Welterweight Rankings

1. Georges St. Pierre (19-2): The people’s idol. Georges St. Pierre’s has acquired a legion of fans over the past few years and this has its reason. GSP is highly regarded as the best MMA-wrestler, having second to none conditioning, excellent athleticism and power and very advanced skills in the standup (Kyokushin Karate Black Belt) and in the ground (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt). This fighter is a must see for a casual fan as his performance seems so superior to the other contenders and he has fought nothing but top competition since he started his career.

2. Jon Fitch (19-3): Jon Fitch is one of the toughest and most durable fighters, is not a master of one particular discipline but excels at everything he does. He is also a very strong wrestler, very hard to submit and with excellent stand up, which makes him someone really hard to control or finish. Fitch has fought a lot of top contenders and is now on the road of reclaiming a second title shot. He appears to be under the radar amongst the casual fan as a simple, not well known fighter, despite his amazing record.

3.Jake Shields (23-4): Jake is a guy with endless potential, he is a wizard on the ground displaying excellent control and submissions. He is so good on the ground that one might think he is one dimensional, because he only takes the fight there. The truth is his ground is so much better than any opponent he faces, and the smart thing would be to take it there. Jake is well rounded, and it’s not afraid to step up the competition and fight at other weight classes, he has proven that he is a danger anywhere, beating current Top 10 Middleweight fighters Yushin Okami and Robbie Lawler.

4. Thiago Alves (16-6): Thiago Alves had a huge when he had his best year (2008) by Knocking out top 10 fighters Karo Parisyan and Matt Hughes and ridiculously dominating the top 10 fighter Josh Koscheck. This hype is real; Alves is a ferocious KO artist with excellent ground game and takedown defense. He is a sprawl and brawl fighter that has no fear and great determination. It will be interesting how he rebounds from his last loss against Georges St. Pierre.

5. Josh Koscheck (13-4): Josh Koscheck had the best credentials as a wrestler prior to transitioning to Mixed Martial Arts. He is a true competitor and wishes to fight as much as he can in short periods of time. He has had some tough losses but has been able to come back stronger.

6. Mike Swick (14-2): Originally a tough Middleweight, Mike had a lot of success going 5-0 in that division until he stepped against Yushin Okami. With the loss he felt the big discrepancy of strength and weight he had to sacrifice and decided to make a drop to the Welterweight division. He is now proven to be efficient, going 4-0 in the UFC’s WW division. Mike ‘Quick’ Swick is a well rounded fighter that focuses on striking to finish his opponents.

7. Matt Hughes (43-7): At this point Matt Hughes is considered the greatest Welterweight fighter of all time. The 9-time UFC Champion has had an amazing career and even though he is past his prime he is still a tough contender. Considered by many as a one-dimensional fighter, Matt Hughes has been able to use his grappling abilities to dominate his opponents. A very hardworking fighter with excellent condition who always comes ready to fight.

8. Paul Daley (22-8): The Cage Rage veteran Paul Daley has been a great addition as of late to the UFC. He had a very tough debut when he had to face top 10 Welterweight Martin Kampmann and he beat him decisively. Paul is a very dangerous striker, probably one of the best strikers in the welterweight division with awesome power. Some depict his ground game as his weakness but to take it there you have to deal with him on the feet first.

9. Carlos Condit (23-5): Carlos was enjoying an 8-fight win streak when he made his UFC debut and was defeated by Martin Kampmann. He won and defended the WEC Welterweight Championship and now that he is in the UFC he rebounded from his loss and put up an amazing performance in UFC Fight Night 19. He is a very fast paced fighter that will never step back or pause. He is extremely aggressive and sometimes it might produce risky positions for him, but he is able to manage because of his great technical ability.

10. Marius Zaromskis (12-3): No one had Marius as a favorite coming in the DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix. To go out there in July 2009 and knock out two opponents in just one round in the same day made it for Marius. He was always known as a very dangerous striker with tons of potential and now that he has high profile wins he gets a ticket into the Top 10 for the first time. There is still a lot left to see from Marius.