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This will be the first of two parts breaking down the UFC's featherweight division.
For those who forgot who Jose Aldo was, namely one of the most dynamic and exciting fighters in the world, he gave a reminder at UFC 142. Though Chad Mendes wasn't exactly blown out of the water based on what was happening for most of the first round, the result was inevitable. Mendes couldn't take Aldo down, at least not for any period of time, and Aldo had far too many weapons for him to deal with. And so, with one second remaining in the first frame of a five-round title fight, the end came. Quick, brutal, and definitive. Jose Aldo reigns over the featherweights. Let's take a look at his world.
THE CHAMP
Jose Aldo (21-1): There have already been calls for the first UFC Featherweight Champion to move up in weight to 155 pounds and see what he can do there. To me, this is misguided and shortsighted. Dominant champions are good for a division. They become stars as they lay waste to those around them, and when they finally do lose, they create stars. If Aldo moved up, the next champion would just be questioned regarding whether he could best the former kingpin. It's counter-productive and unnecessary. Jose Aldo could potentially lord over the Featherweight Division for a long time. How about we just let him do it?
THE CONTENDER
Chan Sung Jung (12-3): "The Korean Zombie" had a rough 2010, being robbed of a decision against decision-robber Leonard Garcia and then losing in spectacular fashion to George Roop in his last two WEC fights. Last year, though, was fantastic for him. First he pulls off pretty much the unanimous Submission of the Year in his rematch with Garcia, catching him in a twister. Then in December, he knocks out Mark Hominick, who had just gone five rounds with Jose Aldo at UFC 129. Of course there were some extenuating circumstances with Hominick, but a win is a win, and that one was impressive. Typically for a fighter in Jung's position, I'd say he needs another fight to be considered a contender. What Jung has working in his favor, though, is timing. There are no real clear-cut contenders at featherweight, and Aldo just fought, so a contender fight would just hold up the belt. The other option would be to have the winner of Hioki-Palaszewski next month get the shot, but Jung has a following and he's on a roll, so why not strike while the iron is hot?
A STEP OR TWO AWAY
Bart Palaszewski (36-14): Doesn't it seem like Palaszewski has fought everywhere and in every weight class? Maybe it's just me. Regardless of my perceptions, Palaszewski will be fighting for the second time as a featherweight after knocking out Tyson Griffin in his UFC debut when he takes on Hatsu Hioki at UFC 144. Whether or not the winner gets a title shot, this stands to be a great test for both men. If "Bartimus" can pull it off, he'll prove that he belongs at 145 pounds and deserves some serious consideration for the top of the division.
Hatsu Hioki (25-4-2): Had Hioki's decision loss against Michihiro Omigawa gone the other way (as it should have), Hioki would be riding a 15-fight unbeaten streak since 2007. As it is, the longtime Shooto veteran is 14-1-1 and coming off of an unspectacular UFC debut in which he took a close decision over George Roop. If not for the sketchy history of Japanese fighters coming to the UFC, Hioki would probably be the prohibitive favorite in his fight with Palaszewski. You can't ignore history though, and Hioki will need to beat an experienced opponent who's found new life in a new division in order to buck the trend next month.
Dustin Poirier (11-1): After losing to Danny Castillo at lightweight in WEC, Poirier took his last WEC fight at lightweight before dropping to 145 pounds and debuting in the UFC against red hot (at the time) Josh Grispi. Poirier dominated in his first of three straight victories at featherweight. Most recently he took out the streaking Pablo Garza at UFC on FOX 1, and he'll fight Super Bowl weekend against the debuting Max Holloway. Originally Poirier was supposed to face Erik Koch in what could also have been a legitimate #1 contender fight, but Koch pulled out with injury, leaving Poirier with a high-risk fight against a debuting fighter.
Erik Koch (13-1): Koch has gone 4-0 since losing to Chad Mendes in the WEC, looking nothing short of spectacular in the three fights after the loss with three first round stoppages. Koch most recently took a dominant decision win over TUF winner Jonathan Brookins. He was pulled from the fight with Poirier, but with the division as wide open as it is right now, he's got a good chance at earning a title shot sooner rather than later. I think we'll probably see him take on either Poirier or the winner of Hioki-Palaszewski, or perhaps Chan Sung Jung in his next fight, depending on what decisions are made concerning title contenders. Either way, some combination of the five fighters in these two categories will likely square off in a combination of title and contender fights their next time out.
UP AND COMERS
Diego Brandao (14-7): I thought going into the finale that Brandao was explosive but flawed, and that Dennis Bermudez would give him a hard time. As it turns out, Brandao prevailed in what was one of the best rounds of 2011, catching Bermudez in an armbar in the waning seconds of the first round. The TUF 14 winner is ferocious and comes out guns blazing, but his cardio is a question. If he can get that taken care of, he'll be extremely dangerous to anyone in the division.
Jimy Hettes (10-0): Hettes burst onto the scene in his second UFC fight when he dominated Nam Phan for a unanimous decision victory, coming close on a couple of submission attempts and unleashing some nasty ground and pound. Hettes didn't look spectacular standing, but if the fight goes to the ground, this guy is very dangerous. The fight with Phan was Hettes' first time out of the second round and the first time in ten fights that he hasn't won by submission. Hettes is poised to give a lot of guys in the weight class a lot of trouble. I think they'd be wise to bring him on a little slowly, maybe matching him up with one of the TUF 14 guys who won his fight on the finale before pitting him against the upper tier of the division.
Robert Peralta (15-3): Peralta looked very good in the first two rounds against Mackens Semerzier in November before initially taking a TKO victory in what was later overturned to a No Contest due to an accidental headbutt. As would be expected, the two will rematch in their next outing, which will come in March at the UFC's second FX event. "Problems" will look to finish the job this time out and continue his nine fight unbeaten streak. I believe the rematch favors Peralta here.
Yuri Alcantara (27-3): After winning 11 straight, with ten coming by stoppage, Alcantara made his UFC debut in August of last year against Felipe Arantes. Alcantara came in as the Jungle Fight lightweight champion and controlled Arantes for much of the fight, taking a unanimous decision. Against Michihiro Omigawa at UFC 142, Alcantara came out hot and almost stopped Omigawa a couple of times in the first two rounds, including landing an armbar at the end of the first that looked to have possibly broken his opponent's arm. Alcantara is a seasoned guy and should get a tough opponent next time out - I'd like to see him fight someone like Diego Nunes, or perhaps one of the guys in the Step or Two Away category if the timing works out right.
The featherweight pool is pretty deep and we've got lots of fights and fighters to talk about (we've got about 50 more guys to cover here), so I'll be back next time with a breakdown of the rest of the division.
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