Ilia Topuria will soon be facing a featherweight in the top five at 155 pounds.
Recent times have seen some big names jump from 145 pounds into the lightweight division. Topuria, Max Holloway and others have returned to heavier weight classes after their title fights in October 2024.
Several longtime featherweights have now begun to consider following suit. Arnold Allen has announced that he is moving up after gaining weight during his recovery from shoulder surgery. He was out of action for 16 months.
Another name high up the rankings is now thinking of doing the same, but for different reasons…
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Undefeated Lerone Murphy could leave ‘stagnant’ featherweight division amid UFC silence
Allen could be joined by another of his countrymen in 2026 when he leaves featherweight and moves to lightweight.
Lerone Murphy’s brutal knockout against Aaron Pico this past August moved his unbeaten pro record to 17-0-1 and cemented him as the No. The No. 4 contender in the division.
With champion Alexander Volkanovski having already beaten two of the names above ‘The Miracle’ and Movsar Evloev’s return timeline being unclear after an injury, all signs appeared to point toward Murphy getting a title shot.
It appears that this is not the case.
Murphy revealed his frustration at the lack of UFC updates and uncertainty within the division. He is now considering moving up to the lightweight division.
“145 division is super stagnant, I thought I would fight in December but no news,”Murphy wrote on X. “I think 155 is active and wide open. I want to be active while I’m in my prime.”
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I thought that I would be fighting in December, but I haven’t heard anything. I think the 155 division is open and active. I want to be active while I’m in my prime— LERONE…
2025-11-22 11:00:00
