Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings
Welterweight
Jul 23, 2008
Welterweight
1. Georges St. Pierre (16-2-0)
With the Matt Serra (Pictures) drama behind him, St. Pierre's attention turns to reigning in the fashion others expected from him when he first captured the UFC title in November 2006. First on deck for GSP is a fantastic title scrap with Jon Fitch (Pictures), which will headline the UFC's foray into Minnesota on Aug. 9.
2. Jon Fitch
(Pictures) (16-2-0, 1 NC)
Now a gaudy 8-0 in the UFC, Fitch's title shot against Georges St. Pierre (Pictures) on Aug. 9 has been well earned. However, the former Purdue wrestling captain will need to take his game to the next level to unseat GSP in their anticipated welterweight showdown.
3. Josh Koscheck (Pictures) (11-2-0)
He may not have shown us anything new, but Koscheck pounded out a solid victory over Chris Lytle (Pictures) on July 5, as he hacked up the veteran's face and spilled blood all over the cage. In a stacked 170-pound class, Koscheck's next go-around in the Octagon figures to be an alluring matchup.
If Sanchez needed an impressive performance on June 21 to put himself back into contention at 170 pounds, he got it. Sanchez showed off vastly improved stand-up en route to his sensational third-round stoppage of a tough Luigi Fioravanti (Pictures). However, things only pick up from here as the "Nightmare" is penciled in to meet Brazilian dynamo Thiago Alves (Pictures) at UFC 90 on Oct. 25 in Chicago.
5. Thiago Alves (Pictures) (16-3-0)
Though his failure to make weight tainted his win over former champion Matt Hughes (Pictures) on June 7 in London, Alves will have the chance to make an even louder case for a title shot when he meets Diego Sanchez (Pictures) on Oct. 25 in Chicago in what should be an all-action bout.
6. Matt Hughes (Pictures) (42-7-0)
Already in the twilight of his career, Hughes was turned into a highlight reel at the hands of another young, up-and-coming welterweight in Thiago Alves (Pictures). Although some have called for the longtime welterweight king to retire, a grudge match with Matt Serra (Pictures) is likely next up for Hughes, who continues to recuperate from a knee injury.
7. Jake Shields (Pictures) (20-4-1)
After his on-again-off-again bout with Drew Fickett (Pictures) was finally sent out behind the shed, Shields was scheduled for EliteXC's next primetime CBS card this Saturday in Stockton, Calif. Now, the Cesar Gracie (Pictures) protégé will meet fellow welterweight standout Nick Thompson (Pictures) to crown EliteXC's first welterweight champ.
8. Matt Serra (Pictures) (9-5-0)
The slipper dropped for Serra, who was destroyed in his rematch with St. Pierre in April. However, he might not be done in big bouts, as the potential for a clash with Matt Hughes (Pictures) seems high in the near future.
9. Karo Parisyan (Pictures) (18-5-0)
After his deflating loss to Thiago Alves (Pictures) in April, Parisyan begins his odyssey toward a welterweight title shot once again on Sept. 6. However, he has been afforded no easily launching pad for his campaign, as he meets streaking Japanese judoka Yoshiyuki Yoshida (Pictures) on the main card of UFC 88 in Atlanta.
10. Carlos Condit (Pictures) (22-4-0)
In February, Condit avenged one of his losses to the tough Carlo Prater (Pictures) in front of his hometown crowd in Albuquerque, N.M. Now, the WEC's welterweight king will make the third defense of his title on Aug. 3, when he meets Hiromitsu Miura (Pictures) as part of the WEC's championship tripleheader in Las Vegas.
1. Georges St. Pierre (16-2-0)
With the Matt Serra (Pictures) drama behind him, St. Pierre's attention turns to reigning in the fashion others expected from him when he first captured the UFC title in November 2006. First on deck for GSP is a fantastic title scrap with Jon Fitch (Pictures), which will headline the UFC's foray into Minnesota on Aug. 9.
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Now a gaudy 8-0 in the UFC, Fitch's title shot against Georges St. Pierre (Pictures) on Aug. 9 has been well earned. However, the former Purdue wrestling captain will need to take his game to the next level to unseat GSP in their anticipated welterweight showdown.
3. Josh Koscheck (Pictures) (11-2-0)
He may not have shown us anything new, but Koscheck pounded out a solid victory over Chris Lytle (Pictures) on July 5, as he hacked up the veteran's face and spilled blood all over the cage. In a stacked 170-pound class, Koscheck's next go-around in the Octagon figures to be an alluring matchup.
4. Diego
Sanchez (Pictures) (19-2-0)
If Sanchez needed an impressive performance on June 21 to put himself back into contention at 170 pounds, he got it. Sanchez showed off vastly improved stand-up en route to his sensational third-round stoppage of a tough Luigi Fioravanti (Pictures). However, things only pick up from here as the "Nightmare" is penciled in to meet Brazilian dynamo Thiago Alves (Pictures) at UFC 90 on Oct. 25 in Chicago.
5. Thiago Alves (Pictures) (16-3-0)
Though his failure to make weight tainted his win over former champion Matt Hughes (Pictures) on June 7 in London, Alves will have the chance to make an even louder case for a title shot when he meets Diego Sanchez (Pictures) on Oct. 25 in Chicago in what should be an all-action bout.
6. Matt Hughes (Pictures) (42-7-0)
Already in the twilight of his career, Hughes was turned into a highlight reel at the hands of another young, up-and-coming welterweight in Thiago Alves (Pictures). Although some have called for the longtime welterweight king to retire, a grudge match with Matt Serra (Pictures) is likely next up for Hughes, who continues to recuperate from a knee injury.
7. Jake Shields (Pictures) (20-4-1)
After his on-again-off-again bout with Drew Fickett (Pictures) was finally sent out behind the shed, Shields was scheduled for EliteXC's next primetime CBS card this Saturday in Stockton, Calif. Now, the Cesar Gracie (Pictures) protégé will meet fellow welterweight standout Nick Thompson (Pictures) to crown EliteXC's first welterweight champ.
8. Matt Serra (Pictures) (9-5-0)
The slipper dropped for Serra, who was destroyed in his rematch with St. Pierre in April. However, he might not be done in big bouts, as the potential for a clash with Matt Hughes (Pictures) seems high in the near future.
9. Karo Parisyan (Pictures) (18-5-0)
After his deflating loss to Thiago Alves (Pictures) in April, Parisyan begins his odyssey toward a welterweight title shot once again on Sept. 6. However, he has been afforded no easily launching pad for his campaign, as he meets streaking Japanese judoka Yoshiyuki Yoshida (Pictures) on the main card of UFC 88 in Atlanta.
10. Carlos Condit (Pictures) (22-4-0)
In February, Condit avenged one of his losses to the tough Carlo Prater (Pictures) in front of his hometown crowd in Albuquerque, N.M. Now, the WEC's welterweight king will make the third defense of his title on Aug. 3, when he meets Hiromitsu Miura (Pictures) as part of the WEC's championship tripleheader in Las Vegas.
