Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Welterweight

1. Georges St. Pierre (18-2)
Despite debate over the improper use of Vaseline by St. Pierre’s cornermen, “Rush” destroyed B.J. Penn in their Jan. 31 superfight at UFC 94. The bout reinforced St. Pierre’s case to be considered the top pound-for-pound fighter in the game, and he’ll have another chance to bolster his position against a brilliant opponent when he meets Thiago Alves at UFC 100 in July.

2. Thiago Alves (16-3)
His noted 2008 breakout has earned him a shot against Georges St. Pierre at UFC 100 in July. However, if his in-cage meeting with St. Pierre at UFC 94 told us anything, it’s that the “Pitbull” will not be the crowd favorite against the budding Canadian superstar.

3. Jon Fitch (18-3, 1 NC)
Fitch will have the chance to atone for the indiscretions of teammate Josh Koscheck, as he’ll take on his American Kickboxing Academy compatriot’s upset author, Paulo Thiago, at UFC 100 on July 11.

4. Jake Shields (23-4-1)
He may have looked out of his depth for a minute or so, but Shields’ submission skills shined through once again June 6 against Robbie Lawler. The former EliteXC welterweight champion submitted the former EliteXC middleweight titleholder 2:02 into their Strikeforce bout, recording his 12th straight win. Shields’ unbeaten streak now spans almost five years.

5. Martin Kampmann (15-2)
For a short matter of hours, fans were excited to see MMA's foremost Dane take on fast-rising prospect T.J. Grant at the TUF 9 finale in June. However, Kampmann turned down the bout, saying that he was looking for bigger fights in the 170-pound division.

6. Karo Parisyan (18-5, 1 NC)
It will be a long 2009 for Parisyan. After getting popped for painkillers following his Jan. 31 split decision win over Dong Hyun Kim, Parisyan’s victory was declared a no contest. Now “The Heat” will serve a nine-month suspension.

7. Paulo Thiago (11-0)
He’s gutsy, if nothing else. Having aced his February UFC debut against Josh Koscheck, the relatively unknown Brazilian will now attempt to knock off Koscheck’s teammate and consensus top-three welterweight Jon Fitch at UFC 100 on July 11.

8. Josh Koscheck (12-4)
A foot injury deprived Koscheck of a chance to get back into action against Chris Wilson at UFC 98 in May. Koscheck’s next bout may be even sterner now. His likely opponent for UFC 103 on Sept. 19 is former UFC welterweight title challenger Frank Trigg, who returns to the promotion and the division after a run at middleweight.

9. Carlos Condit (22-5)
A victory was not in the cards for Condit in his UFC debut, but his wildly entertaining April 1 split decision loss to Martin Kampmann did show that the former WEC kingpin belongs in the Octagon with the sport’s top 170-pounders.

10. Mike Swick (14-2)
Though the first eight minutes wasn't anything to write home about, Swick seized control of his June 13 bout with Ben Saunders and put the ATT product away with punches in the second round. The victory pushed Swick's UFC record to 9-1 and a perfect 4-0 in the welterweight division.

Other contenders: Marcus Davis, Dan Hardy, Jay Hieron, Matt Hughes, Nick Thompson.

*With the entry of Mike Swick into the rankings, formerly 10th-ranked Matt Hughes slips out of the top 10.