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MMA Top 10 Featherweights: Any Challenges Left for Jose Aldo?

Filed under: DREAM, UFC, Bellator, Rankings, FeatherweightsThe No. 1 featherweight in mixed martial arts returned to the cage at UFC 142 and needed less than one round to dispatch an opponent who entered the fight undefeated and widely regarded as the …

Filed under: DREAM, UFC, Bellator, Rankings, Featherweights

The No. 1 featherweight in mixed martial arts returned to the cage at UFC 142 and needed less than one round to dispatch an opponent who entered the fight undefeated and widely regarded as the No. 2 featherweight in MMA. So where does Jose Aldo go now after defeating Chad Mendes?

Aldo’s camp has indicated he doesn’t intend to move up to 155 pounds unless it’s to fight for the UFC lightweight title. So that’s probably not in the offing. And that raises the question: Are there any challengers left for Aldo at 145 pounds?

For the identity of some potential opponents for Aldo going forward, check out the latest list of the top 10 featherweights in mixed martial arts below.

Top 10 Featherweights in Mixed Martial Arts
(Number in parentheses is the fighter’s previous ranking.)

1. Jose Aldo (1): What’s been so impressive about Aldo is how none of his fights are even close. Since signing with Zuffa in 2008 Aldo is 11-0, with four wins by first-round knockout or TKO, three wins by second-round knockout or TKO, one win by third-round TKO, and three wins by unanimous decision. He didn’t lose more than one round in any of the three decisions, all of which were five-round fights.

2. Hatsu Hioki (3): Hioki has a great resume, with wins over Marlon Sandro, Takeshi Inoue, Ronnie Mann and Mark Hominick twice. But he looked just so-so in winning a split decision over George Roop in his UFC debut. He’ll have to look better when he faces Bart Palaszewski back home in Japan at UFC 144 if he wants to prove he belongs in the Octagon with Aldo.

3. Chad Mendes (2): The best hope Mendes had of beating Aldo was getting him down and getting on top of him, and Aldo’s takedown defense proved to be too good. (Aldo did benefit from grabbing the fence at one point.) Mendes is a good enough wrestler to threaten almost anyone at 145 pounds, but Aldo is leaps and bounds better than him as a striker.

4. Pat Curran (4): Curran looked outstanding in defeating Marlon Sandro in the Bellator featherweight tournament final, and Bellator has a great featherweight title fight lined up for March 9, with Curran taking on Joe Warren.

5. Erik Koch (5): Koch was supposed to fight Dustin Poirier at UFC 143 in what could have given the UFC its next No. 1 contender at featherweight. Unfortunately Koch is injured and had to drop out of the fight, and a return date for Koch has not been announced.

6. Bart Palaszewski (NR): Palaszewski’s impressive win over Tyson Griffin establishes him as a potential future contender to the featherweight belt. Moving down to featherweight was a great move for him, but he’ll have a tough test on his hands against Hioki at UFC 144.

7. Tatsuya Kawajiri (9): After dropping down to featherweight last year, Kawajiri submitted both Joachim Hansen and Kazuyuki Miyata. A fight with Dream featherweight champion Hiroyuki Takaya would be great.

8. Dustin Poirier (10): Poirier will take on Max Holloway at UFC 143, and if he puts on a good show he might find himself getting Aldo next.

9. Chan Sung Jung (NR): After Aldo, the Korean Zombie might be the hottest featherweight in the sport right now. He was recognized as having the Fight of the Year in 2010 with Leonard Garcia and the Submission of the Year in 2011 for finishing Garcia with a twister in their rematch, and then he needed just seven seconds to knock out Mark Hominick. Jung is on such a roll right now that there’s some talk he could be next in line for Aldo, although that would be an extremely tall order: Jung is a lot of fun to watch, but Aldo is on another level as a striker.

10. Mark Hominick (6): Hominick is now on a two-fight losing streak after falling to Aldo and Jung, but he’ll hold onto his spot in the Top 10 for now. He’s a skilled striker who’s still only 29 years old and has a good future in the featherweight division, but he should get a step down in quality of competition, which is just what he will get when he takes on Eddie Yagin at UFC 145 in Atlanta.

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Pat Curran to Face Joe Warren in Bellator Featherweight Title Bout on March 9

Filed under: Bellator, NewsPat Curran will get his second crack at Bellator gold on March 9 at Bellator 61.

That’s when the fast-rising featherweight will face off with reigning champion Joe Warren at The Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana, Bellator…

Filed under: Bellator, News

Pat Curran will get his second crack at Bellator gold on March 9 at Bellator 61.

That’s when the fast-rising featherweight will face off with reigning champion Joe Warren at The Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney announced on Wednesday.

In 2011, Curran won a chance to fight for the lightweight crown but fell in a unanimous decision to Eddie Alvarez. Afterward, he dropped weight to move into the lower division and steamrolled the tournament field with finish wins over Luis Palomino and Marlon Sandro, as well as a decision over Ronnie Mann, to advance to a title bout.

Since then, Curran (16-4) has been waiting on the sidelines for his chance, as first, Warren (7-2) tried his hand at becoming a two-division champ but got knocked out by bantamweight Alexis Vila. And then, Curran was forced to wait as previous tournament winner Patricio “Pitbull” Freire was queued up to fight Warren first.

As it turns out, Freire suffered a hand injury that required surgery, allowing Curran to cash in his opportunity first.

For Curran, it will be a home game of sorts, as the Crystal Lake, Illinois fighter is based only about 75 miles from the fight venue.

Bellator’s sixth season premieres with a March 2 event, though a location for that show has yet to be announced.

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Bellator Season 6 Update: War Machine Gets His First Opponent, Maiquel Falcao Joins Middleweight Tourney

(War Machine poses with the kids’ MMA class that he is somehow allowed to teach. Props: @WarMachine170)

Two interesting updates to Bellator’s sixth season, which begins March 2nd…

— After signing to the promotion in December, War Machine has secured his quarterfinal opponent for Bellator’s upcoming welterweight tournament. As he wrote on Twitter yesterday, “Fuck ya its on! My first fight in @BellatorMMA tournament will be March 30th vs. Karl Amoussou!! Gonna send him back to France in peices!!” It will be Machine’s first appearance since his impressive post-prison win against Roger Huerta in November.

Karl “Psycho” Amoussou (13-4-2, 1-1 in Bellator) is indeed French, and has also competed for M-1, Strikeforce, DREAM, and Pancrase. The Haute Tension product most recently scored a first-round TKO over Jesus Martinez in a 175-pound catchweight bout at Bellator 59 in November. Bellator’s Season 6 welterweight bracket will include Bryan Baker, Brian Foster, undefeated triangle-choke specialist David Rickels, and Season 5 tournament finalist Ben Saunders. War Machine is already looking forward to an emotional reunion with his TUF 6 castmate.

In other news…

(War Machine poses with the kids’ MMA class that he is somehow allowed to teach. Props: @WarMachine170)

Two interesting updates to Bellator’s sixth season, which begins March 2nd…

In other news…

— Sherdog has confirmed that one-time UFC competitor Maiquel Falcao (28-4) will make his promotional debut as part of the Bellator Season 6 middleweight tournament; his debut date and first opponent haven’t been announced yet. Since being released from the UFC last May due to legal drama, the Chute Boxe-bred knockout artist has gone 2-1 in Brazilian leagues. Though he reportedly suffered a heart-attack in November, Falcao downplayed the story on his Facebook account, writing: “I’ve had some health problems caused by excessive training. This generated several rumors, but none of them is true. What actually happened was too much training, not enough rest.”

Mercedes Terrell: "I Don’t Need to Pose for Playboy"

If you are one of the 71,839 individuals that read my piece on the 25 sexiest MMA girls of 2011, you are fully aware of the fact that Bellator Fighting Championships Ring Girl Mercedes Terrell and I are newlyweds. You are also aware that she assaulted …

You are also aware that she assaulted my incredibly good-looking face with a lead pipe, after I finished enjoying a lovely oriental dinner at PF Changs, and refused to cease her attack until I agreed to be her husband.

Do not be fooled by her breathtakingly amazing looks, my wife is a violent woman.

However, joking aside, Terrell is one of the many reasons why the Bellator Fighting Championships have acquired such a tremendous fanbase in such a short period of time.

She is everything you can hope for and more in a ring girl.

She’s super beautiful on the outside and one of the coolest chicks imaginable on the inside.

By the way, please do not insert a ‘’that’s what she said’’ joke at the end of that last sentence. I may have been forced under my will but Mercedes Terrell is still my wife so don’t make me get my bear claws out on you clowns.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Ms. Terrell about a wide variety of interesting topics, here are a few highlights.

On growing up in the desert and launching her modeling career

“I was lucky as a child, and still am lucky today, to have the privilege of spending time in the desert every year playing in the sand with our quads, sand rails, and dirt bikes. I also spent a lot of time skiing, snowboarding, boating and jet skiing. My parents are the ones who deserve the credit for keeping us girls out of the house and active,” Terrell told B/R MMA’s Featured Pimp Mitch Ciccarelli.

“I totally agree with you that kids spend way too much time indoors. The whole fun of being a kid is having the energy and confidence to be active and attempt to do things that you might get injured while doing.”

“Growing up I never once thought I would become a model, it just happened. My childhood dream was to become an artist but I also wanted to be a fashion designer. Today I draw, paint, and design my own clothes so I guess those childhood dreams came true,” Terrell said.

On finding MMA

“I grew up with five sisters and no brothers. Needless to say I didn’t grow up as a ‘guy’s girl’ watching sports or having favorite teams. I was never in any sports in school, I took art classes instead,” Terrell said.

“So with that said, it would take an awe inspiring sport to capture my attention and I found that in MMA. Not only was it thrilling to watch two guys in the cage try to rip each other’s heads off but once I began to learn more about the sport I could recognize the different fighting styles and moves being used in the cage, which made it all the more entertaining.”

On Working with Bellator

“When I first signed with Bellator, the organization was so new that I had no idea what to expect, all I knew was that I just scored the best job ever. Front row seats to the best MMA action in the business every weekend, traveling the country and having a blast while doing it all is definitely not a bad gig.”

“As the season passed I became extremely close with the entire Bellator family and began learning more about the sport. I have a true respect for what we are doing for MMA and I am so stoked to be part of a company that is helping diversify and grow this sport on the rise.”

“I love being a Bellator girl and will continue to be their cage girl for the time being. I’m always working on what’s next but that doesn’t necessarily mean I would venture away from Bellator or MMA. I’d love to continue to grow within the industry.”

On Potentially Posing for Playboy

“I’m not sure that will ever be something I’m comfortable doing. I don’t feel I need to take my clothes off in order to promote Bellator, we are a thriving organization with some of the best fighters in the world and we put on top notch shows on a weekly basis.”

“Furthermore, as my ‘husband’ I’m surprised you would be at all interested in me exposing myself to the world in that manner! I’m shocked really!”

On what she looks for in a guy

“I’m sure by now you can tell that I have a sense of humor and that’s the number one thing I look for in a guy. If we can’t laugh together than what’s the point?

“As far as looks go I wouldn’t really say I have a type, good looking is a plus but if you are too good looking I might have to worry about you hogging the mirror in the mornings. I like learning from other people so it’s always nice when a guy has a good head on his shoulders and can hold up a conversation with anyone.”

“Another biggy for me is confidence and security; I’m gone at least 3-4 days a week and sometime I’m not home for a month at a time with the work I do.”

“Being with a guy who can truly deal with my absence and will support me in what I do for a living without giving me a bunch of grief is a must! With me being away from home so often, whoever I’m with has to be able to trust in me completely and I in him.”

Follow the sexiest newlyweds on Twitter

@MitchCiccarelli

@MercedesTerrell

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10 Best Bellator Fights of 2011

Since it’s inception, Bellator Fighting Championships have cultivated a batch of world renowned fighters under their banner. In 2011, many memorable battles took place, featuring notable fighters such as Brett Cooper, Alexander Shelemenko and form…

Since it’s inception, Bellator Fighting Championships have cultivated a batch of world renowned fighters under their banner.

In 2011, many memorable battles took place, featuring notable fighters such as Brett Cooper, Alexander Shelemenko and former champion Eddie Alvarez.

These men have garnered a lot of praise for their recent fights which have created some of the best, can’t miss fights of the year.

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Why Miguel Torres Needs To Sign with Bellator Immediately

Miguel Torres was recently fired from the UFC quickly after making a rape joke on Twitter.He later apologized for the tweet which read, “If a rape van was called a surprise van, more women wouldn’t mind going for rides in them. Everyone loves a s…

Miguel Torres was recently fired from the UFC quickly after making a rape joke on Twitter.

He later apologized for the tweet which read, “If a rape van was called a surprise van, more women wouldn’t mind going for rides in them. Everyone loves a surprise.”

Not the most brilliant thing to put out there on the Internet.

Even though it might have been a bit harsh to fire Torres for such a comment, it wasn’t completely out of bounds to do so. Some other fighters have been given more slack than Torres, and though it is uncertain why, there is one thing that is obvious.

Torres is in need of a job because it doesn’t seem that this is going to be one of those things that Dana White, the president of the UFC, is going to reverse anytime soon.

Torres may not be a champion anymore as he was when he was the WEC bantamweight titleholder, but he is still an ex-UFC fighter coming off a win. His name still has a lot of clout.

The longer he stays away from the cage the more his name value drops. He needs to quickly get it back out there in the MMA world so that fans feel like keeping up with him. That said, if he doesn’t have a national medium in which he can show off his skills then it means nothing.

That is where Bellator comes in.

Not only are they the second-largest promoter in America and arguably the world, they were just purchased by Viacom. That means they also have economic stability in the rocky world of mixed martial arts.

They also seem to have trouble signing big names in an effort to compete with the UFC. That could be leverage for him to use to get serious paycheck.

He also might have an easier amount of competition in Bellator. That isn’t to say he could become champion without trying, but that it won’t be as difficult. A lot of the fighters in Bellator are unproven fighters who haven’t ever made it to the big show.

Some of this might be luck or timing, but some of it could be that they never measured up. Bellator could have a second shot at being champion.

Between a better potential paycheck and another shot at glory, Torres should take the opportunity in front of him. He may have made a mistake by tweeting an insensitive statement, but he can turn a negative and make it a positive.

Torres was removed as a main player from the WEC to be a cog in the UFC machine. He didn’t really stand out in the promotion. It is weak as an excuse, but it might have been what made him willing to send out such a shocking statement. He wanted to stand out.

Now that he is no longer there he still can do it.

So, it seems there might be life outside the UFC after all.

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