Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Welterweight

1. Georges St. Pierre (19-2)
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)
The opponent carousel has finally settled for Jon Fitch: After slated bouts with Ricardo Almeida and Thiago Alves fell apart due to injury, the former UFC title challenger will now meet once-beaten Mike Pierce at UFC 107 on Dec. 12.

3. Thiago Alves (16-6)
When injury struck Ricardo Almeida, it appeared that Alves would have his chance for revenge on former opponent Jon Fitch, who defeated him in June 2006. However, Alves tweaked his knee and will now need to wait for another day to rematch Fitch.

4. Josh Koscheck (13-4)
Koscheck has constantly preached that he wants to stay active against tough fighters. "Kos" will get his wish, when he takes on the power-punching Anthony "Rumble" Johnson at UFC 106 on Nov. 21.

5. 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, was injured. Thiago's next outing at UFC 106 on Nov. 21 will hardly be a cakewalk, though, as he meets unbeaten prospect Jacob Volkmann.

6. 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.

7. Paul Daley (22-8-2)
UFC 103 marked Daley's biggest win to date, as he blew away Martin Kampmann in the blink of an eye. To get into title contention and prove himself a truly elite welterweight, Daley will have to deal with former WEC welterweight champ Carlos Condit at UFC 108.

8. 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.

9. Carlos Condit (24-5)
After surviving a major scare against Jake Ellenberger in September, Carlos Condit will be forced to deal with another heavy pair of hands at UFC 108 on Jan. 2 when he meets highlight reel-producing Brit Paul Daley.

10. Dan Hardy (22-6)
By virtue of his Rough House compatriot Paul Daley upsetting Martin Kampmann's potential title bid, Hardy will now step into the biggest bout of his career at UFC 105 against Mike Swick. The next crack at 170-pound ruler Georges St. Pierre will be up for grabs.

Other contenders: Marcus Davis, Jay Hieron, Dan Hornbuckle, Matt Hughes, Marius Zaromskis.

*With formerly fourth-ranked Jake Shields entering the middleweight rankings, former contenders list entrant Dan Hardy enters the top 10.