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In the majority of the UFC's stacked divisions, there are a plethora of rising contenders, all vying for a shot at the belt. However, there are some divisions in which it becomes clear that there is one contender superior to all others.
This can lead to all-time great rivalries, or divisional stagnation, depending on how things play out. In the following list, we will detail five divisions in which there is a clear second best fighter who is ahead of the rest of the pack, but not quite at the champion's level.
Petr Yan will not be included in this list, as he is arguably already the best fighter in the division, regardless of him not being the current titleholder.
#5. Brandon Moreno - UFC flyweight
Brandon Moreno has one of the greatest comeback stories in the promotion's history, having been cut from the promotion in 2019. 'The Assassin Baby' fought his way back and all the way to a title shot against Deiveson Figueiredo.
Moreno and Figueirdeo have competed against each other three times. While the first fight ended in a draw, the pair have since picked up a win apiece.
On either fighter's day they could certainly defeat the other. The only reason Moreno is on this list is because he likely would have come up short against Figueiredo in their first fight, had it not been for the point deduction.
It seems very likely that the two elite flyweights will get booked for a fourth fight in the near future, allowing them to truly put an end to the debate over who the best active flyweight is.
#4. Zhang Weili - UFC strawweight
Zhang Weili's ascent to the UFC strawweight title was nothing short of outstanding. A 20-fight winning streak saw Zhang capture the title off Jessica Andrade and then defend it in an all-time great bout against Joanna Jędrzejczyk.
However, Weili then lost her title via KO to Rose Namajunas. A subsequent rematch was booked, but once again Zhang came up short.
The second fight was very close and perfectly displayed why 'Magnum' and 'Thug Rose' are at the very top of the strawweight roster. However, it cannot be denied that Namajunas has been the victor twice now, leaving the Chinese star as the de facto number two in the 115-pound division.
#3. Robert Whittaker - UFC middleweight
Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is the clear number two in the 185-pound division. 'The Reaper' has defeated numerous top-10 opponents, including likely next title challenger Jared Cannonier. Darren Till, Kelvin Gastelum, Yoel Romero and Derek Brunson have all also fallen to Whittaker's elite-level skillset.
However, Whittaker has twice come up short against current middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. The second fight was competitive, but it was still a clear loss for 'The Reaper'.
This places the former champ in a strange position. He will likely have to defeat several new rising contenders just to get a shot at the man who has already defeated him twice.
#2. Colby Covington - UFC welterweight
Whilst Leon Edwards is the next number one contender at welterweight, it is hard to argue that there is a better fighter than Colby Covington in the entire division outside of champion Kamaru Usman.
Covington has been competing at the very top of the weight class for some time now, even claiming the interim title at one point. Edwards has a similarly impressive record, but has not competed at the top of the division for quite as long as Covington. Should 'Rocky' defeat Usman this summer, this will of course significantly alter this list.
However, for the time being, Colby Covington's dominant wins over Jorge Masvidal, Tyron Woodley, Demian Maia, Robbie Lawler and Rafael dos Anjos have him solidly placed as the number two of the division.
#1. Max Holloway - UFC featherweight
The gap between Max Holloway and the current featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is so narrow that it would be easy to argue that 'Blessed' is the superior fighter.
However, Holloway has lost twice to Volkanovski, regardless of how controversial the judges' decision was in the second bout.
It does seem inevitable that the two elite 145lbers will compete at least once more, although it's anyone's guess if the result will shed any more light on who is the best fighter at 145 pounds.
