Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Welterweight

1. Georges St. Pierre (20-2)
With Josh Koscheck’s May 8 win over Paul Daley, St. Pierre’s next title defense was set. But before he meets Koscheck in a rematch of their August 2007 encounter, the two welterweights will square off as opposing coaches on the 12th season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” with a very convenient and apparent good guy-bad guy dynamic.

2. Jon Fitch (23-3, 1 NC)
At UFC 117, Fitch finally met Thiago Alves in their long-anticipated rematch. However, there was little flair in what transpired. The workmanlike Fitch wore down Alves with strong takedowns and great positional control en route to a unanimous decision verdict that might put him on the doorstep to another UFC welterweight title shot.

3. Thiago Alves (17-7)
A lackluster loss to Jon Fitch in August, coupled with missing weight, seemed to signal Alves’ move to 185 pounds. Instead, “Pitbull” has linked up with MMA fighter-slash-nutritional guru Mike Dolce, who has vowed to get him in shape and on weight for a 170-pound clash with John Howard at UFC 124 on Dec. 11.

4. Jake Shields (26-4-1)
It was the prototypical Shields fight. It was not pretty to watch, but in his UFC debut at UFC 121 on Oct. 23, he added another top 10 win to his resume, knocking off tough Dane Martin Kampmann by decision. The major question now revolves around whether or not Shields will get a title shot based off the lackluster win.

5. Josh Koscheck (15-4)
With high stakes up for grabs -- a UFC welterweight title shot and a coaching stint opposite Georges St. Pierre on “The Ultimate Fighter 12” -- Koscheck dominated Paul Daley for 15 minutes on the floor en route to a unanimous decision victory at UFC 113. After blocking a post-fight sucker punch from Daley and taunting the Montreal crowd, Koscheck cemented himself as one of MMA’s premiere heels and set in place the groundwork for the build-up to his rematch with St. Pierre.

6. Martin Kampmann (17-4)
Kampmann gave former Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields all he could handle in his Octagon debut at UFC 121 on Oct. 23. However, Kampmann did not do enough to earn the nod, losing a contentious split decision many observers feel he deserved.

7. Carlos Condit (26-5)
Condit entered his Oct. 16 bout with Dan Hardy at UFC 120 as a slight underdog but left as the night’s most sensational performer. A rocket left hook put down Hardy for the count and gave the former World Extreme Cagefighting welterweight king his most significant win inside the Octagon.

8. Dan Hardy (23-8, 1 NC)
Europe had been magic for Hardy during his UFC tenure. That was not the case at UFC 120 on Oct. 16, however. “The Outlaw” was smashed with a brutal left hook from Carlos Condit that took him out of consciousness and out of the top of the UFC welterweight division.

9. Nick Diaz (23-7, 1 ND)
In one of the year’s most entertaining affairs on Oct. 9, Diaz exorcised some three-year-old demons, as he outboxed rival K.J. Noons over five fun rounds in San Jose, Calif., and took a unanimous decision. Diaz’s next challenger remains uncertain, but with Paul Daley wielding a Strikeforce contract and up-and-comer Tyron Woodley making strides, there are exciting affairs to look forward to.

10. Paul Daley (25-9-2)
By the skin of his teeth, Daley edged out a decision win over usual lightweight Jorge Masvidal on Sept. 11. The win set up “Semtex” for a multi-fight deal with Strikeforce, which will begin Dec. 4 when the British banger makes his promotional debut against Scott Smith in St. Louis.

Other contenders: Ben Askren, John Hathaway, Jay Hieron, Dan Hornbuckle, Mike Pyle.

* With his Oct. 16 loss to Mike Pyle, previously 10th-ranked John Hathaway falls to the contenders list.

* With his Oct. 20 loss to Diego Sanchez, previously sixth-ranked Paulo Thiago exits the top 10.