Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Welterweight

1. Georges St. Pierre (22-2)
It’s finally happening. After months, even years of calls for dominant UFC 170-pound king St. Pierre to face off against Strikeforce counterpart Nick Diaz, the UFC has tabbed the match for UFC 137 on Oct. 29. GSP will enter his sixth title defense on a nine-fight tear, most recently having served Diaz teammate Jake Shields a five-round decision loss in April.

2. Jon Fitch (23-3-1, 1 NC)
Fitch would have had the chance to erase the first stalemate of his career in a rematch of his February draw with B.J. Penn. However, the rangy wrestler suffered a training injury in late March that was severe enough to force him from the July date. What matchup awaits him upon his return remains to be seen.

3. Jake Shields (26-5-1)
Shields’ five-year, 15-fight win streak came to an end on April 30, when he suffered the same fate as many UFC welterweight title contenders before him: a unanimous decision loss at the hands of Georges St. Pierre. While the Cesar Gracie product landed at times, St. Pierre’s striking prowess was too much for Shields to handle over the course of 25 minutes.

4. Josh Koscheck (15-5)
Koscheck’s crushing Dec. 11 defeat to Georges St. Pierre was not just figurative; it was literal. Following surgery to repair a smashed orbital bone, Koscheck will spend at least six months on the shelf before returning to action, potentially stepping back into the Octagon sometime this summer.

5. Nick Diaz (25-7, 1 NC)
Left without a clear-cut top contender after his April 9 dispatching of Paul Daley, the 27-year-old from Stockton, Calif., briefly turned his gaze toward the boxing ring. However, after reportedly being summoned to a Las Vegas meeting with Dana White, Diaz inked a new contract with the UFC and has vacated his Strikeforce belt. Diaz is now set for a major title collision with UFC champ Georges St. Pierre Oct. 29 in Las Vegas.

6. Rick Story (13-3)
In the span of 15 minutes on May 28, Story switched from surging prospect to serious contender by outpointing former UFC welterweight title challenger Thiago Alves. The hard-nosed wrestler from Washington has reeled off six impressive victories in the Octagon, including wins over Dustin Hazelett and the previously unbeaten Johny Hendricks.

7. Thiago Alves (18-8)
Having previously won seven consecutive UFC starts, Alves has recently fallen on hard times, dropping three of his last four on the judges’ scorecards. The Brazilian broke a two-fight skid which saw him fall to champion Georges St. Pierre and Jon Fitch with a December decisioning of John Howard, but was outpointed by up-and-comer Rick Story in their May 28 three-rounder.

8. B.J. Penn (16-7-2)
Penn fought to a draw for just the second time in his career on Feb. 27, when he took tough welterweight stalwart Jon Fitch the distance at UFC 127. The pair would have danced again at July’s UFC 132, but Fitch was forced from the rematch with an injury. Penn also withdrew shortly thereafter due to shoulder problems.

9. Carlos Condit (26-5)
The “Natural Born Killer” will return from an eight-month layoff against undefeated “Stun Gun” Dong Hyun Kim at June’s UFC 131. The Greg Jackson product has lost just once in his last dozen outings and currently rides a three-fight win streak, including a brutal October knockout of Dan Hardy.

10. Paul Daley (27-10-2)
Things looked good early for “Semtex” in his April Strikeforce title bout, as the British slugger dropped defending champ Nick Diaz with his famously thunderous punches. Daley could not maintain control, however, and was swarmed on by Diaz in the waning seconds of the opening frame for a stoppage loss. The 28-year-old will return July 30 against another recent Diaz victim, Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, in a match which could have implications for Strikeforce’s newly vacated 170-pound strap.

Other contenders: Ben Askren, Jake Ellenberger, Martin Kampmann, Mike Pyle, Diego Sanchez.

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