Hurricane Ike postponed Faber’s scheduled featherweight title defense at WEC 36 last month. His bout with American Top Team’s Mike Thomas Brown was immediately rescheduled for Nov. 5 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla.
2. Mike Thomas Brown (17-4)
After a career spent largely in anonymity, Brown finally got his well-earned moment in the sun, as he earned a WEC title shot by knocking off Jeff Curran in June. He will challenge Urijah Faber for his featherweight crown in the main event at WEC 36 next month.
3. Leonard Garcia (11-3)
Yet another victim of the Hurricane Ike postponement, Garcia, now cleared of connections with a Texas cocaine ring, will meet Jens Pulver on Nov. 5 in a battle between two heavy-fisted featherweights.
4. Dokonjonosuke Mishima (18-6-2)
After dropping three of his last four fights as a lightweight, the colorful veteran abandoned the 155-pound division, where he had spent his entire career, to compete as a featherweight. In his debut at 145 pounds, Mishima made out fantastically, as he took a majority decision and the featherweight title from Masakazu Imanari at Deep 35 in May.
5. Jeff Curran (30-10-1)
Since dropping a decision to Mike Thomas Brown in June, “The Big Frog” has decided to test the waters in the intensifying bantamweight division in the near future. There, he could challenge divisional kingpin Miguel Torres.
6. Masakazu Imanari (15-6-1)
After his disappointing featherweight title loss to Dokonjonosuke Mishima in May, Imanari became a two-division Deep champion with a stealthy 29-second heel-hook victory over Hiroshi Umemura in a bout for the promotion’s bantamweight title on Aug. 17. Will he be picked up by Dream soon, as has been rumored?
7. Hatsu Hioki (16-3-2)
After an early scare, Hioki did what was expected of him and defended his TKO crown with a first-round submission of Thierry Quenneville at TKO 35. Between TKO, Shooto and other potential suitors, the 25-year-old Nagoyan should have little trouble finding employment.
8. Hiroyuki Takaya (9-5-1)
After his slated WEC 35 opponent, Cub Swanson, sustained a hand injury shortly before the event, International Fight League veteran LC Davis was served up as a late replacement. That would have salvaged a great bout. Unfortunately, Takaya’s management rejected the last-minute replacement, which resulted in the Japanese banger being removed from the card.
9. Takeshi Inoue (14-3)
Inoue was shocked by Trenell "Savant" Young in May, but the former Shooto world champion has not fallen out of favor with promoters and has been afforded the chance to regain his crown. Inoue will take on reigning Shooto 143-pound champion Hideki Kadowaki on Nov. 29, looking to become the first fighter ever to regain a Shooto world title.
10. Wagnney Fabiano (10-1)
It was a prayer answered by MMA’s premier promotion for featherweights when the IFL’s only featherweight champion announced he had signed with the WEC. The talented Brazilian will finally get his chance to prove he’s a top-flight 145-pounder and may make his debut as early as Dec. 3.