC return, weighs in on fighting teammate Alexander Pantoja

Ex-RIZIN and Bellator champ Kyoji Horiguchi is back in the UFC and has his sights set on gold – even if it means going through a teammate.

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – [autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag] is back in the UFC and there’s only one thing on his mind.

A former Bellator and RIZIN champion, Horiguchi (34-5 MMA, 7-1 UFC) want to add UFC gold to his trophy case.

“I wanted to go back to the UFC always. Every time, I was thinking about that.” Horiguchi told MMA Junkie at American Top Team on Tuesday. “I need to get the belt. But my friend has a belt. It’s going to be a good fight.”

Horiguchi, 34, returns June 21 in Baku, Azerbaijan vs. Tagir Ulanbekov (16-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC). It’ll mark his first UFC fight since a November 2016 victory over Ali Bagautinov. His only loss in the promotion was a failed title bid in the UFC 186 main event against Demetrious Johnson in April 2015.

“I know every situation (now),” Horiguchi said, when asked about how he’s changed since that fight one decade ago. “I’ve improved a lot. I’d like to try that technique in the UFC.”

While it’s yet to be announced by the UFC, a rumored title fight between Alexandre Pantoja and Kai Kara-France seems to be next.

Horiguchi and Pantoja (29-5 MMA, 13-3 UFC) are long time training partners at ATT. According to Horiguchi, the two fighters aren’t opposed to having to fight one another, however. Their home gym, which is the training home of dozens of active UFC and PFL fighters, has been through similar scenarios many times before.

“Yeah (we’re) fighters and friends,” Horiguchi said. “Friends can make good money. It’s going to be good. If we decide to fight, maybe (we train) in separate rooms with a little bit more specific training.”

Horiguchi has competed both at flyweight and bantamweight throughout his career. Right now, 125 pounds is the only division in his plans, however.

“I need to get the belt, so flyweight,” Horiguchi said. “I’m not sure. Right now, I’m focused on flyweight.”

David Martinez wants UFC 320 slot after impressive debut, explains how virtual reality helps preparation

“The Black Spartan” David Martinez is already turning heads of UFC fans from around the world.

[autotag]David Martinez[/autotag] is riding high, even though his UFC debut was nearly three weeks ago.

After a lifetime build, and sacrifices that included stepping away from a lucrative career as a surgeon, Martinez (12-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) made a dream come true March 29 at UFC on ESPN 64 when he finished Saimon Oliveira with strikes in front of a raucous Mexico City crowd.

Martinez still can’t suppress his smile when he reflects on it.

“I was very excited with my performance and very happy I won one of the bonuses,” Martinez told MMA Junkie on Tuesday through a Spanish-language interpreter. “… For me, it’s a dream. I am very happy. I am very proud of my performance and for the work that I put in in these months. I was proud because I fought with my city, with my people, with the best league in the world, the UFC. It was exciting.”

After his first taste of the UFC cage, Martinez craves more. He wants another fight, another opportunity to rack up a highlight, and another moment of elation as he soaks in crowd noise.

Despite fighting in his home country, Martinez admits the experience was a bit foreign. Coming up the ranks through Combate Global, which holds its events in a studio without a live audience, then moving onto the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series at the UFC Apex, Martinez wasn’t used to that level of energy.

However, he used virtual reality boxing games during training camp to help him mentally adjust.

“It’s a very different mental work,” Martinez said. “It’s very funny because I worked this mental compartment with my VR for PlayStation 5. I have one game where I’m boxing with the other guy and there’s a lot of noise. When I plat this game, I make believe it’s my next fight. That’s what I did for this fight.”

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As he turns his attention away from the past and toward the future, Martinez thinks it’s a no-brainer what’s next. First, he’ll help his sister Melissa Martinez with her UFC fight July 12 vs. Fatima Kline at an event expected to take place in Nashville, Tenn.

He’s crossing his fingers that he can return to competition Sept. 13 at UFC 320, the promotion’s annual Noche UFC, a celebration of Mexican Independence Day.

“I want to fight in Mexico in September in Guadalajara,” Martinez said. “I’m ready right now. In this moment, I’m very focused on the next fight of my sister [Melissa Martinez]. My sister fights on July 12 and I’m very excited to go with her. Next for me, I believe will be in Guadalajara. … I don’t have one name specifically. I am ready for whatever fighter. I want to take it step-by-step, little steps.”

Ailin Perez shrugs off Nora Cornolle’s callout at UFC 314

Ailin Perez shuts down Nora Cornolle’s callout at UFC 314 as she doesn’t see her deserving of the opportunity.

[autotag]Nora Cornolle[/autotag] called out [autotag]Ailin Perez[/autotag], and now she has a response.

After her submission win at UFC 314 in Miami, Cornolle (9-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) took the microphone and let the world know that she wants Perez (12-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) next. Perez doesn’t think the French fighter is deserving of the opportunity, and she’s angling for higher-level opposition. But, if the UFC wants the bout, Perez sees it as an easy paycheck.

“My reaction to her callout, I saw she mentioned me a few times, she’s very needy and in need of a fight against someone with a name, so that’s why she wants to fight me,” Perez told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. “My opinion on Nora is that is easy money. She obviously doesn’t deserve to fight me, but if the UFC thinks she needs the fight, then I fight her.

“It would be an easy fight for me to make a return from my surgery, and we can even do it in France in front of her fans. That’s no problem.”

Although Cornolle finished her fight against Hailey Cowan in the second round, Perez was not impressed with what she saw that night – which makes her interest in the fight even less.

“I thought the fight was terrible because it was so boring,” Perez said. “The only thing that saved that fight was the submission because no one was paying attention to that fight. I was like half watching it on my phone on my way to the arena.”

Since losing her UFC debut in 2022, Perez has won five in a row, with her most recent win coming in January when she defeated veteran contender Karol Rosa to punch her ticket into the top-10 rankings of the UFC women’s bantamweight division.

Perez revealed in the same interview that she underwent shoulder surgery on Feb. 7 and has been recovering since. She’s just getting back to light training, and her doctors expect her to be ready to fight by September or October.

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Grant Dawson: Michael Chandler ‘got his butt kicked’ at UFC 314, needs to be unranked

Grant Dawson is doubling down on his stance toward Michael Chandler in the UFC lightweight rankings.

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – [autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] is doubling down on his stance toward [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] in the UFC lightweight rankings.

Dawson (23-2-1 MMA, 11-1-1 UFC) never thought Chandler deserved to be ranked and has reiterated his position after Chandler was finished by Paddy Pimblett in Saturday’s UFC 314 co-main event in Miami.

Chandler (23-10 MMA, 2-5 UFC) is now on a three-fight losing skid and has lost five of his past six.

“I’ve been calling out Chandler for years,” Dawson told MMA Junkie. “I’ve always thought Chandler was undeserving of being in the top 15. He’s now 2-5, I believe, in the UFC. All good guys for sure, but we’re all fighting good guys. If Michael Chandler’s next fight is a big name, not an up-and-comer, I think the UFC is doing a disservice.”

Dawson admits Pimblett far surpassed his expectations after dominating Chandler and stopping him by TKO in Round 3.

“I thought he looked great. I thought he looked much improved,” Dawson said of Pimblett. “I, from Day 1, was picking Paddy to beat Michael Chandler, and I didn’t think he would do it like that. I thought Michael Chandler was going to be winning the entire fight and then do something Michael Chandler does and find a way to lose. But, no, he got his butt kicked the entire time. Paddy is definitely a force to be reckoned with. I’m interested to see who they match him up with next.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.

Henry Cejudo: Max Holloway ‘100 percent’ beats UFC 314 version of Alexander Volkanovski

Henry Cejudo urges Max Holloway to remain at featherweight and challenge Alexander Volkanovski.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] urges [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] to remain at featherweight and challenge [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag].

Volkanovski (27-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC) reclaimed the featherweight belt by defeating Diego Lopes (27-6 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 314 main event at Kaseya Center in Miami.

Multiple top contenders such as UFC 314 winners Yair Rodriguez and Jean Silva, as well as Movsar Evloev, are vying for a shot at Volkanovski. However, Cejudo suggests former champion Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) instead. Although Holloway is 0-3 in title fights against Volkanovski, Cejudo sees him winning this time around.

“I feel like 145 is wide open,” Cejudo told MMA Junkie. “I feel like the person who should come back is Max Holloway. I think Max Holloway does a number on everybody at that weight class. Yes, 100 percent (he beats Volkanovski). Obviously he did get knocked out by Ilia (Topuria) too, but I just feel like his volume, I feel like he’s healthier, he’s got the better chin, and I feel like it’ll definitely be different this time around.”

Cejudo explained that he didn’t like what he saw out of Volkanovski defensively in terms of his reaction time.

“Volkanovski did look good, but if he gets touched up, I almost feel like there’s something to it,” Cejudo said. “Like he over-exaggerates when Diego was hitting him. He’s got to be careful with that. I can go back and see why is it that Ilia Topuria ended up knocking him out.

“He does a lot of things good, but he does a lot of things wrong, particularly defensively. He’s always doing this (leans back) or he’ll go for the takedown, and he’ll come up without his hands coming up, and I feel like if Diego really invested in that hook, it would be a little different.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.

Renato Moicano after UFC 314: ‘I don’t hate Paddy Pimblett’

Renato Moicano is realistic about his current standing with the UFC compared to Paddy Pimblett’s.

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – Maybe [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] and [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] will still fight some day, but if it happens, it won’t be for a while.

Heading into UFC 314, No. 10 Moicano was still ahead of No. 12 Pimblett in the official lightweight rankings. But after Pimblett’s impressive third-round TKO demolishing of Michael Chandler this past Saturday, “The Baddy” will have vaulted himself into top-five territory.

“I don’t think I’m fighting Paddy Pimblett anytime soon,” Moicano told MMA Junkie on Monday.

Moicano, who fell short in a last-minute title fight with Islam Makhachev this past January, is just being real about the situation. It’s been a slow build to Pimblett’s UFC career ever since his debut in 2021.

Along the way, Pimblett and Moicano have exchanged plenty of trash talk in interviews and on social media, with Pimblett reigniting their feud following Moicano’s loss to Makhachev.

While there’s always been heat between them, Moicano’s tune has changed at least to some degree in the immediate aftermath of UFC 314.

“The thing is, people think I hate Paddy Pimblett. I don’t hate Paddy Pimblett,” Moicano said. “He has a lot of people who know him, so I wanted to fight him, but right now that fight is not a possibility. UFC is behind Paddy Pimblett. We know that. Why? Because Dana White just said in the (UFC 314) press conference a win over Chandler would put him in title contention. I don’t agree with that at all, but who am I to blame? Who am I to talk about UFC?

“UFC knows what they’re doing and if they’re supporting Paddy, it’s for a reason. Next opponent for Paddy Pimblett will be Charles (Oliveira) or Justin (Gaethje) for sure.”

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What’s next for Moicano is unclear. With his wife expecting a baby in “late May,” Moicano said he’ll be ready to fight after the baby is born.

Moicano said he doesn’t care about the ranking of his opponent, either.

“Just give me an easy fight,” Moicano said.