In a surprising move, former WEC competitor Chase Beebe rose to the top of the featherweight buzz rankings in October, generating more interest among fans than any other fighter in the division during the month. With little 145 pound activity here in the states and Beebe having competed in a notable Japan bout at Dream.12, the jump becomes plausible. Fan favorite Californian Urijah Faber slipped down a spot into second place, and with his long-awaited return to action coming up in January, it stands to reason that Beebe will not be the center of attention for long.
The highest profile U.S. featherweight bout in October was the shocking upset of Waggney Fabiano by unheralded American Mackens Semerzier at WEC 43. Semerzier came out of the blue, jumping 76 spots to generate the 8th most attention in the division, while the already-known Fabiano rose 4 spots to 5th place.
Surprisingly falling from the top 20 was WEC champion Mike Thomas Brown who fell to 25th. While Brown is undoubtedly the kingpin of the division at the moment, the WEC will need to cross their fingers that the reserved and mellow American can start to broaden his appeal and draw TV viewers in the way that former champion Faber was able to accomplish during his reign atop the division. WEC up-and-comer Jose Aldo came in at the 7 spot.
| October Rank |
Featherweight Fighter |
September to October Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chase Beebe | Up 11 |
| 2 | Urijah Faber | Down 1 |
| 3 | Joe Warren | Up 3 |
| 4 | Bibiano Fernandes | Up 7 |
| 5 | Wagnney Fabiano | Up 4 |
| 6 | Yoshiro Maeda | Up 11 |
| 7 | Jose Aldo | Down 4 |
| 8 | Mackens Semerzier | Up 76 |
| 9 | Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto | Down 5 |
| 10 | Hiroyuki Takaya | Up 8 |
| 11 | Rumina Sato | Down 3 |
| 12 | Hideo Tokoro | Down 2 |
| 13 | Michihiro Omigawa | Up 11 |
| 14 | Joe Soto | Up 14 |
| 15 | Deividas Taurosevicius | Up 32 |
| 16 | Daiki “DJ” Hata | Up 27 |
| 17 | Jeff Curran | Down 2 |
| 18 | Jens Pulver | Down 16 |
| 19 | Rafael Assuncao | Up 1 |
| 20 | Cub Swanson | Up 3 |
Dropped out of Featherweight Top 20:
Leonard Garcia (#21), Mike Thomas Brown (#25), Micah Miller (#28), Manny Gamburyan (#49), Dokonjonosuke Mishima (#57), Josh Grispi (#64)
[...] 20 Featherweight Buzz Rankings for recent months: – October 2009 (#1 Rank: Chase Beebe) – September 2009 (#1 Rank: Urijah [...]