Featherweight

MMA on Tap March 2010 Rankings

Here are the latest MMA on Tap fighter rankings. We will be updating these every month or whenever an adjustment is needed, like after a major event for example. The rankings break down into seven different lists of ten, each of them by division.

This past weekend’s WEC results shook up the top of the bantamweight rankings pretty significantly.  Dominick Cruz and Joseph Benavidez both jumped up with their resounding wins in Columbus, Ohio.  The other significant move saw Paulo Thiago enter the welterweight rankings off his stoppage of previously ranked Mike Swick.

If you ever want to compare these with your own or just take a look at the latest update, you can find them under the Top 10 category in our features section.  The rankings were tabulated by the members of the MMA on Tap staff. Feel free to chime in with your own lists, thoughts, and suggestions via a comment.

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WEC 47 Fighter Salaries and Bonuses

The Ohio Athletic Commission has released the official list of fighter salaries for WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz which took place on Saturday, March 7 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Following the event, WEC officials handed out $10,000 bonuses for Knockout of the Night, Submission of the Night and Fight of the Night. The recipients of the awards were as follows:

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WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz Weigh-In Results

All of the participants for WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz successfully made weight in preparation for Saturday’s card at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

WEC 47 will be headlined by a WEC bantamweight title bout between Brian Bowles and Dominick Cruz. The card will also feature the return of former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres as he takes on Joseph Benavidez.

Main Card:
Brian Bowles (134.5 lbs) vs. Dominick Cruz (134 lbs)
Miguel Angel Torres (134.5 lbs) vs. Joseph Benavidez (135 lbs)
Jens Pulver (145.5 lbs) vs. Javier Vazquez (145 lbs)
Deividas Taurosevicius (145 lbs) vs. LC Davis (144.5 lbs)
Bart Palaszewski (155 lbs) vs. Karen Darabedyan (156 lbs)

Preliminary Bouts:
Scott Jorgensen (135 lbs) vs. Chad George (135.5 lbs)
Chad Mendes (145 lbs) vs. Erik Koch (144 lbs)
Danny Castillo (155.5 lbs) vs. Anthony Pettis (154.5 lbs)
Leonard Garcia (145 lbs) vs. George Roop (145.5 lbs)
Fredson Paixao (144.5 lbs) vs. Courtney Buck (145 lbs)
Ricardo Lamas (155 lbs) vs. Bendy Casimir (155.5 lbs)

Quick Hits: Almeida Injured, Sylvia to Japan for NYE & More

- Ricardo Almeida has pulled out of his November 21 bout with welterweight contender Jon Fitch at UFC 106 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bout was expected to be Almeida’s first at 170 lbs after a career at middleweight. Fitch told MMA Junkie he’ll now get a “bigger fight instead.” [MMAJunkie.com]

- Former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia will be appearing on the upcoming K-1 Dynamite! show on New Year’s Eve. Sylvia has been offered bouts with Alistair Overeem and Hong Man Choi and Fighters Only is reporting that Sylvia’s camp is currently favoring a bout with Choi. [Fighters Only Magazine]

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Sengoku 10 Notes: Hioki-Omigawa, Sandro-Hoshino Likely for November

A featherweight bout between Sengoku grand prix participant Hatsu Hioki and UFC veteran Michihiro Omigawa has been booked for the promotion’s next scheduled show, “Sengoku 11th Battle” at the Ryogoku Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo, Japan on November 7.

Sengoku officials announced the matchup during the intermission of Wednesday’s “Sengoku Tenth Battle” event at the Saitama Super Arena. Hioki and Omigawa were originally slated to face each other in the tournament’s finals in August, but Hioki was forced to withdraw from bout after suffering a concussion in his unanimous decision win over Masanori Kanehara earlier in the night.

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Nansen Spoils Izumi’s Debut at Sengoku 10

New Zealand kickboxer Antz Nansen used superior striking skills to spoil the anticipated professional debut of 2004 Olympic judo silver medalist Hiroshi Izumi, knocking Izumi down three times en route to a first-round TKO win at World Victory Road’s “Sengoku Tenth Battle” event on Wednesday.

Izumi (0-1) did surprisingly well in the loss. Willing to stand with a dangerous Nansen (1-0) on the feet, Izumi caught his opponent on multiple occasions with a few straight left hands. The tide turned when Nansen hurt Izumi with a right hand midway through the round. Izumi stumbling backwards prompting Nansen to stalk his foe, dropping him twice before finishing him off with a final combination that left Izumi bloodied and seated in a corner.

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Quick Hits: Huerta Considering UFC Return, Vasquez to Replace Hominick & More

— Despite announcing his intention to focus on his acting career full-time, UFC lightweight contender Roger Huerta is now considering a full-time return to the organization following a split decision loss to Gray Maynard at last week’s UFC Fight Night 19 that fulfilled his latest UFC contract. “I can’t go out with two losses in a row,” Huerts said. “I don’t think I’m going to call it quits anytime soon. I’m still open to acting. Hopefully we get something going with that, but I’m not going to prioritize acting now. I’ll still prioritize fighting. If the UFC wants me back, I’d be willing to go back.” [Sherdog.com]

— Seasoned veteran Javier Vasquez has been tapped to replace an injured Mark Hominick against Deividas Taurosevicius in a featherweight bout at WEC 43 on October 10 in San Antonio, Texas. Hominick will reportedly be sidelined for about a month due to a reoccurring back injury. Vasquez fell in his WEC debut last month, dropping a split decision to L.C. Davis at WEC 42. [MMA Junkie]

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Quick Hits: Couture-Vera Official for UFC 105, Gomi to Fight at VTJ ‘09 & More

— UFC Hall-of-Famer Randy Couture will indeed drop down to 205 lbs to meet Brandon Vera in the main event of UFC 105 on November 15. The UFC officially announced the bout today. Couture (16-10) will fight at light heavyweight for the first time since suffering his second straight loss to former champion Chuck Liddell at UFC 57 and entering a temporary retirement. [UFC.com]

— Former PRIDE lightweight champion Takanori Gomi and Japanese MMA pioneer Rumina Sato have been announced as participants Vale Tudo Japan 2009 on October 30, the first time the event will be held in nearly ten years. According to Gomi, the fight will be his last in his native country of Japan. A featherweight bout between Takeshi Inoue and Alexandre Franca Nogueira will also take place at the show. [Sherdog.com]

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Brown-Aldo Made Official for WEC 44

In a previously rumored bout, Mike Brown will defend his WEC featherweight championship against streaking top contender Jose Aldo in the main event of WEC 44: “Brown vs. Aldo” on November 18 at the Palms Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

World Extreme Cagefighting officially announced the matchup today. The event is being held on a Wednesday instead of the WEC’s usual Sunday slot in order to separate the event from UFC 106, which will take place the following Saturday.

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Garcia vs. Gamburyan Possible for WEC 44

Former WEC featherweight title challenger Leonard Garcia could return to action at WEC 44, a yet-to-be-announced event slated for November 18 in Las Vegas, against “Ultimate Fighter 5” cast member Manny Gamburyan.

The news comes from Sherdog.com, which reports that the two fighters have verbally agreed to the bout. WEC 44 is expected to be headlined by Mike Brown defending his WEC featherweight title against rising top contender Jose Aldo.

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