Best MMA featherweights in South Africa - June 2012

EFC Africa 14 was jam packed with featherweight talent. The event saw two top lightweight fighters dropping to featherweight, featured three of the top five featherweights in action and was co-headlined by a brilliant featherweight title fight between Demarte Pena and Wesley Hawkey. With all this activity, the featherweight division is shaping up to be one of the most exciting divisions in the EFC.

Post EFC 14, here are my South African MMA featherweight rankings:

SA MMA featherweight rankings

1. Demarte “The Wolf” Pena (4-0)

Demarte Pena managed to weather the storm that was Wesley Hawkey at EFC 14. The young champion held his nerve and seized his opportunity to submit Hawkey late in the fourth round via rear naked choke. With this victory, Pena took his EFC winning streak to 4, defended his featherweight title for the first time and secured his spot atop this ranking list.

2. Wesley “The Young Assassin” Hawkey (7-3)

After executing a near perfect game plan, Wesley Hawkey was punished by Demarte Pena for a mistake late in the fourth round of their EFC 14 featherweight title fight. Hawkey was ahead on my scorecard at the time, and can be proud of his performance. Hawkey will now have to go back to the drawing board, but has shown that he is a serious contender in the featherweight division.

3. Wentzel “The Animal” Nel (10-3)

Wentzel Nel made a huge statement by defeating Denzil Wait at EFC 14. The former lightweight champion looked comfortable at featherweight and with his wealth of experience will be a great test for any of the fighters on this list. Wentzel Nel will likely challenge Demarte Pena for his title in the near future.

4. Denzil “Redstarr” Wait (5-3)

Denzil Wait put up a solid performance against Wentzel Nel in what was one of the fights of the night. Wait had the former champion in trouble a few times, but was unable to finish the fight and ultimately succumbed to Nel’s elbows in the second frame. Denzil Wait showed that he is a high level featherweight, worthy of a spot on this list.

5. Abdul “Hollywood” Hassan (18-5)

Abdul Hassan (2-1 EFC) managed to neutralise Leo Gloss and earn himself a split decision victory at EFC 13. Hollywood was effective on the ground, especially in the first round when he landed some huge ground and pound punches. Having toppled the King and only lost to Denzil Wait in the EFC,  Hassan has earned himself a spot on this list. 

To view rankings for all divisions, visit my MMA Rankings page.

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MMA Featherweight Rankings - April 2012

EFC 13 was very quiet for the featherweight division, featuring only a single bout. The bout in question however had a big effect on the bottom of this list as Adbul Hassan managed to defeat Leo Gloss and effectively move himself up the rankings.

1. Demarte “The Wolf” Pena (3-0)

Demarte Pena recently became the youngest EFC champion in the promotions brief history. At just 21, The Wolf bested Leo Gloss in a five round unanimous decision at EFC Africa 10 in September 2011. Although fairly inexperienced, Pena has fought some big names and in addition to his win versus Gloss, holds a notable win over Jean-Luc Kazadi. With no shortage of accomplished fighters breathing down his neck, Demarte Pena will have his work cut out for him to maintain his position atop the featherweight rankings. First up is a title defence against number one contender Wesley Hawkey.

2. Wesley “The Young Assassin” Hawkey (7-2)

Wesley Hawkey is still undefeated in the EFC, with a 3-0 record. The Young Assassin was ruthless in his submission victory over Denzil Wait at EFC 12, and left no doubt as to who the number one contender for the featherweight title is. In doing so, Wesley Hawkey has earned himself a title shot against EFC Africa featherweight champion and #1 on this list, Demarte Pena.

3. Denzil “Redstarr” Wait (5-2)

Denzil Wait (1-1 EFC) will need to return to the drawing board after losing via submission to Wesley Hawkey at EFC 12. Wait, a strong grappler, did not look confident on the ground as Hawkey attempted submission after submission, almost finishing Wait on a couple of occasions. Eventually Hawkey managed to sink in a deep armbar which forced the tap and left Wait looking rather uncomfortable.

4. Abdul “Hollywood” Hassan (18-5)

Abdul Hassan (2-1 EFC) managed to neutralise Leo Gloss and earn himself a split decision victory at EFC 13. Hollywood was effective on the ground, especially in the first round when he landed some huge ground and pound punches. Having toppled the King and only lost to Denzil Wait in the EFC,  Hassan has earned himself a spot on this list.

5. Leo “King” Gloss (8-4)

Leo Gloss (6-3-1 EFC) has fought some tough competition in the EFC and the King has only lost to top 5 ranked men from two divisions. Gloss’ recent defeat to Abdul Hassan at EFC 13 has put the King in the unusual situation of having lost two straight fights. Gloss showed immense resolve and a granite chin to survive the first round against Hassan, but was not able to effectively deal with Hassan’s ground game. This is an area that Leo Gloss will need to work hard on if he wished to return to the top tier of the featherweight division.

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Featherweight Rankings - March 2012

Demarte Pena

EFC 12 saw some of the top featherweight fighters in action, and went a long way to cementing a previously dubious ranking order. The featherweight division also unveiled a wealth of new talent that will be eyeing out a position on this list in the near future. Here are my new featherweight rankings post EFC 12.

1. Demarte “The Wolf” Pena (3-0)

Demarte Pena recently became the youngest EFC champion in the promotions brief history. At just 21, The Wolf bested Leo Gloss in a five round unanimous decision at EFC Africa 10 in September 2011. Although fairly inexperienced, Pena has fought some big names and in addition to his win versus Gloss, holds a notable win over Jean-Luc Kazadi. With no shortage of accomplished fighters breathing down his neck, Demarte Pena will have his work cut out for him to maintain his position atop the featherweight rankings. First up is a title defence against number one contender Wesley Hawkey.

2. Wesley “The Young Assassin” Hawkey (7-2)

Wesley Hawkey is still undefeated in the EFC, with a 3-0 record. The Young Assassin was ruthless in his submission victory over Denzil Wait at EFC 12, and left no doubt as to who the number one contender for the featherweight title is. In doing so, Wesley Hawkey has earned himself a title shot against EFC Africa featherweight champion and #1 on this list, Demarte Pena.

3. Denzil “Redstarr” Wait (5-2)

Denzil Wait (1-1 EFC) will need to return to the drawing board after losing via submission to Wesley Hawkey at EFC 12. Wait, a strong grappler, did not look confident on the ground as Hawkey attempted submission after submission, almost finishing Wait on a couple of occasions. Eventually Hawkey managed to sink in a deep armbar which forced the tap and left Wait looking rather uncomfortable.

4. Leo “King” Gloss (8-3)

Leo Gloss has been a staple on EFC fight cards for the past few years. The King has fought some of the promotions top fighters and already been involved in two title fights in two different divisions. Having recently lost to Demarte Pena in this promotions first featherweight title fight, Gloss will look to get back to work doing what he does best, knocking people out.

5. Jean-Luc “The Hitman” Kazadi (4-3)

Jean-Luc Kazadi has had his stats skewed of late by successive losses to Demarte Pena in a close majority decision loss and Wesley Hawkey in a first round submission. The Hitman however has looked impressive in the hexagon and will be a continue to be a tough fight for any man in the featherweight division.

View all: South African MMA Rankings

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South African MMA Featherweight rankings

A recent addition to the South African MMA roster, the featherweight division has grown in popularity, largely due to the nature of the fights, which are often technically brilliant. While most of these fighters have fought in other divisions, they have found a home in the featherweight division, where they now ply their fighting trade. Here are my top 5 South African featherweights:

1. Demarte “The Wolf” Pena (3-0)

Demarte Pena recently became the youngest EFC champion in the promotions brief history. At just 21, The Wolf bested Leo Gloss in a five round unanimous decision at EFC Africa 10 in September 2011. Although fairly inexperienced, Pena has fought some big names and in addition to his win versus Gloss, holds a notable win over Jean-Luc Kazadi. With no shortage of accomplished fighters breathing down his neck, Demarte Pena will have his work cut out for him to maintain his position atop the featherweight rankings.

2. Wesley “The Young Assassin” Hawkey (6-2)

Wesley Hawkey is currently undefeated in the EFC, with a 2-0 record. The Young Assassin made short work of both Jean-Luc Kazadi and Victor Anyaogu en route to a number one contender matchup with Denzil Wait at EFC 12, the winner of which will almost certainly get a crack at Demarte Pena for the EFC featherweight title and #1 spot on this list.

3. Denzil “Redstarr” Wait (5-1)

Denzil Wait, already well respected in the MMA community, made quite a statement in his EFC debut in November last year when he steamrolled a very dangerous Abdul Hassan. Wait will now face off with Wesley Hawkey at EFC 12 to determine the number one contender in the featherweight division and hope to pave a path to a featherweight title shot.

4. Leo “King” Gloss (8-3)

Leo Gloss has been a staple on EFC fight cards for the past few years. The King has fought some of the promotions top fighters and already been involved in two title fights in two different divisions. In 2010, Gloss lost his lightweight title fight against Wentzel Nel (#4 SA MMA Lightweight Rankings) and in 2011 lost to Demarte Pena in this promotions first featherweight title fight, Gloss will look to get back to work doing what he does best, knocking people out.

5. Jean-Luc “The Hitman” Kazadi (4-3)

Jean-Luc Kazadi has had his stats skewed of late by successive losses, one to Demarte Pena in a close Majority decision loss at EFC 8 and the other against Wesley Hawkey in a first round submission at EFC Africa 10. The Hitman however has looked impressive in the hexagon and will be a continue to be a tough fight for any man in the featherweight division.

To view rankings from all weight divisions visit my MMA South African Rankings page

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