WEC's Featherweight Division Will Continue to Deliver

We've discussed over the past week a number of issues involving the WEC's chances at breaking into the mainstream by using marquee matchups, better marketing, and positioning the promotion for more exposure. Only within the last year has the WEC began to really gain some steam due to the UFC's own machine helping the promotion gain more mainstream coverage, but the matchups that the WEC will be able to create in the future should help this mid-level promotion gain new fans. Whether or not those matchups will appeal to casual fans is another story, but the WEC hasn't been exactly lax on promoting the future fighters within the promotion.

Specifically, the featherweight division within the WEC has positioned itself to be a juggernaut within the worldwide landscape of 145 lb'ers. While DREAM and Sengoku still have some of the very best featherweight fighters in the world, the WEC is easily becoming a force that can even create more and more intriguing matchups than simply Urijah Faber vs. Mike Brown. We were treated to a small taste of what the promotion has to offer last night with Grispi and Aldo, but here is a breakdown:

1. Wagnney Fabiano (12-1): Nova Uniao is producing some solid talent, and Fabiano is no exception. He's an absolute nightmare on the ground with a smothering top control game coupled with a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. A lot of fans criticize his wins because of a boring style, but Akitoshi Tamura isn't exactly a weakling and Fredson Paixao isn't a slouch on the ground either. Riding an eight-fight win streak, look for Fabiano to continue his ascension to the top.
   
2. Jose Aldo (15-1): Another Nova Uniao product who is also riding an eight-fight win streak, Aldo is one of the most explosive up-and-coming prospects in the featherweight division. He has incredible power, good ground skills, and a very dynamic standup game.
   
3. Rafael Assuncao (13-1): Rafael is newly signed and won his first matchup at WEC 40 over Jameel Massouh. He's a veteran of the sport and won some bigger matchups against Joe Lauzon and Jorge Masvidal back in '05 and '06. He's a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, and he should provide a stiff challenge for opponents in the middle to upper echelon of the division.
   
4. Josh Grispi (13-1): I have kept my eye on Josh Grispi for quite awhile, and I'm equally impressed with every performance. The guy can just battle, and his aggression and skill is exciting to watch. Beating a legend like Pulver will get some heads turning, but the bigger fights will now begin to materialize for him. He'll really be tested now.
   
5. Leonard Garcia (12-4): Garcia's next matchup will prove where he's at in the divisional rankings right now, but I imagine he'll get a solid challenger from the list above. Big power in his hands and a natural toughness to withstand a lot of damage will keep him in the mix.

On top of those 5 fighters, we have the former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber and current WEC featherweight champ Mike Brown in the mix. Arguably, 6 of the 7 names included in this overview are in the top 10 rankings wise. The WEC is building a pretty stacked division of fighters, and it's only going to get better.

Matchups are tough to predict, but there is an awfully good mix of fights that can happen within the list of names above. Obviously, there will likely be a Mike Brown vs. Urijah Faber III at some point. The WEC will likely highlight Faber's broken hand and fans will push the issue significantly if Faber wins his next fight against a very game opponent. Who would that opponent be?

Tough to say, but if we look from a rankings standpoint, Wagnney Fabiano would be in line to take on Mike Brown while Urijah Faber would probably take on either Leonard Garcia or Jose Aldo. Aldo vs. Faber would be exciting, but the WEC post-fight interviews hinted at the possibility of Aldo getting the nod at Brown. Fabiano isn't exactly considered exciting, and as we know in Zuffaland, boring top control can get you exiled to a waiting game. Personally, I think Fabiano's chess tactics on the floor are interesting to watch.

I think Grispi vs. Garcia would be a barn burner of a matchup, but Garcia will first need to defeat Jameel Massouh at WEC 42. Will we see Aldo vs. Brown, Faber vs. Fabiano? Will the Nova Uniao guys actually fight each other for the title if successful? A lot of questions remain, but one thing is for certain... the WEC featherweight division will continue to deliver exciting fights for the next year and will hopefully produce some more solid ratings.