UFC 163 Results: Top 10 Featherweights in the UFC

UFC 163 saw two featherweight bouts take place on Saturday, and none was more important to the division than the championship bout.

Reigning champion Jose Aldo picked up another TKO stoppage when he defeated "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung. Aldo controlled the fight for more than three rounds and then swarmed on an injured Jung. Referee Herb Dean had to step in to stop the fight.

Aldo has been atop the division since 2009.

Also in featherweight action, Rani Yahya dominated Josh Clopton on the Facebook prelims. Yahya has now won three straight, looking increasingly impressive. Has he done enough to get into the official Top 10?

Following UFC 163, these are our top 10 featherweights in the UFC.

No. 10: Erik Koch

Erik Koch was slated to fight Jose Aldo for the UFC Featherweight Championship at UFC 153 but had to drop out due to injury. He returned from injury to fight Ricardo Lamas in January.

He would lose by TKO to Lamas, but he remains a Top 10 fighter at this point.

He picked up two straight wins in the Octagon prior to the Lamas bout and was on a four-fight win streak overall. He has shown a well-rounded skill set with big power. His best victory was a knockout performance over Raphael Assuncao.

Koch will be back in the cage against a Top 10 opponent this month. He takes on Dustin Poirier at UFC 164 on August 31.

No. 9: Dennis Siver

Dennis Siver had a chance to join the Top Five of the division in July, but Cub Swanson put him away in the third round.

Prior to that fight, Siver had won two straight as a featherweight. He holds unanimous-decision wins over Nam Phan and Diego Nunes. His best attribute is his striking game. His interesting striking techniques create problems for his opponents.

He has looked good since dropping to the division.

He remains a Top 10 fighter, but his next fight in the division will give us a better understanding of his precise ranking. Siver has a lot of talent, but in this increasingly deep division, he will find it difficult to get to title contention.

No. 8: Nik Lentz

Nik Lentz does not get a lot of fanfare or media attention, but he deserves it. He is 3-0 since dropping to the featherweight division.

He opened his featherweight career with a TKO over Eiji Mitsuoka and then won a decision over Diego Nunes. In his most recent fight against Hacran Dias, he used his superior grappling to take a decision. Lentz is sneaking up the ranks.

His wrestling and top control are problems for most in the division, and he continues to improve other areas of his game.

Don't sleep on Lentz.

No. 7: Dustin Poirier

Dustin Poirier is one of the most exciting featherweight prospects, and he is also a Top 10 talent. The sky is the limit for him.

He is 5-2 in the UFC, and both of his losses came to top talent.

He was submitted by Chan Sung Jung and dropped a decision to Cub Swanson. The losses will only help Poirier blossom in his MMA career.

What about his wins? Jason Young, Pablo Garza, Max Holloway and Jonathan Brookins have all fallen to the talented youngster.

Poirier is well-rounded but has found the submission game to be his best route to ending fights thus far. He has three submission wins in the Octagon.

He will take on another Top 10 talent in Erik Koch later this month. It will be his time to prove he can win against the best of the division.

No. 6: Chan Sung Jung

The Korean Zombie won three in a row to get in a position to challenge Jose Aldo for the title, but his bid came up short against the kingpin.

Regardless, Jung proved he is worthy of all the praise in the title fight.

He was game for the challenge and was very much in the fight up until his shoulder popped out. That gave Aldo the opportunity to finish the fight. If not for the injury, who knows what may have happened? He could have stunned the world.

The Zombie will move backward after that title bid, but he remains in the Top 10. He proved he belongs in the title discussion, and with his exciting ways, he will quickly rejoin the title picture with a win in his next outing.

No. 5: Frankie Edgar

Frankie Edgar is only 1-1 in the division, but no one can deny that he is a Top Five fighter.

The former lightweight champion lost his title and bid to regain it to Benson Henderson by controversial decisions. He dropped to 145 pounds to challenge Aldo and made it a close bout on the scorecards. That's three straight close-decision losses to top-ranked fighters.

Edgar got off the losing streak at UFC 162 with a solid performance over a dangerous Charles Oliveira.

He may be one of the pound-for-pound best in the world, but in terms of featherweight rankings, it is hard to move him up much further due to other fighters' win streaks. He will still demand a top contender for his next fight and could challenge for the belt again with a win.

No. 4: Cub Swanson

Cub Swanson lost his UFC debut to rising star Ricardo Lamas, but since that day, he has been lights out. He has catapulted up the featherweight ladder to make himself a legitimate title contender.

He has won five straight—four by stoppage—and every fight has been against solid talent. He hasn't preyed on newcomers.

George Roop, Ross Pearson, Charles Oliveira and Denis Siver are all victims of Swanson's dynamic skill set and power. Only Dustin Poirier was able to survive all three rounds.

Swanson wants a title shot. He wants to avenge his eight-second TKO to Jose Aldo back at UFC 41. If he gets that chance, it will be one of the most exciting and dynamic featherweight bouts. Swanson has looked increasingly better in each fight.

His rise in the division has made the title picture even more interesting.

No. 3: Ricardo Lamas

Ricardo Lamas may be the most underappreciated fighter in the UFC today.

He is 4-0 in the Octagon, and all four wins have come over top-flight competition. That includes three stoppages.

He TKO'd Matt Grice, submitted Cub Swanson and TKO'd Erik Koch most recently. In between the Swanson and Koch bouts, he took care of Hatsu Hioki as well. Lamas' wins could have him as the No. 1 contender in many rankings.

He is on the cusp of a title shot, and honestly he deserves it. He's been exciting and dominant in the division. I hesitate to move him to the No. 2 position right now, but it is splitting hairs. He is one of the very best in the world and has the tools to take home the strap if given the opportunity.

No. 2: Chad Mendes

It's a virtual coin-flip between Lamas and Chad Mendes for the No. 2 spot considering their recent victories. Mendes, following a loss to the champion, had won three in a row—all stoppages.

He rebounded with a body shot KO over Cody McKenzie, a KO against Yaotzin Meza and a TKO over Darren Elkins. Since that loss to Aldo, he has shown improved stand-up to go along with his explosive wrestling.

You could make the case for Lamas over Mendes due to strength of competition, but the in-cage work shows that Mendes is right at the peak.

He is close to another title shot, but with several others also waiting in the wings, he may need to take a fight against a Top Five featherweight to prove he's the top contender in the division.

No. 1: Jose Aldo

Undefeated since 2006 and featherweight king since 2009. Jose Aldo is the king of the division without question.

He is also one of the pound-for-pound best fighters on the planet. He has all of the tools.

At UFC 163, we got to see a rare side of Aldo. The champion took to being an offensive wrestler with multiple takedowns. He continues to add to his toolkit. His stand-up is electrifying, and his ground work is smothering.

He's the complete package.

A lot of challenges await him in the division, but he will be tough to dethrone. Aldo stands alone at the top.