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Featherweight Fighters
MMA’s featherweight division runs from 136 to 145 pounds (61.69-65.77 kilograms, or 9.71-10.36 stone). It is a division that has been vaunted from relative obscurity to the mainstream spotlight due to Zuffa, LLC’s decision to merge the WEC featherweight division – by most accounts the premier featherweight division in the world – into a new UFC featherweight division beginning in late 2010. The decision means increased exposure and paydays for many of the WEC’s biggest stars, including its last reigning champion, Brazilian superstar Jose Aldo. The WEC had a total of four featherweight champions during its run: Cole Escovedo; Urijah Faber (its most dominant champion, boasting a total of five title defenses before losing the belt and later dropping to bantamweight); Mike Thomas Brown; and finally Aldo. Outside of the WEC, the world’s best featherweights reside almost exclusively in Asia, where long running organizations such as Shooto and Deep, as well as new upstarts such as Beijing’s Art of War and Hong Kong’s Legend FC, host solid featherweight matchups. World Victory Road’s Sengoku Raiden Championships has produced excellent featherweight fighters including division champions Masanori Kanehara, Marlon Sandro and Hatsu Hioki whose names are increasingly becoming known to western audiences.
Featherweight action is fast and furious. Its combatants run at a high pace with tremendous cardio, but also retain enough knockout power to end some fights by knockout. Jose Aldo’s rise to stardom was in part due to his ability to knock out more opponents than a typical featherweight; he finished seven men inside the distance in the WEC by strikes. By contrast, statistical analysis of major men’s MMA featherweight divisions over the course of two years indicates that roughly 54% of featherweight fights end by decision, with only 27% ending in knockout and 19% ending by way of submission.
The future of the featherweight division now begins and ends with the UFC, where greater attention will attract a new crop of 145 lb. stars. It may also encourage existing lightweight stars to drop weight and try their hands at featherweight. Traditionally, lighter weight fighters were discouraged from doing so by the bigger crowds and larger purses offered at lightweight and above. With that score evened out, the potential for new and interesting matchmaking exists in this exciting division.
