The toe-tapping process to find the next challenger for St. Pierre continues. The new bout designated as a title eliminator in the UFC 170-pound division will come at UFC 105 on Nov. 14, when surging contenders Mike Swick and Dan Hardy square off.
2. Jon Fitch (19-3, 1 NC)
Originally set to face Ricardo Almeida in his welterweight debut at UFC 107, Fitch got a new foe for Dec. 12 in Memphis when Almeida was forced out due to a knee injury. His new opponent is a familiar one: He'll rematch fellow divisional star Thiago Alves, whom he defeated in June 2006.
3. Thiago Alves (16-6)
Ricardo Almeida's knee injury was a bringer of good news for Alves. The scrape to "The Big Dog" means that Alves will now get the chance to avenge his June 2006 loss to fellow welterweight contender Jon Fitch at UFC 107 on Dec. 12.
4. Jake Shields (23-4-1)
As expected, Shields will return to the middleweight division for Strikeforce’s Nov. 7 show on CBS, where he will take on Jason “Mayhem” Miller. As an extra perk for the former EliteXC champion, the bout will be for the promotion’s middleweight crown recently vacated by Cung Le.
5. Josh Koscheck (13-4)
Now injury-free and coming off of a first-round stoppage of Frank Trigg in September, Koscheck's desire to stay active has seemingly been granted. He announced Tuesday that he will be co-headlining UFC 106 on Nov. 21 against a to-be-named opponent.
6. Paulo Thiago (11-1)
The reconfiguration of UFC welterweight matchups has saved Thiago from facing his third straight top-five welterweight, as his slated opponent, Thiago Alves, will now meet Jon Fitch in a much-anticipated rematch. However, Thiago's next outing at UFC 106 on Nov. 21 will hardly be a cakewalk, as he meets unbeaten prospect Jacob Volkmann.
7. Mike Swick (14-2)
If Swick wants to become the next challenger to Georges St. Pierre’s welterweight throne, he’ll have to earn it on Nov. 14 at UFC 105. There, he’ll take on surging Brit Dan Hardy with a title shot on the line.
8. Paul Daley (22-8-2)
Daley came to the UFC with a reputation as one of Britain’s best talents and one of the welterweight division’s most dangerous strikers. Even so, he was an underdog to divisional standout Martin Kampmann. However, Daley needed less than three minutes to blow away Kampmann at UFC 103 and signal his arrival in the UFC’s 170-pound division.
9. Martin Kampmann (15-3)
Kampmann was quickly bashed by British banger Paul Daley at UFC 103 in September. His return bout will feature another heavy-handed opponent when he takes on Rory Markham at UFC 108 on Jan. 2.
10. Carlos Condit (24-5)
Following his Sept. 16 split decision win over Jake Ellenberger, Condit announced that he was leaving Arizona Combat Sports and returning to his native New Mexico. None too surprisingly, "The Natural Born Killer" will be hooking up with Albuquerque-based fight guru Greg Jackson and company.
Other contenders: Dan Hardy, Marcus Davis, Jay Hieron, Dan Hornbuckle, Matt Hughes.