Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Welterweight
1. Georges St. Pierre (19-2)
Another title defense, another elite contender, another dominant victory for St. Pierre. GSP’s lopsided decision over an elite challenger in Thiago Alves at UFC 100 showed why he remains one of the sport’s pound-for-pound kings and caused many fans and pundits to begin demanding a move to middleweight. However, St. Pierre’s next challenge will come from the winner of the September bout between Mike Swick and Martin Kampmann.

2. Jon Fitch (19-3, 1 NC)
Hardly flashy, but Fitch racked up yet another solid victory at UFC 100, taking a hard-fought unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Paulo Thiago. The victory moved Fitch’s mark in the Octagon to an impressive 10-1.

3. Thiago Alves (16-4)
Though Alves struggled to muster much offense in his 25-minute decision loss to St. Pierre at UFC 100, the Brazilian stalwart showed considerable grit by making it to the final bell against the vastly superior French Canadian. The other silver lining for the “Pitbull”? He’s only 25 years old.

4. Jake Shields (23-4-1)
He has established himself as one of the best welterweights in the world, but Shields is set to start campaigning as a middleweight. With Cung Le’s acting schedule holding up Strikeforce’s middleweight division, Shields is set to square off with a yet-to-be-determined foe for a 185-pound interim title in October.

5. Martin Kampmann (15-2)
Kampmann said he’s only interested in big fights at 170. Fortunately for Denmark’s top MMA export, he has one: Kampmann will take on Swick at UFC 103 on Sept. 19. The winner will be next in line for a crack at St. Pierre’s welterweight throne.

6. Paulo Thiago (11-1)
Thiago finally got one put in the loss column at UFC 100. However, the still relatively unknown Brazilian did prove that he was tougher than previously thought following his upset over Josh Koscheck in February, as he dragged Fitch through three competitive rounds.

7. Josh Koscheck (12-4)
A foot injury deprived Koscheck of a chance to get back into action against Chris Wilson at UFC 98 in May. Koscheck’s next bout will be even sterner now. His opponent for UFC 103 on Sept. 19 will be former UFC welterweight title challenger Frank Trigg, who returns to the promotion and the division after a run at middleweight.

8. Carlos Condit (22-5)
Condit was unsuccessful in his UFC debut in April, losing a hotly contested split decision to Kampmann. However, the former World Extreme Cagefighting champion may get a crack at some extra money in his second Octagon appearance, as he will take on regular “Fight of the Night” bonus recipient Chris Lytle at UFC Fight Night 19 on Sept. 16.

9. Mike Swick (14-2)
Having put together a 4-0 mark as a welterweight, Swick’s big moment at 170 has arrived. The fleet-handed American Kickboxing Academy product will take on Kampmann on Sept. 19 at UFC 103, with the winner gaining the right to challenge St. Pierre.

10. Dan Hardy (22-6, 1 NC)
With his split decision over Marcus Davis at UFC 99 in June, Hardy has emerged as yet another contender in the UFC’s startlingly deep welterweight division. The victory was his 11th in his last 12 fights, his lone loss in that span coming via contested disqualification against Yoshiyuki Yoshida in December 2007.

Other contenders: Marcus Davis, Jay Hieron, Matt Hughes, Karo Parisyan, Nick Thompson.