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Welterweight

1. Georges St. Pierre (22-2)

The welterweight division’s French Canadian king managed only one Octagon appearance in 2011, a five-round decision win over Jake Shields in April. While there’s still no solid timeline for his return, GSP has stated that rehabilitation on his reconstructed ACL is “ahead of schedule,” possibly putting him in line for a late-2012 meeting with interim champ Carlos Condit.

2. Carlos Condit (28-5)

Nearly five years after becoming the final WEC welterweight champ, Condit has captured UFC gold. The “Natural Born Killer” used a perfectly executed game plan on Feb. 4 to steer clear of Nick Diaz and rack up points for a unanimous decision win. Now, Condit is playing the waiting game as champion Georges St. Pierre continues to heal up from his knee injury.

3. Nick Diaz (26-8, 1 ND)

Following his five-round decision loss to Carlos Condit at UFC 143, Diaz was suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission after testing positive for marijuana metabolites -- a situation which has only grown stickier in the months since. While Diaz’s attorney and the NAC continue to argue the legality of the fighter’s marijuana use, Diaz will take to the mat May 12 for a grappling match with ADCC champ Braulio Estima.

4. Johny Hendricks (12-1)

The former Oklahoma State Cowboy propelled himself into the Top 5 with a stunning, 12-second knockout of Jon Fitch on Dec. 30. Despite the current chaos atop the division, Hendricks will have a chance to further boost his status when he takes on fellow wrestler Josh Koscheck in May at UFC on Fox 3.

5. Jon Fitch (23-4-1, 1 NC)

Fitch’s first bout since drawing with B.J. Penn in February 2011 did not go well, as the American Kickboxing Academy standout was handed just his second UFC loss in the form of a 12-second knockout from Johny Hendricks. The going won’t get much easier in his next bout, as Fitch is slated to welcome fellow wrestler Aaron Simpson to the welterweight division at UFC 149 in July.

6. Jake Ellenberger (27-5)

The Nebraskan “Juggernaut” continued his march through the UFC welterweight ranks Feb. 15 by surviving a late scare to outpoint Diego Sanchez in Omaha. Ellenberger has now won six straight since dropping his Octagon debut to Carlos Condit, but the 26-year-old’s path to contendership has been stymied by Georges St. Pierre’s injury and Condit’s recent interim title win.

7. Josh Koscheck (17-5)

Koscheck survived early pressure from Mike Pierce to squeak out a narrow decision victory Feb. 4 at UFC 143. Despite a recent split from his longtime home at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif., “Kos” will still have revenge on his mind come May 5 when he meets Johny Hendricks, who comes off a 12-second knockout of Koscheck training partner Jon Fitch.

8. Jake Shields (27-6-1)

After a 2-2 run in the UFC welterweight division, Shields is headed back to the weight class where he held Strikeforce gold. No opponent has been announced for the American jiu-jitsu practitioner’s next outing, but Shields is tentatively scheduled to make his middleweight return in August.

9. Martin Kampmann (19-5)

Less than a minute away from dropping a decision to Thiago Alves, “The Hitman” took out his Brazilian foe with a remarkable, come-from-behind guillotine choke on March 3 in Sydney. With back-to-back wins against Alves and Rick Story, Kampmann has put himself near the top of the division, though whether he’ll get a shot at interim champ Carlos Condit remains to be seen.

10. Ben Askren (10-0)

It wasn’t flashy, but Askren wrestled his way to another dominating win over perhaps his most dangerous opponent to date with an April 6 routing of Douglas Lima. Now a perfect 10-0, Bellator’s welterweight ace awaits the winner of the company’s ongoing Season 6 tournament, which currently sits in the semifinal stage.

Other contenders:

Charlie Brenneman, Rory MacDonald, B.J. Penn, Rick Story, Tyron Woodley.

With the entry of Ben Askren, formerly 10th-ranked B.J. Penn falls to the contenders list.

Continue Reading » MMA Lightweight Rankings