For five rounds, St. Pierre beat on Dan Hardy and cranked on his arms at UFC 111. However, the welterweight king failed to get “The Outlaw” out of the Octagon. With his third five-round decision win in his last four bouts, St. Pierre has become a target of criticism from many for his inability to polish off his challengers.
2. Jon Fitch (22-3, 1 NC)
For the second time, Fitch’s rematch with Thiago Alves fell apart. Fortunately for Fitch, he fought at UFC 111. In his usual fashion, Fitch pounded out a clear-cut if not thrilling decision over American Top Team’s Ben Saunders to push his UFC record to 12-1.
3. Thiago Alves (16-6)
Just when it finally seemed like Alves would get the chance to avenge his June 2006 loss to Jon Fitch, an irregularity in his pre-fight MRI nixed the bout. A successful angiogram will hopefully clear the “Pitbull” to fight again. With any luck, a third attempt at a rematch between Fitch and Alves will not fall apart in the future.
4. Dan Hardy (23-7, 1 NC)
Hardy lost all five rounds in his March 27 title match against Georges St. Pierre. However, despite a nasty armbar and kimura from “Rush,” Hardy remained unbowed in defeat and perhaps extracted a measure of respect from a previously skeptical public regarding his status in the welterweight division.
5. Paulo Thiago (13-1)
Thiago entered his bout at UFC 109 with Mike Swick, once again, as an underdog. Once again, Thiago blew away an American Kickboxing Academy product, choking Swick out cold in the second round to prove definitively that his victory over Josh Koscheck was no fluke. Next comes a UFC 115 matchup with Martin Kampmann.
6. Josh Koscheck (14-4)
Despite his evolution since appearing on the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Koscheck has yet to challenge for the UFC welterweight crown. In order to earn that right, he will need to take out fast-rising British star Paul Daley at UFC 113 on May 8.
7. Paul Daley (23-8-2)
In his first two UFC outings, Daley blew the doors off quality fighters in Martin Kampmann and Dustin Hazelett. Now, a UFC welterweight title shot may hang in the balance when he takes on Josh Koscheck at UFC 113 on May 8 in what amounts to a de facto championship eliminator.
8. Mike Swick (14-4)
Coming off of a disappointing decision loss to Dan Hardy in November, Swick’s bout with Paulo Thiago at UFC 109 left him in even worse shape. He was choked unconscious in the second round and pushed further back in the UFC welterweight title picture.
9. Nick Diaz (21-7, 1 ND)
Diaz captured the Strikeforce welterweight crown on Jan. 30 in a highly entertaining slugfest with Dream champion Marius Zaromskis. Now, the major question for Diaz boils down to whether his next opponent will be fan-desired challenger Jay Hieron or Japanese veteran Hayato “Mach” Sakurai.
10. Martin Kampmann (16-3)
Kampmann was scheduled to get back in the saddle against rising contender Ben Saunders at UFC 111 on March 27. However, a nasty gash on the Dane’s eyelid nixed the bout. Kampmann will instead meet Paulo Thiago at UFC 115.
Other contenders: Carlos Condit, Jay Hieron, Dan Hornbuckle, Matt Hughes, Marius Zaromskis.