Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Featherweight

1. Jose Aldo (18-1)

As the sport’s top featherweight and one of MMA’s most dynamic fighters, Aldo will naturally be a focal point of the UFC-WEC merger. That project will come to a head on Jan. 1 at UFC 125, when Aldo puts the newly coined UFC featherweight title on the line against Josh Grispi in his third title defense.

2. Manny Gamburyan (11-5)
With his corking of former WEC champion Mike Thomas Brown in April, Gamburyan earned his shot at Jose Aldo. However, when the two met at WEC 51 on Sept. 30, the tough Armenian had very little for Aldo, who leisurely strolled through the first round before turning up the heat and halting Gamburyan in the second, seemingly at will.

3. Mike Thomas Brown (24-6)
In April 2004, a lightweight Brown tapped out to Japanese vet Genki Sudo in the first round. Nearly seven years later, Brown will return to the Octagon as a featherweight to tangle with once-beaten Brazilian Diego Nunes at UFC 125 on Jan. 1.

4. Michihiro Omigawa (12-8-1)
Having solidified himself as Japan’s top featherweight, Omigawa is being sought by the WEC. Whether or not he signs and accepts a fight at WEC 53 on Dec. 16 will hinge on whether his management group, J-Rock, feels it can secure the 34-year-old a top-notch bout on New Year’s Eve in Japan.

5. Marlon Sandro (17-1)
The dominance of Sandro’s teammate, Jose Aldo, has been so extreme that many fans have taken to downheartedly dreaming of what it would be like if the two Nova Uniao studs could square off. However, Sandro still might have a high-stakes affair in Japan, should Sengoku line up a defense of his featherweight title against Hatsu Hioki.

6. Bibiano Fernandes (8-2)
Dream was hoping to have its featherweight champion back in action on Sept. 25. There was one problem: Fernandes told Brazilian outlet Tatame that he still had not been paid for his March title defense against Joachim Hansen. Though Fernandes was finally compensated in September, it was not soon enough to strike a deal to get the featherweight titleholder on the card at Dream 16.

7. Hatsu Hioki (22-4-2)
On Aug. 22, the Shooto world champion returned to the Sengoku ring, where he embarrassed “The Ultimate Fighter” alum Jeff Lawson en route to a first-round submission. However, the real big ticket fight for Hioki remains a showdown with SRC champion Marlon Sandro, which would be one of the biggest fights to be made outside of a Zuffa promotion, regardless of weight.

8. Josh Grispi (14-1)
As part of the ongoing WEC-UFC merger, the 22-year-old Grispi has been given a monumental opportunity. “The Fluke” will try to avoid becoming the next victim for 145-pound kingpin Jose Aldo, when he challenges for the UFC featherweight title at UFC 125 on Jan. 1 in one of the event’s two title bouts.

9. Joe Warren (6-1)
Warren claiming to be “the baddest man on the planet” seems a tad dubious. However, the former Greco-Roman wrestling world champion showed in his Sept. 2 bout with Joe Soto that he was otherworldly tough, with some power to spare. He came back from a hellacious beating in the fight’s opening round to stop Soto and take Bellator’s featherweight title 33 seconds into round two.

10. Diego Nunes (15-1)
In September, Nunes moved his WEC mark to 4-1 with a unanimous decision win over Tyler Toner. Now, “The Gun” will move to the UFC Octagon, where he will face the sternest test of his career. At UFC 125 on Jan. 1, Nunes will take on former WEC featherweight champion Mike Thomas Brown in a fight with major featherweight stakes.

Other contenders: Raphael Assuncao, L.C. Davis, Mark Hominick, Chad Mendes, Joe Soto.

* With his official bantamweight debut, previously fourth-ranked Urijah Faber exits the featherweight rankings.