With Josh Koscheck’s May 8 win over Paul Daley, St. Pierre’s next title defense was set. Before he squares off with Koscheck in a rematch of their August 2007 encounter, they will square off as opposing coaches on the 12th season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” with a very convenient and apparent good guy-bad guy dynamic already built-in.
2. Jon Fitch (22-3, 1 NC)
Once again, the MMA world will be forced to wait just a tad longer for the long-awaited rematch between Fitch and Thiago Alves. After two postponements, the pair was scheduled to meet at UFC 115, but the bout has now been shifted to UFC 117 on Aug. 7 in Oakland, Calif. Keep your fingers crossed.
3. Thiago Alves (16-6)
In yet another delay of Alves’ anticipated rematch with Jon Fitch, the bout was moved from UFC 115 in June to the UFC 117 show on Aug. 7 in Oakland, Calif. UFC President Dana White pledges the extra weeks were given to ensure that Alves -- whose March MRI revealed a brain irregularity and nixed a bout with Fitch at UFC 111 -- was 100 percent healthy.
4. Dan Hardy (23-7, 1 NC)
With his unsuccessful March title challenge against Georges St. Pierre behind him, Hardy is primed to return to the Octagon on Oct. 16 at UFC 120. In front of a native British crowd, Hardy will take on former WEC titleholder Carlos Condit in an exciting welterweight scrap.
5. Josh Koscheck (15-4)
With high stakes up for grabs -- a UFC welterweight title shot and a coaching stint opposite Georges St. Pierre on “The Ultimate Fighter 12” -- Koscheck dominated Paul Daley for 15 minutes on the floor en route to a unanimous decision victory at UFC 113. After blocking a post-fight sucker punch from Daley and taunting the Montreal crowd, Koscheck cemented himself as one of MMA’s premiere heels and set in place the groundwork for the build-up to his rematch with St. Pierre.
6. Martin Kampmann (17-3)
Perhaps due to the one-sided nature of his September loss to Paul Daley, Kampmann was seen by some as an easy stepping stone for Paulo Thiago and his push for a welterweight title shot. However, at UFC 115, Kampmann put on perhaps his finest Octagon performance to date, besting Thiago in every phase of the game to earn a unanimous decision and get back into the running in the UFC’s welterweight division.
7. Paulo Thiago (13-2)
Thiago entered his June 15 bout as a considerable favorite against Martin Kampmann, and was expected to move into welterweight title contention with a victory. However, the Dane soundly outstruck and outwrestled Thiago, easily winning all three rounds of their bout and further illustrating the depth of the UFC welterweight division.
8. Paul Daley (23-9-2)
It did not take “Semtex” long to find work after his idiotic post-fight sucker punch on Josh Koscheck got him booted from the UFC in May. Daley will be in action in Australia on July 18, when he will meet Pride veteran Daniel Acacio under the Impact FC banner.
9. Nick Diaz (22-7, 1 NC)
Diaz did not make it easy on himself -- he seldom does -- but after overcoming early offense from Hayato Sakurai, he took home a victory over the Japanese veteran on May 29 with a first-round armbar. Now the question becomes who Strikeforce will pair the Cesar Gracie product with in his first title defense.
10. Mike Swick (14-4)
Coming off 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.
Other contenders: Ben Askren, Carlos Condit, Jay Hieron, Dan Hornbuckle, Matt Hughes.