USAT/SBN July MMA Consensus Rankings: Featherweight

Rankings compiled by Richard Wade.

World Extreme Cagefighting Featherweight champion and American Top Team's featherweight simple man, Mike Brown, still reigns supreme. As the dust continues to settle on the Brown vs. #2 Urijah Faber rematch, folks are already looking ahead to WEC 44 where Brown is expected to make a title defense against #5 Jose Aldo.

For some time there was speculation that #3 Wagnney Fabiano could be forced to face Nova Unaio teammate Aldo, but fortunately that's been avoided. Fabiano is set to take on unranked but also undefeated Erik Koch at WEC 43.

"The Iron Broomstick" #4 Hatsu Hioki spent some time in the United States helping UFC lightweight contender Kenny Florian as he prepares for BJ Penn at UFC 101. Hioki himself is preparing for the semifinals of the Sengoku Featherweight Grand Prix where he'll lock horns with #22 Masanori Kanehara.

Leonard Garcia bumps up one spot to #6 even after the beating he absorbed at the hands of Mike Brown. Garcia looks to rebound at WEC 42 when he takes on Jameel Massouh. No word yet on who #7 Takeshi Inoue will face next. The Shooting Gym Yokohama representative hasn't fought since May.

#8 Dokonjonosuke Mishima is still ranked in top ten of a very stacked division despite not competing at all in 2009 and not recently defeating anyone from the top 10. He does have victories over leg lock expert #16 Masakazu Imanari and Toshiaki Kitada in DEEP.

Rafael Assuncao sits at the #9 and is all set to take on Georges St. Pierre training partner Yves Jabouin at WEC 43 later this year.

Rounding out the top 10 is the King of Pancrase at Featherweight, Mr. Marlon Sandro. Sandro has appeared very capable in his impressive run in the Sengoku Featherweight Grand Prix. He's not only defeated, but stopped both Nick Denis and Matt Jaggers in en route to that tournament's semi-finals where he'll take on #17 Michihiro Omigawa.