Under the Radar: 2013 UFC Breakout Talent in the Smaller Divisions. Part III: Featherweight

Contributor: Josh Hall

As the fighters get a little larger, the number of competitors in the division rises as well, with 52 fighters currently on the UFC featherweight roster.  There are a number of fighters climbing the ranks, and here are five that have begun to emerge.

•   Hacran “Barnabe” Dias (21-1, 1-0 UFC): Hacran Dias was considered for a spot on TUF: Brazil, before the UFC decided to skip him ahead to the big show.  Dias made his debut at UFC 147 in his native Brazil, winning an impressive 3 round decision over Yuri Alcantara, who appeared on this list earlier at BW.  Alcantara was sorely out grappled by Dias, who used impressive takedowns and a versatile top game to win a comfortable decision.

  “Barnabe” has one of the most impressive records on paper in the organization, holding a gaudy 21-1 record with 12 wins via KO or submission, and a current 9 fight winning streak.  At 28 years of age, Dias appears to be coming into his just as he hits his prime, and he will be a dangerous opponent for anyone in the FW division.

•   Darren “The Damage” Elkins (15-2, 5-1 UFC): Darren Elkins is a lanky FW that has been extremely impressive since his drop down from the 155 pound division, going 4-0 in his new weight class against solid competition.  Elkins has strung together wins over Omigama, Tiequan Zhang, TUF winner Diego Brandao, and Steven Siler, in that order.  4 straight wins in the UFC is always an impressive feat, and if Elkins can impress against Antonio Carvalho at UFC 158, he could find himself knocking on the door to title contention.

  Elkins biggest weapon is his wrestling, which he uses to grind down his opponents.  His style is not the most exciting in the world, but it is extremely effective at shutting down dynamic fighters.  Elkins top game is smothering, but he is active enough on top to usually keep the fight where he wants it.  Whether he can be a top contender or a high level gatekeeper is still to be determined, but he is certainly a fighter to pay some attention to this year.

•   Rony “Jason” Bezerra (12-3, 2-0 UFC): Rony Jason entered the TUF: Brazil house with a 12-3 record, a 5 fight winning streak, and a Jason Vorhees hockey mask.  He would eventually leave as the TUF: Brazil FW champion after defeating Godofredo Pepey in a hideous fight that left fans cringing.  Pepey’s constant attempts to pull guard led to a rather dreadful fight, but Rony Jason did enough to win, and he was ready for redemption in his second UFC fight.

  Jason took on Sam Sicilia at UFC 153, and the fans were treated to some good old fashioned STAND AND BANG (due in part to the always exemplary officiating of Fernando “Wario” Yamasaki and his constant stand ups) before Sicilia was floored by a monster right hand late in the third round.  A violent barrage of elbows and punches followed, and Rony Jason had done a great job of making people forget his snoozer with Pepey at UFC 147.  With no opponent currently lined up, it will be interesting to see if the UFC keeps Jason on the shelf until the next Brazil card, or if gets a chance to get back in the Octagon sooner.

•   Cub Swanson (18-5, 3-1 UFC): Greg Jackson product Cub Swanson has had an up and down MMA career, to put it mildly.  He carried a 13-2 record into his 2009 fight with José Aldo, and in 8 seconds all of his hard work had been erased by a double flying that introduced the world to the future FW champion.  Swanson was hit or miss the following few fights, and was an afterthought after he was submitted in his UFC debut by the then unheralded Ricardo Lamas.

  Seemingly out of nowhere and fighting for his job, a different Cub showed up to fight George Roop, overwhelming him with strikes in the second round of their UFC on Fox 2 bout.  Swanson followed that up by beating Ross Pearson back up to the LW division and then a 3^rd straight upset KO finish over the incredibly entertaining prospect Charles Oliveira.  From the brink of irrelevance, Swanson is somehow only a win against Dustin Poirier away from jumping right into title contention.  I don’t think he will ever get his redemption against Aldo, but you have to respect a fighter that has resurrected a career like he has.

•   Nik “The Carnie” Lentz (23-5-2, 1NC, 7-2-1, 1NC UFC): Another great story of a fighter turning around their career exists in the FW division, that of Nik Lentz.  Lentz has always been the guy fans don’t want to watch due to his slow paced, grinding style of fighting.  In spite of his lack of entertainment value, he amassed a 5-0-1 record in the LW division before the wheels came off in brutal fashion.  Lentz was mugged by Charles Oliveira before an illegal knee on the ground forced a no contest when “The Carnie” couldn’t continue.  Things only got worse for Lentz from there, as he was sorely outgrappled by Mark Bocek, than beaten on for two rounds by Evan Dunham before the doctor had to step in to save Lentz from worse punishment.  These fights were far more exciting, but he was taking major beatings in the process.

  Many fans were expecting Lentz to be released, but the UFC gave him a shot to drop a weight class and take one more fight.  Fans saw Lentz V2.0 in his debut at FW against Eiji Mitsuoka, finishing the Japanese fighter with ground and pound in the first round after scoring four big takedowns.  Lentz’ big breakthrough came against Diego Nunes recently in Brazil.  He owned the top 10 FW, cruising to a unanimous decision, dominating the fight with his aggression and smothering top game.  Like Cub Swanson, Lentz is in the process of an unexpected (shocking, even?) run toward title contention.

-You can reach Josh Hall @jhall282