Welterweights
1. Georges St.-Pierre (20-2) Jackson’s MMA
GSP is on a short list of best pound for pound fighters in the world, dominating Fitch, Penn, and Alves, and nope, not breaking much of a sweat with Dan Hardy. Next up is this coming season of The Ultimate Fighter where he’s the opposing coach against Josh Koscheck and the two will meet for the title at the end of the year.
2. Jake Shields (25-4-1) Cesar Gracie Jiu Jitsu
A lot of people wouldn’t rank Shields this high simply because he’s been fighting at 185. I do for a couple reasons. GSP has beaten all the rest of the top contenders at 170. He hasn’t beaten Shields. Shields also hasn’t lost a fight since 2004. His UFC debut will be a tough one next month against Martin Kampmann.
3. Jon Fitch (23-3, 1NC) American Kickboxing Academy
Fitch is a guy that’s clearly been on a different level than the rest of the contenders but just isn’t the guy to beat GSP. In the long awaited rematch with Thiago Alves, Fitch proved that he’s as dominant as ever in the WW division. Next up is TBA.
4. Josh Koscheck (15-4) American Kickboxing Academy
Kos showed his wrestling ability in a tough matchup with Paul Daley and was able to earn a unanimous decision victory and also many boos from the fans. For his victory, Koscheck was awarded with a title shot and coaching spot opposite champion GSP on the next season of TUF. They will meet at the end of the year
5. Martin Kampmann (17-3) Xtreme Couture
Kampmann jumps back into the mix after his dominating performance over Paulo Thiago. Kampmann will have the toughest fight of his career next month when he meets Jake Shields. Should he pull off the upset and get past Shields, you would think he’d be in the mix if not at the front of the line for a title shot.
6. Nick Diaz (22-7) Cesar Gracie
Diaz won his last fight in quick fashion with an armbar of Sakurai in the first round. Diaz hasn’t lost a fight since his 2007 loss to KJ Noons due to doctor stoppage. His last real defeat dates back to his last fight in the UFC against Sean Sherk in 2006. Diaz will look to avenge his loss when he rematches KJ Noons next month.
7. Carlos Condit (25-5) Arizona Combat Sports
Condit has now won two fights since his narrow split decision loss to Martin Kampmann in his UFC debut. October is a big month for the WW division and Condit will look to move himself closer to a title shot when he meets Dan Hardy next month.
8. Thiago Alves (17-7) American Top Team
Alves finally got his rematch with Jon Fitch but wasn’t able to do anything with it. Once again, Alves failed to make weight. It’s been an issue for him for some time and you have to wonder if he’d be better served moving up in weight. He’s proven he can’t get past Fitch or GSP and I feel like he’d suffer the same fate against Shields and even in a rematch with Koscheck. This division is filled with guys that just aren’t a good match for Alves.
9. Paulo Thiago (13-2) Constrictor Team
Thiago made a big splash in his UFC debut with a stunning knockout over Josh Koscheck. The UFC threw him to the wolves in his next fight and he lost via decision to Jon Fitch but rebounded with a submission victory over Mike Swick. Thiago dropped a decision to Kampmann in his last outing but will look to rebound against Diego Sanchez in October.
10. Dan Hardy (23-6) Team Rough House
As was expected, Hardy was dismantled by St. Pierre at UFC 111. He showed some toughness by not tapping when it appeared his arm was at the breaking point on two different occasions but ultimately his main weapon — dangerous striking — really wasn’t dangerous at all, and I don’t know that St. Pierre ever got touched by Hardy. Hardy will look to get back into contention when he meets Carlos Condit next month.
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