Major shake-up in Conor McGregor’s featherweight division as new contender emerges

One big fight and we could have ourselves a new man in the title picture.

The UFC's featherweight division has been boosted by Anthony Pettis' decision to drop down from 155 lbs and duke it out. If Conor McGregor returns, and starts granting shots at his belt, 145 lbs could start headlining main events again. McGregor's inexorable rise finally gave oxygen to the featherweight division but his recent bouts at 170 lbs have left it stalled. Jose Aldo is now the interim champion while Max Holloway is on a nine-fight win streak and surely deserves a shot at gold soon. The newcomer is Pettis. Showtime justified his decision to shed 10 extra pounds and test the featherweight waters by handily defeating Charles Oliveira at UFC Vancouver, last weekend. Committing himself to the new division has seen him removed from the UFC's lightweight rankings - Nate Diaz [up one to No.4] - benefits from this and former Bellator champion Will Brooks is now just outside the top 10. Pettis has shot right into No.6 in the featherweight rankings. Ricardo Lamas, Cub Swanson and Frankie Edgar are all ranked higher but Pettis may be able to leapfrog all of them with one fight. Holloway took to Twitter to let Pettis know he would happily take a tilt with him at UFC 205, in Madison Square Garden this November, if Jose Aldo gets his wish for a McGregor rematch. https://twitter.com/BlessedMMA/status/771177077433184256 Elsewhere, the sad reality of Rory MacDonald's switch to Bellator is starkly shown in the rankings. MacDonald's No.3 spot in the welterweight rankings is now occupied by Demian Maia and Carlos Condit, who Maia defeated in Vancouver, is up to No.4. Donald Cerrone is ranked No.7 at welterweight and No.6 at lightweight. Gunnar Nelson is up to 12th in the welterweight rankings. Demetrious Johnson remains No.1 in the pound-for-pound rankings. The new GAA Hour football podcast is here. Listen to Colm Parkinson, Senan Connell, and Barry Cahill dissect a classic between Dublin and Kerry. Subscribe here on iTunes.