Georges St. Pierre will be spending most of 2012 in his civvies. | Photo: Brian Townsend
Welterweight
The welterweight division’s French Canadian king managed only one Octagon appearance in 2011, a five-round decision win over Jake Shields in April. Having recently undergone knee surgery, GSP will sit on the shelf well into 2012, when he’ll ostensibly unify his UFC championship with the winner of Feb. 4’s Nick Diaz-Carlos Condit interim title bout.
2. Jon Fitch (23-3-1, 1 NC)
Following shoulder surgery, Fitch is ready to return to the Octagon. The perennial welterweight second banana was vocal in his desire to compete in his adopted backyard of San Jose, Calif., but will instead tangle with two-time NCAA wrestling champion Johny Hendricks in Las Vegas on Dec. 30.
3. Nick Diaz (25-7, 1 NC)
It’s been an up-and-down year for Stockton, Calif.’s Diaz, who has seen two chances to fight divisional ruler Georges St. Pierre slip away. With GSP on the sideline for six to nine months, Diaz will attempt to capture the UFC interim welterweight title against Carlos Condit at UFC 143 on Feb. 4.
4. Josh Koscheck (16-5)
A short-notice booking yielded big-time gains in September when Koscheck stepped in for Diego Sanchez and punched out former champ Matt Hughes. Originally booked against Carlos Condit on Feb. 4, the American Kickboxing Academy standout will instead meet Mike Pierce in Las Vegas at UFC 143.
5. Jake Ellenberger (26-5)
Ellenberger looked to be on the fast track to title contention after his 53-second demolition of Jake Shields in September, but the ongoing St. Pierre-Diaz-Condit shuffle has impeded the Nebraskan’s progress. In the meantime, he’ll tangle with perennial contender Diego Sanchez in the main event of the UFC’s Fuel debut on Feb. 15.
6. Jake Shields (26-6-1)
On Sept. 17, Shields was knocked out for the first time in more than 10 years by Jake Ellenberger. Now, Shields will return to Japan, where he initially broke out in the Shooto ranks almost a decade ago, as the Cesar Gracie disciple will take on Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 144.
7. Carlos Condit (27-5)
Condit fell into a title shot in October and then lost it just as quickly when champ Georges St. Pierre suffered a knee injury. The “Natural Born Killer” can cement his status on Feb. 4 at UFC 143, where he’ll take on former Strikeforce champ Nick Diaz for the UFC’s interim 170-pound belt and the right to face the returning GSP.
8. Johny Hendricks (11-1)
On Aug. 6, Hendricks showed off improved boxing and clinch work to earn a hard-fought split decision win over an equally tough Mike Pierce. The two-time NCAA wrestling champion will have a chance to move even higher up in the 170-pound rankings on Dec. 30 when he meets perennial contender Jon Fitch.
9. Martin Kampmann (18-5)
After suffering narrow defeats against Jake Shields and Diego Sanchez, “The Hitman” finally got a decision to fall his way on Nov. 19 when he took a split not over tough wrestler Rick Story. Kampmann will again have his hands full on March 3 when he meets fellow striker Thiago Alves at UFC on FX 2 in Sydney.
10. B.J. Penn (16-8-2)
Penn had no answer for Nick Diaz’s aggressive volume-punching attack on Oct. 29 and dropped a unanimous decision to the ex-Strikeforce titleholder. Having won only one of his last five starts, “The Prodigy” suggested postfight that he may not return to the Octagon, and now decided to “take some time off to enjoy life, train and teach” before deciding on his future.
Other contenders: Ben Askren, Charlie Brenneman, Anthony Johnson, Rory MacDonald, Rick Story.
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