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Featherweight

1. Jose Aldo (21-1)

The UFC’s 145-pound prince spent the second half of 2012 preparing for a title defense which never materialized. After his scheduled July bout with Erik Koch was pushed back to October, both men fell injured and the fight was scrapped. Now, it appears Aldo will have a new challenger when he returns, possibly ex-lightweight champ Frankie Edgar, though nothing has been confirmed by the promotion.

2. Pat Curran (17-4)

It seems like there’s always tough luck for Bellator’s 145-pound division. The latest row of unfortunate circumstances come courtesy of incumbent champ Pat Curran, who suffered a broken orbital bone two weeks out from his slated Aug. 24 title defense against Patricio Freire, putting yet another Bellator 145-pound title fight on ice for the time being.

3. Chad Mendes (12-1)

Chad Mendes’ first post-Jose Aldo bout was a gimme, as he socked Cody McKenzie in a mere 31 seconds. The next outing for “Money” is a much tougher assignment, however, as he meets once-beaten Nova Uniao standout Hacran Dias at the UFC on FX 6 on Dec. 15 in Gold Coast, Australia.

4. Ricardo Lamas (12-2)

Ricardo Lamas entered Atlantic City, N.J., as a classic live underdog against Hatsu Hioki and he certainly cashed his big ticket. In the biggest opportunity of his career, the Chicagoan stayed unbeaten in his three Octagon bouts by earning three 29-28 scorecards against the Japanese standout and leaping forward into meaningful 145-pound contention.

5. Hatsu Hioki (26-5-2)

It was another heartbreaking stumble for Hatsu Hioki on June 22 in Atlantic City, N.J., as the former Shooto world champion started strong but faded down the stretch against Ricardo Lamas. Hioki struggled to deal with Lamas’ boxing and sneaky guillotine attacks, and wound up losing a unanimous verdict.

6. Dennis Siver (20-8)

After a successful 145-pound debut against Diego Nunes in April, Dennis Siver was penciled in for UFC 151 action against Eddie Yagin in September. With the card’s cancelation, the Russian-born German’s bout with “The Filipino Phenom” was rescheduled for the UFC on Fox 5 bill on Dec. 8.

7. Diego Nunes (18-3)

In his Oct. 5 outing against Bart Palaszewski, “The Gun” showed his heaviest artillery to date, absolutely destroying the battle-tested veteran with a bevy of knockdowns and spinning strikes. The impressive win went a long way in paving over recent memories of Nunes’ uninspired April decision loss to Dennis Siver.

8. Erik Koch (13-1)

Like so many fighters originally set for duty at UFC 153, Erik Koch was injured. However, Koch’s spot went to former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, and while “New Breed” figures to factor in prominently in the UFC’s 145-pound division, the young Roufusport fighter might not get the title opportunity he was afforded beforehand.

9. Chan Sung Jung (13-3)

The “Korean Zombie” lived up to his name by walking through everything Dustin Poirier had to offer on May 15, then relieving the American of his consciousness with a fourth-round brabo choke. With his third straight win, Jung put himself into legitimate featherweight contention, emerging as more than just an “action fighter.”

10. Dustin Poirier (12-2)

The young man from Lafayette, La, was pegged as a future contender when he burst into the Octagon with an upset victory over Josh Grispi last January, and Poirier’s next three wins only served to reaffirm that notion. However, one win from a title shot, the “Diamond” proved a bit too rough, as Poirier succumbed to a fourth-round brabo choke from Chan Sung Jung in their May 15 encounter.

Other contenders:

Iuri Alcantara, Hacran Dias, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Daniel Straus, Cub Swanson. Continue Reading » MMA Bantamweight Rankings