Mar 15, 2010 - You can be forgiven if you've forgotten about Joachim Hansen. Since winning the Dream lightweight Grand Prix in July of 2008, Hansen has been injured and fought just once, a loss to Shinya Aoki.
But now that Hansen is getting ready to step into the ring again, next week against Bibiano Fernandes at Dream.13, I think he's capable of going on a run that would establish himself as the best featherweight outside the WEC.
Hansen was always undersized as a lightweight, but now he's saying all the right things about cutting from lightweight to featherweight the right way.
"I've always been somewhere in between the two weight classes," Hansen told Fight Magazine. "So, when I got home to my native soil after the loss against Aoki, I decided to make the drop. If I do the drop the weight correctly, I see myself being big at featherweight. I believe I'm using the right weight-cutting techniques. ... I've changed my diet after learning how the wrestlers do it. ... My aim is to be 65.5kg (144 pounds) on an empty stomach when in Japan. I've been practicing weight cutting a few times now, I can do 2.5-3kg (about six pounds) easy and rehydrate back up without any problems and not lose any strength."
Hansen still needs to improve his takedown defense, and in Fernandes he'll have a very tough test against a very good guy on the ground. But Hansen is a powerful striker who will finally have the size advantage against some opponents now that he's a featherweight. I'm excited to see what he can do at featherweight.
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