Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Welterweight

1. Georges St. Pierre (19-2)
After thwarting challenges from B.J. Penn and Thiago Alves in '09, Georges St. Pierre will open his 2010 campaign on March 27 in Newark, N.J., where he'll defend his UFC welterweight crown against Brit Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy.

2. Jon Fitch (21-3, 1 NC)
At UFC 107, Jon Fitch took home a unanimous nod over Mike Pierce. It was another solid, competent victory over a tough welterweight. Unfortunately, it was exactly the kind of clinical victory that has made Fitch persona non grata among many MMA fans, despite his outstanding record in arguably MMA's finest weight class.

3. Thiago Alves (16-6)
A knee injury scuttled Alves' chance at redemption against Jon Fitch at UFC 107. Now, Alves is slated for his first bout since losing to Georges St. Pierre against a yet-to-be-named opponent come March 27 at UFC 111 in Newark, N.J.

4. Dan Hardy (23-6)
A fixture of the UFC's European efforts, the upstart Brit will have his first UFC bout on American soil on March 27 at UFC 111. Of course, that is of little significance compared to the fact that "The Outlaw" will meet Georges St. Pierre for the welterweight mantle.

5. Josh Koscheck (14-4)
Josh Koscheck may have had a shot at the UFC welterweight crown by now if he wasn't upset by a then-unknown Paulo Thiago last February. One year later, he will have the chance to exorcise those demons when he meets Thiago in a rematch at UFC 109 on Feb. 6.

6. Paulo Thiago (12-1)
Paulo Thiago leapt to relevance this past February with his shocking first-round shellacking of Josh Koscheck. He will have the chance to prove it was no fluke when he rematches "Kos" on Feb. 6 at UFC 109.

7. Mike Swick (14-3)
On the brink of a welterweight title shot, Swick fell short against Dan Hardy at UFC 105. The loss puts the AKA product back among the general welterweight population in a hyper-competitive and ever-improving division.

8. Paul Daley (22-8-2)
After his breakout win over Martin Kampmann in September, Paul Daley was set for Jan. 2 action against Carlos Condit. Unfortunately, the UFC 108 injury bug bit Condit. Still, Daley will still meet another high quality young welterweight on the card when he takes on the returning Dustin Hazelett.

9. Martin Kampmann (15-3)
Martin Kampmann was set for action against enjoyable brawler Rory Markham at UFC 108 on Jan. 2. However, Markham was the victim of one of UFC 108's many injuries, and now Kampmann will take on Minnesotan wrestler Jacob Volkmann on the 108 undercard.

10. Carlos Condit (24-5)
Another victim of the UFC 108 curse, Carlos Condit was set to take on fellow rankings entrant Paul Daley on Jan. 2. However, a hand injury and subsequent hospital visit forced the former WEC titlist out of the bout.

Other contenders: Jay Hieron, Dan Hornbuckle, Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, Marius Zaromskis.