Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Welterweight

1. Georges St. Pierre (17-2)
For now, the king of the 170-pounders will have some time to bask in the glory of his Aug. 9 blowout of Jon Fitch at UFC 87. However, the hype for his forthcoming rematch with lightweight champion B.J. Penn has already begun, and their Super Bowl weekend rematch has already quickly become the most anticipated bout of 2009.

2. Josh Koscheck (11-2)
A seemingly forgotten man in a stacked welterweight division, the St. Pierre-Penn rematch and forthcoming Thiago Alves-Diego Sanchez title eliminator leaves Koscheck without a clear dance partner. Nonetheless, the former NCAA wrestling champion, with a new contract in tow, should see Octagon action before the end of 2008.

3. Jon Fitch (17-3, 1 NC)
Although Fitch could not hold a competitive candle to St. Pierre in their August confrontation, Fitch likely gained a different measure of respect from fans and his contemporaries with the guts he demonstrated in making it all five rounds under heavy fire.

4. Diego Sanchez (19-2)
If Sanchez needed an impressive performance on June 21 to put himself back into contention at 170 pounds, he got it. Sanchez showed off vastly improved stand-up en route to his sensational third-round stoppage of a tough Luigi Fioravanti. However, business only picks up from here, as the "Nightmare" is penciled in to meet Brazilian dynamo Thiago Alves at UFC 90 on Oct. 25 in Chicago.

5. Thiago Alves (15-3)
Though his failure to make weight tainted his win over former champion Matt Hughes on June 7 in London, Alves will have the chance to make an even louder case for a title shot when he meets Sanchez next month in Chicago.

6. Jake Shields (21-4-1)
Perhaps the finest fighter in any weight class under the Pro Elite banner, Shields captured the EliteXC welterweight crown in sensational fashion, submitting the solid and experienced Nick Thompson in a mere 63 seconds in July. Now, Shields will make the first defense of his title Oct. 4 on primetime network television, as he will meet explosive British export Paul Daley in Sunrise, Fla.

7. Matt Hughes (42-7)
Already in the twilight of his career, Hughes was turned into a highlight reel at the hands of another young, up-and-coming welterweight in Thiago Alves. Although some have called for the longtime welterweight king to retire, a grudge match with Matt Serra is likely next up for Hughes, who continues to recuperate from a knee injury.

8. Matt Serra (9-5)
The slipper dropped for Serra, who was destroyed in his rematch with St. Pierre in April. However, he might not be done in big bouts, as the potential for a clash with Matt Hughes seems high in the near future.

9. Karo Parisyan (18-5)
After going public about his personal battles with panic attacks recently, Parisyan was forced out of his highly anticipated clash with Yoshiyuki Yoshida the day before UFC 88 in Atlanta.

10. Carlos Condit (23-4)
In another great WEC main event, Condit survived a life-and-death affair with an incredibly game Hiromitsu Miura, as he took a fourth-round stoppage in their taxing title bout in August. Condit's struggles may have tempered the enthusiasm regarding his potential jump to the UFC. Welterweight challenges within the WEC seem all but exhausted for the 24-year-old New Mexico native, who has won eight straight.