Welterweight 8-1-08

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Rank

Fighter

Comments

1.

Georges St. Pierre

2.

Jon Fitch

He’s tied Royce Gracie’s record for consecutive UFC wins, and has earned a shot at the title. The question is, is Jon Fitch in GSP’s league? After St. Pierre’s dominant performance at UFC 83, it’s hard to say. But you don’t rack up a win streak like Fitch’s unless you’re made of championship material.

3.

Jake Shields

Choking out a top-ten opponent in 63 seconds? That’s straight-up Fedor-esque. Jake Shields might be the most underrated fighter in MMA right now. Unfortunately, he’s already cleaned out EliteXC’s weak welterweight division, so he’ll have to take drastic measures — like making a run for the middleweight title as well — in order to get his due respect.

4.

Thiago Alves

Alves at #4 may seem high, but he’s undoubtedly third in the UFC’s 6. 170-pound pecking order after wasting two other top competitors, and he’s two wins away from becoming champion. His next match against Diego Sanchez is very much a career-defining fight.

5.

Josh Koscheck

6.

Diego Sanchez

7.

Matt Hughes

It breaks my heart to have Hughes below Koscheck and Sanchez, but he's the classic old dog who can't learn new tricks. Without a sharp striking game, he'll continue to be rocked by younger, more well-rounded welterweights. Kicking Matt Serra's ass and then retiring is probably the best-case scenario.

8.

Carlos Condit

9.

Hayato Sakurai

10.

Nick Thompson

Maybe next time without the neckbeard?

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