The rankings schedule has made it way back to featherweight.
Not too much has changed in the division since I last came out with my 145-pound top 10, but we did have some debuts and a mild upset or too.
Here is a look at my latest top 10 for the featherweight division.
1. Jose Aldo (19-1) – Aldo is the champion and awaits his next opponent. It looks to be Kenny Florian, but a date and location have yet to be set. Aldo showed some signs of vulnerability against Mark Hominick, but still dominated a great deal of their 25-minute fight. Florian will need to be on top of his game to take Aldo’s title.
2. Chad Mendes (10-0) – The wrestling master has been labeled the No. 1 contender for Aldo, but he opted not to wait for the champion to heal up with some injuries and will now take on Rani Yahya at UFC 133, with his title shot on the line. Mendes likely has the grappling edge in this one, but will have to avoid the slick submissions of Yahya.
3. Kenny Florian (14-5) – Florian won his featherweight debut over Diego Nunes and now appears to be in line for a title shot. Florian didn’t look his best, but the first fight at a lower weight class is always the toughest. Florian will have a strong game plan to fight Aldo, the question will be if he can execute it?
Something didn’t look right with Jose Aldo in his final round of his bout with Mark Hominick at UFC 129.
Georges St. Pierre (AP Photograph) successfully defended his UFC Welterweight Championship once again on Saturday, beating Jake Shields by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 129.
