“The California Kid” Urijah Faber jumped back on top of the featherweight divisional buzz rankings in December in the lead-up to his return to action at WEC 46 in January. Bumping new champion Jose Aldo from the top spot, Faber showed that he still has perhaps the most significant drawing power of any athlete currently on the WEC roster. Aldo dropped only a single spot to second, and a future showdown between the two could be a ratings boon for the promotion. In third place was Jens Pulver, who despite a string of recent losses is still among the most popular featherweight fighters. Full Top 20 rankings are below.
Tapology’s Buzz Rankings measure fan interest in individual MMA fighters based on online searches and pageviews for information about each athlete. The rankings are not a measure of a fighter’s skill or competitive standing within their division, but rather how much activity or “buzz” surrounds them (positive or negative).
Top 20 Featherweight Buzz Rankings for recent months:
- November 2009 (#1 Rank: Jose Aldo)
- October 2009 (#1 Rank: Chase Beebe)
- September 2009 (#1 Rank: Urijah Faber)
December 2009 Featherweight (145 lbs) Rankings
| December Rank |
Featherweight Fighter | November to December Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Urijah Faber | Up 1 |
| 2 | Jose Aldo | Down 1 |
| 3 | Jens Pulver | Up 1 |
| 4 | Erik Koch | Up 58 |
| 5 | Michihiro Omigawa | Up 5 |
| 6 | Rafael Assuncao | No Change |
| 7 | Jeff Curran | Down 4 |
| 8 | Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto | Up 25 |
| 9 | Mike Thomas Brown | Down 1 |
| 10 | Anthony Morrison | Down 10 |
| 11 | Brandon Visher | Up 81 |
| 12 | George Roop | Down 1 |
| 13 | Micah Miller | Up 10 |
| 14 | Masanori Kanehara | Up 32 |
| 15 | Jameel Massouh | Up 17 |
| 16 | Nam Phan | Up 20 |
| 17 | Manny Gamburyan | Up 10 |
| 18 | Deividas Taurosevicius | Up 45 |
| 19 | Hideo Tokoro | Up 33 |
| 20 | Masakazu Imanari | No Change |
Dropped out of Top 20:
Bibiano Fernandes (#21), Marlon Sandro (#23), Cub Swanson (#26), Leonard Garcia (#31), L.C. Davis (#32), Hatsu Hioki (#36), Diego Nunes (#39), Rumina Sato (#44), Alexandre Franca Nogueira (#49), John Franchi (#60), Dustin Neace (#96)
[...] 20 Featherweight Buzz Rankings for recent months: – December 2009 (#1 Rank: Urijah Faber) – November 2009 (#1 Rank: Jose Aldo) – October 2009 (#1 Rank: Chase Beebe) – September 2009 (#1 [...]