Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

---

Featherweight

1. Jose Aldo (18-1)
Aldo continues to rehab the back injury which forced him out of a slated Jan. 1 title defense against Josh Grispi. When he comes off the mend, the Brazilian phenom will launch straight into preparation for UFC 129 on April 30 in Toronto, where he’ll take on Mark Hominick in his first UFC title defense.

2. Hatsu Hioki (23-4-2)
In the most significant fight of his career, Hioki was brilliant in wresting the Sengoku featherweight crown from Marlon Sandro. Over five thrilling rounds, Hioki was clinical on the feet and otherworldly on the ground, threatening Sandro in every position for 25 minutes in Hioki’s best performance to date.

3. Chad Mendes (10-0)
Mendes showcased his aggressive and well-rounded style in the biggest fight of his young career, as he pummeled a tough Michihiro Omigawa over three rounds at UFC 126. With the win, Mendes puts himself on the cusp of a UFC featherweight title shot.

4. 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 to offer the Brazilian, who leisurely strolled through the first round before turning up the heat and halting Gamburyan in the second. Gamburyan is set to return against Raphael Assuncao at UFC 128 on March 19.

5. Michihiro Omigawa (12-9-1)
Omigawa’s return to the Octagon was not a pleasant one, as the Yoshida Dojo product was beat up on the feet and on the floor by hot prospect Chad Mendes at UFC 126. With the loss, Omigawa is 8-2-1 as a featherweight, but 0-3 inside the confines of the UFC.

6. Marlon Sandro (17-2)
Sandro’s fearsome punching power was no match for the rangier, slicker and more technical Hatsu Hioki, who took apart the Brazilian on the feet on Dec. 30. Sandro, a Nova Uniao black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, was also in constant danger on the floor against the Japanese standout. Sandro dropped the unanimous decision, with his consolation prize being the respect he received for the toughness he exhibited in defeat.

7. Diego Nunes (16-1)
Since hooking up with top Brazilian team Nova Uniao, “The Gun” has showed marked improvement with each appearance. At UFC 125 on Jan. 1, Nunes took his game to another level, out-striking former featherweight ruler Mike Thomas Brown en route to a split decision and positioning himself near the top of the contenders list at 145 pounds.

8. Joe Warren (6-1)
While it’s tough to say whether Warren is, as he claims, “the baddest man on the planet,” the former Greco-Roman wrestling champion showed otherworldly toughness in his Sept. 2 bout with Joe Soto. Warren came back from a hellacious beating in the fight’s opening round to knock out Soto and take the Bellator featherweight title 33 seconds into round two.

9. Dustin Poirier (9-1)
Prior to UFC 125, few fans knew Poirier’s name. However, after a crushing display of offense against the heavily-favored and well-regarded Josh Grispi, it is fair to say the 21-year-old Poirier has emerged as another young stud in the 145-pound division.

10. Josh Grispi (14-2)
Grispi was all set to challenge Jose Aldo for featherweight supremacy at UFC 125. Then, Aldo was forced out of the fight with a back injury, and “The Fluke” instead squared off with Dustin Poirier. The lesser-known Poirier shocked onlookers by pummeling the Massachusetts native from bell to bell, taking a commanding unanimous decision and knocking Grispi out of title contention.

Other contenders: Raphael Assuncao, Bibiano Fernandes, Mark Hominick, Hiroyuki Takaya, Rani Yahya.

*With his Jan. 22 loss to Rani Yahya, formerly seventh-ranked Mike Thomas Brown exits the featherweight rankings.

Continue Reading » Bantamweight