Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings
Welterweight
Mar 19, 2008
WELTERWEIGHT (170-155)
1. Georges St. Pierre (Pictures) (15-2-0)
GSP has the top spot in these rankings but not the UFC 170-pound championship. In order to hold his place and regain the UFC championship, St. Pierre will need to defeat Matt Serra (Pictures) in their rematch April 19. If nothing else, he will have a raucous, partisan crowd behind him, as the two do battle in Montreal's Bell Centre.
2. Matt
Serra (Pictures) (9-4-0)
Serra's chance at an epic year was erased when he was forced to pull out of his slated Dec. 29 title defense against Matt Hughes (Pictures). Then GSP stepped in and destroyed Hughes. However, Serra still owns the UFC welterweight title, and on April 19 he'll have the chance to prove lightning can strike twice.
3. Matt Hughes (Pictures) (41-6-0)
The sport's most celebrated welterweight is nearing the end. Hughes was completely destroyed by Georges St. Pierre (Pictures) in their rubber match on Dec. 29. With only a couple of fights left, it will be interesting to see what Zuffa proposes for the former champ before his retirement.
Fitch picked up a high-quality win earlier this month, taking out an underrated and largely unknown Chris Wilson. The problem was that he looked less than stellar in doing so, which has quieted much of the hype he brought into the bout. While he seems the most likely challenger to the winner of the St. Pierre-Serra rematch, time will tell whether Fitch will be the next to fight for the title.
5. Josh Koscheck (Pictures) (10-2-0)
Koscheck defeated quality opponent Dustin Hazelett (Pictures) in fantastic fashion, knocking him out in the second round of their bout earlier this month. One of MMA's most polarizing fighters, "Kos" is confident that his management and Zuffa will work out a deal that will keep the former collegiate national wrestling champion in the UFC.
6. Diego Sanchez (Pictures) (18-2-0)
After opting to stay at 170 pounds following losses to Josh Koscheck (Pictures) and Jon Fitch (Pictures), Sanchez signed a new long-term deal with Zuffa. He then absolutely destroyed Sweden's David Bielkheden (Pictures), serving notice to the division that "The Nightmare" is back.
7. Karo Parisyan (Pictures) (18-4-0)
If Parisyan wanted an easy bout to ensure a better chance at getting a UFC title shot, he sure didn't get it. Instead, the Armenian will meet Brazilian dynamo Thiago Alves (Pictures) April 2 in what could be an early candidate for fight of the year.
8. Jake Shields (Pictures) (20-4-1)
With free agency looming, Shields inked a long-term deal with ProElite and then quickly dispatched of a quality opponent in Mike Pyle (Pictures). The next stop for Shields is an EliteXC title match versus battle-tested welterweight Drew Fickett (Pictures).
9. Carlos Condit (Pictures) (22-4-0)
Condit was the marquee man for the WEC's recent foray into New Mexico, and the 170-pound champ didn't disappoint. He avenged his September 2004 loss to Carlo Prater (Pictures) with a first-round guillotine in front of his raucous home crowd. That win sees Condit climb from 10th to ninth in the rankings. While WEC's 170-pound division doesn't have a deep contingent of contenders ready to face Condit, "The Natural Born Killer" has emerged as a must-see fighter for hardcore fans and continues to improve as he reigns.
10. Nick Thompson (Pictures) (35-9-1)
In a highly questionable decision, "The Goat" took a unanimous nod earlier this month over Brazilian Fabricio Monteiro (Pictures), whose look of genuine distress and shock spoke volumes. Although in the midst of a massive winning streak, Thompson will need a far better outing to show he is one of the top competitors in arguably MMA's best weight class.
1. Georges St. Pierre (Pictures) (15-2-0)
GSP has the top spot in these rankings but not the UFC 170-pound championship. In order to hold his place and regain the UFC championship, St. Pierre will need to defeat Matt Serra (Pictures) in their rematch April 19. If nothing else, he will have a raucous, partisan crowd behind him, as the two do battle in Montreal's Bell Centre.
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Serra's chance at an epic year was erased when he was forced to pull out of his slated Dec. 29 title defense against Matt Hughes (Pictures). Then GSP stepped in and destroyed Hughes. However, Serra still owns the UFC welterweight title, and on April 19 he'll have the chance to prove lightning can strike twice.
3. Matt Hughes (Pictures) (41-6-0)
The sport's most celebrated welterweight is nearing the end. Hughes was completely destroyed by Georges St. Pierre (Pictures) in their rubber match on Dec. 29. With only a couple of fights left, it will be interesting to see what Zuffa proposes for the former champ before his retirement.
4. Jon
Fitch (Pictures) (16-2-0, 1 NC)
Fitch picked up a high-quality win earlier this month, taking out an underrated and largely unknown Chris Wilson. The problem was that he looked less than stellar in doing so, which has quieted much of the hype he brought into the bout. While he seems the most likely challenger to the winner of the St. Pierre-Serra rematch, time will tell whether Fitch will be the next to fight for the title.
5. Josh Koscheck (Pictures) (10-2-0)
Koscheck defeated quality opponent Dustin Hazelett (Pictures) in fantastic fashion, knocking him out in the second round of their bout earlier this month. One of MMA's most polarizing fighters, "Kos" is confident that his management and Zuffa will work out a deal that will keep the former collegiate national wrestling champion in the UFC.
6. Diego Sanchez (Pictures) (18-2-0)
After opting to stay at 170 pounds following losses to Josh Koscheck (Pictures) and Jon Fitch (Pictures), Sanchez signed a new long-term deal with Zuffa. He then absolutely destroyed Sweden's David Bielkheden (Pictures), serving notice to the division that "The Nightmare" is back.
7. Karo Parisyan (Pictures) (18-4-0)
If Parisyan wanted an easy bout to ensure a better chance at getting a UFC title shot, he sure didn't get it. Instead, the Armenian will meet Brazilian dynamo Thiago Alves (Pictures) April 2 in what could be an early candidate for fight of the year.
8. Jake Shields (Pictures) (20-4-1)
With free agency looming, Shields inked a long-term deal with ProElite and then quickly dispatched of a quality opponent in Mike Pyle (Pictures). The next stop for Shields is an EliteXC title match versus battle-tested welterweight Drew Fickett (Pictures).
9. Carlos Condit (Pictures) (22-4-0)
Condit was the marquee man for the WEC's recent foray into New Mexico, and the 170-pound champ didn't disappoint. He avenged his September 2004 loss to Carlo Prater (Pictures) with a first-round guillotine in front of his raucous home crowd. That win sees Condit climb from 10th to ninth in the rankings. While WEC's 170-pound division doesn't have a deep contingent of contenders ready to face Condit, "The Natural Born Killer" has emerged as a must-see fighter for hardcore fans and continues to improve as he reigns.
10. Nick Thompson (Pictures) (35-9-1)
In a highly questionable decision, "The Goat" took a unanimous nod earlier this month over Brazilian Fabricio Monteiro (Pictures), whose look of genuine distress and shock spoke volumes. Although in the midst of a massive winning streak, Thompson will need a far better outing to show he is one of the top competitors in arguably MMA's best weight class.
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