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Featherweight

1. Jose Aldo (21-1)

It might be too early to call Jose Aldo “the people’s champion,” but the Brazilian dynamo’s sensational first-round knockout of previously-unbeaten Chad Mendes at UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro -- punctuated by his post-fight dive into the carioca crowd – was one of the most stirring moments in MMA’s recent past. Though UFC brass was pushing for former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar to drop down and challenge Aldo, it seems likely that Aldo will face the winner of May’s Dustin Poirier-Chan Sung Jung bout or Hatsu Hioki.

2. Hatsu Hioki (26-4-2)

Following a lackluster performance in his UFC debut, the “Son of Shooto” showed what he was capable of in his sophomore outing. Fighting on his home turf at UFC 144, Hioki took a hard-fought victory over tough veteran Bart Palaszewski, all but confirming his status as the true No. 1 contender to Jose Aldo’s throne.

3. Chad Mendes (11-1)

Chad Mendes might be one of the world’s best featherweights, but as he found out at UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro, that tends not to matter against Jose Aldo. Mendes came to fight, but still wound up unconscious with one second to go in the first round, and losing his unbeaten record, to boot.

4. Pat Curran (16-4)

It’s been a fast rise through the 145-pound ranks for Curran, who finished his Bellator tournament run with a stunning August knockout of former Sengoku ruler Marlon Sandro. On March 9, the Illinoisan will take his second stab at Bellator gold when he meets reigning featherweight champ Joe Warren in Hammond, Ind.

5. Kenny Florian (14-6)

After falling short in his third UFC title bout -- this time an October decision loss to featherweight ace Jose Aldo -- Florian decided to take some time off to reassess his career. While his fighting future remains uncertain, the hiatus has led the former lightweight contender back to the commentary booth, where he has become part of the UFC’s broadcasting “B Team” on FX.

6. Marlon Sandro (20-3)

Sandro bounced back from the first knockout loss of his career in November, submitting BJJ black belt Rafael Dias with a first-round arm-triangle choke. The heavy-handed Brazilian will begin his second Bellator tournament stint -- the road back to a potential rematch with Pat Curran -- March 9 when he faces Roberto Vargas in the sixth-season quarterfinals.

7. Diego Nunes (17-2)

It’s Jose Aldo that rules 145, but his Nova Uniao teammate Diego Nunes did his part to keep moving in the division at UFC 141 by winning a well-appointed unanimous decision over Manny Gamburyan. Nunes has now won four of his last five, his lone loss coming on points to Kenny Florian last June.

8. Dustin Poirier (12-1)

In just over one year, Poirier has moved from WEC unknown to one step away from UFC contendership. “The Diamond” will have a chance to cement his status as Jose Aldo’s next challenger come May 15, when he’ll meet Korean star Chan Sung Jung at UFC on Fuel TV 3.

9. Bart Palaszewski (36-15)

In his second outing at featherweight, “Bartimus” ran into a roadblock. Though he rallied back from a brutal opening round, Palaszewski could not close the gap and fell via unanimous decision to Japanese standout Hatsu Hioki at UFC 144.

10. Joe Warren (7-2)

Bellator’s 145-pound titleholder seemed a clear-cut favorite to win the company’s fifth-season 135-pound bracket, but things took an unexpected turn on Sept. 24 when Warren was flattened by a left hook from fellow wrestler Alexis Vila. With top contender Patricio Freire injured, Warren will move back up the scale for a March 9 title defense against Summer Series tourney winner Pat Curran.

Other contenders:

Iuri Alcantara, Patricio Freire, Tyson Griffin, Chan Sung Jung, Erik Koch.

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