5 of the best featherweights not currently signed to the UFC

#4. Thanh Le - ONE Championship featherweight

Thanh Le is One Championship's current featherweight champion. Similar to Brendan Loughnane, Le put in an impressive victory on Dana White's Contender Series, knocking out Lazar Stojadinovic with a head kick. But just as Lougnane was snubbed by Dana White, so was Le.

Thanh Le (7-1) scored a head kick KO on the Tues Night Contender Series but didn't receive a contract. He fights for the interim featherweight title at #LFA31 pic.twitter.com/zurBF4dS8A

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) January 17, 2018

After the DWCS victory, Le returned to the LFA, where he defeated former UFC fighter Bobby Moffett. He then transitioned over to One Championship, going 4-0 and picking up the Singaporean promotion's featherweight belt.

#3. Mads Burnell - Bellator featherweight

The story of Mads Burnell's MMA career so far has been an interesting narrative. The Danish featherweight holds a 16-3 record and has already competed in the UFC, Cage Warriors and Bellator, despite only being 27 years old.

After amassing a 8-1 record on the Scandinavian regional scene, which included a submission win via an incredibly rare brabo choke, Burnell was signed to the UFC. He went 2-1 with the UFC, before being surprisingly cut from the promotion following his loss to now top UFC featherweight contender Arnold Allen.

Burnell didn't rest on his laurels after this disappointing set back, signing for European MMA promotion Cage Warriors and fighting his way to their featherweight title. He then left Cage Warriors, having defeated all four opponents he faced during his time with the promotion, and signed for Bellator.

Burnell has already defeated top Bellator featherweights Darko Benovic, Saul Rogers and, most recently, former title challenger Emmanuel Sanchez. He is now within touching distance of the US promotion's 145lb belt.