Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Featherweight

1. Jose Aldo (25-1)

Aldo maintained his stranglehold on the 145-pound division with a gritty, five-round unanimous decision against old rival Chad Mendes in the main event of UFC 179. “Scarface” persevered through knockdowns and takedowns, using superior technical striking down the stretch to earn his 18th consecutive victory. Still the first and only UFC featherweight champion, Aldo has now defended his title seven straight times against the likes of Mendes (twice), Frankie Edgar and Kenny Florian. A rib injury took Aldo out of his UFC 189 bout with Conor McGregor, the new interim titleholder with whom the Brazilian will have to contend upon his return.

2. Conor McGregor (18-2)

Although he did not get to do it against Jose Aldo, “The Notorious” backed up his braggadocio at UFC 189 with a second-round stoppage of late replacement Chad Mendes. In just over two years as a UFC fighter, McGregor has racked up six wins -- including five knockouts -- and is now the organization’s interim featherweight champion. Before he attempts to unify his belt with that of Aldo, the Irishman will coach opposite Urijah Faber on the 22nd season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

3. Chad Mendes (17-3)

Mendes started strong in a short-notice July 11 assignment against Conor McGregor, but the lack of a full training camp -- combined with McGregor’s dynamic striking -- soon took its toll on the Team Alpha Male product. “Money” succumbed to strikes late in the second round, marking only the third defeat of Mendes’ 20-bout MMA career. All three of those losses have come in UFC title fights.

4. Frankie Edgar (19-4-1)

Edgar continued to make his case for another UFC title shot on May 16, when he topped former featherweight ruler Urijah Faber in a five-round unanimous decision. Since coming up short in his bid to dethrone Jose Aldo in 2013, “The Answer” has won four straight bouts, including a third triumph over B.J. Penn in July and a dominant November victory against Cub Swanson.

5. Ricardo Lamas (15-4)

Lamas rebounded from his lopsided loss to Jose Aldo with a pair of wins against Dennis Bermudez and Hacran Dias, earning “The Bully” a spot in a pivotal matchup with fellow contender Chad Mendes on April 4. Things did not go well for the Chicagoan, who was punched out by Mendes in the opening round, ending any immediate title hopes for Lamas. He now holds a 6-2 record in the division.

6. Max Holloway (12-3)

Just two months after starting his 2015 campaign with a resounding victory against Cole Miller, Holloway scored the biggest win of his young career by submitting Cub Swanson on April 18. The 23-year-old Hawaiian controlled the bout from the start, using his active and diverse striking to freeze Swanson before slapping on a third-round guillotine choke. Since losing to Conor McGregor and Dennis Bermudez in 2013, Holloway has rattled off six consecutive wins, including three knockouts and two submissions. He will carry that momentum into an Aug. 23 engagement with Charles Oliveira.

7. Cub Swanson (21-6)

Previously on the cusp of title contention, Swanson has tumbled down the rankings after suffering a pair of setbacks in the past five months. First, the 31-year-old was ground out and submitted by former lightweight ace Frankie Edgar in November, and on April 18, Swanson succumbed to a third-round guillotine choke from rising star Max Holloway. Prior to those losses, the Jackson-Wink MMA fighter had won six in a row.

8. Charles Oliveira (20-4, 1 NC)

It took four years for Oliveira to get in the cage with Nik Lentz for a second time, but when they met on May 30, “Charles do Bronx” made it count. The Brazilian tapped Lentz with a sensational third-round guillotine choke, the fifth different submission Oliveira has used in his last six wins. The 25-year-old Jorge Patino protégé is currently riding a four-fight winning streak. Oliveira will step back into the Octagon on Aug. 23, when he collides with Max Holloway atop a UFC Fight Night bill.

9. Patricio Freire (24-2)

Freire got off to a slow start in his Bellator title defense against Daniel Weichel on June 19, but when the “Pitbull” came alive, his challenger did not last long. The Brazilian uncorked a beauty of a left hook to knock out Weichel and win his seventh consecutive outing, marking his third straight victory in a title bout. Freire’s next challenger remains undecided, though it appears a third bout with former titleholder Daniel Straus could be on the cards.

10. Hacran Dias (23-3-1)

Dias used takedowns and a string of submission attempts to out-grind Levan Makashvili and nab a split decision in their June 27 meeting. The Nova Uniao product has won two straight bouts on the judges’ scorecards to rebound from back-to-back losses against Ricardo Lamas and Nik Lentz.

Other Contenders: Dennis Bermudez, Pat Curran, Nik Lentz, Jeremy Stephens, Daniel Weichel.

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