---

Featherweight

1. Jose Aldo (21-1)

Though Jose Aldo has been a brilliant featherweight kingpin thus far, the Brazilian dynamo has had his injury woes. With the injury epidemic in MMA as of late, perhaps it is no surprise that “Scarface” got hit again. This time, a left thigh injury canceled Aldo’s slated July 21 title defense against Erik Koch, which figures to be rescheduled when Aldo heals up.

2. Pat Curran (17-4)

One of the featherweight class’ hottest commodities finally has a date for his first Bellator title defense. Curran will look to follow up on his scintillating knockouts of Joe Warren and Marlon Sandro on Aug. 24 when he takes on fourth-season tournament winner Patricio “Pitbull” Freire.

3. Chad Mendes (11-1)

Mendes caught his first loss when he was out-struck and knocked flat by Jose Aldo in an ill-fated January title bid. The opponent will be much different next time out, as Mendes will have to concern himself with the signature guillotine of “TUF” alum Cody McKenzie at UFC 148.

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)

Dennis Siver looked pretty desperate on the scale before his featherweight debut against Diego Nunes at UFC on Fuel 2. However, a day later in Stockholm, the Russian-born, German-based fighter looked like his regular self, using sharp kicks and heavy hooks to pound out a unanimous verdict against crafty Brazilian Diego Nunes and announcing his arrival at 145 pounds.

7. Diego Nunes (17-3)

At UFC on Fuel 2 on April 14, Diego Nunes was once again called upon to test another notable lightweight cutting to 145 pounds, taking on Dennis Siver. In a hotly competitive, back-and-forth battle, Nunes came up just short against Siver, asserting himself as one of the featherweight division’s toughest fighters to compete against, regardless of the outcome.

8. Erik Koch (13-1)

The MMA gods giveth, but they taketh away just as fast. Erik Koch was granted a surprise title shot against Jose Aldo, slated for UFC 149 on July 21. However, with Aldo’s subsequent leg injury canceling the bout, Koch has stated he will wait on the sidelines until the Brazilian heals up.

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, Patricio Freire, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Daniel Straus.

Continue Reading » MMA Bantamweight Rankings