411's Official MMA Rankings 4.24.08: Welterweight Rankings
Posted by Dustin James on 04.24.2008
Georges St. Pierre was finally able to avenge his upset loss to Matt Serra and is officially the top welterweight in the world! So, who can possibly stop this guy? The staff at 411 may know! Come inside as 411's Dustin James lets you know all the juicy details.......
Hey look! You are back for another edition of 411's MMA Ranking's. Sweeeeet. This time around, yours truly and the rest of the gang here at 411 are ranking the best welterweight's in MMA. So, now that we know who the best welterweight fighter in the world is....who is his top competition? I mean, can anybody stop this guy? He's on an amazing roll right now and it's hard to imagine who can possibly take out Thiago Alves. Haha! Syke! You know the man I'm talking about is none other than "Frenchy" himself, Georges St. Pierre. He finally put the upset to rest and is now looking towards the future and his next opponent. Who can that be? Read on to find out.......
And finally, the reason you clicked on this..........
411's MMA Ranking Rules
- If a fighter hasn't fought in a year, he can not be ranked. It's not fair to people who are fighting to not be ranked because a fighter is taking a year off. The rule also applies to specific divisions. If a fighter hasn't fought in a weight division in a year he is no longer eligible to be ranked. However, if a fighter schedules a fight he is still eligible for being ranked.
- If you wish to complain about a fighter's ranking in the comments section, then please include an objective reason as to why you don't like the ranking, and remember "if u rite lik thiss" then your opinion doesn't matter.
- 411's MMA Rankings are voted on by the MMA staff of 411mania. So if you are an MMA fighter and hate where you are ranked, beating just me up would be unnecessary. You would have to beat us all up, and when we are all together.....we could probably beat up Miley Cyrus.
411's Official MMA Rankings
Welterweight Division
1) Georges St. Pierre (16-2)
Last 5 fights:
- vs. Matt Serra - Win via TKO (knees to body) - UFC 83: Serra vs. St. Pierre II - April 19, 2008
- vs. Matt Hughes - Win via verbal submission (arm bar) - UFC 79: Nemesis - December 29, 2007
- vs. Josh Koscheck - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 74: Respect - August 25, 2007
- vs. Matt Serra - Loss via TKO (strikes) - UFC 69: Shootout - April 7, 2007
- vs. Matt Hughes - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC 65: Bad Intentions - November 18, 2006
Next scheduled appearance:
- vs. Currently unknown
Comments: Ladies and gentlemen, the undisputed #1 welterweight fighter in the World.....Georges St. Pierre! He finally was able to avenge his loss to Matt Serra, and is now the UFC welterweight champion once again. What's next for GSP? How about a guy who's currently on an 16 fight win streak and hasn't lost since 2003. That's right, Mr. Jon Fitch. While I personally think GSP will beat Fitch, it will be an incredible fight. It's a good time to be GSP.
2) Jon Fitch (17-2)
Last 5 fights:
- vs. Chris Wilson - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 82: Pride Of A Champion - March 1, 2008
- vs. Diego Sanchez - Win via decision (split) - UFC 76: Knockout - September 22, 2007
- vs. Roan Carneiro - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC Fight Night 10 - June 12, 2007
- vs. Luigi Fioravanti - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC 68: Uprising - March 3, 2007
- vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 64: Unstoppable - October 14, 2006
Next scheduled appearance:
- vs. Currently unknown
Comments: Jon Fitch watched from afar to see who he would be fighting for the UFC's welterweight championship. That man? Mr #1 himself, GSP. Now we all just sit back and wait for the UFC to make this fight official. GSP should still be pretty fresh so it's very likely that this fight could happen in August or September. Either way, I'm excited. Fitch is on an amazing win streak like I mentioned earlier. Will it continue? Only time can tell.
3) Matt Hughes (42-6)
Last 5 fights:
- vs. Georges St. Pierre - Loss via verbal submission (arm bar) - UFC 79: Nemesis - December 29, 2007
- vs. Chris Lytle - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 68: Uprising - March 3, 2007
- vs. Georges St. Pierre - Loss via TKO (strikes) - UFC 65: Bad Intentions - November 18, 2006
- vs. BJ Penn - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC 63: Hughes vs. Penn - September 23, 2006
- vs. Royce Gracie - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC 60: Hughes vs. Gracie - May 27, 2006
Next scheduled appearance:
- vs. Currently unknown
Comments: You just know this ol country boy was smiling watching GSP humble Matt Serra. What's next for Matt Hughes? He has said himself that he's 2-3 fights away from retirement. One fight that makes sense is a fight against Matt Serra. We need to settle that Ultimate Fighter rift once and for all! If Hughes beats Serra, I could see Hughes having enough confidence to perhaps have one more big major fight before he retires, however if Serra were to beat Hughes...I personally feel like that would be it for him. Will I be right? Probably not.
4) Josh Koscheck (10-2)
Last 5 fights:
- vs. Dustin Hazelett - Win via TKO (kick and punches) - UFC 82: Pride Of A Champion - March 1, 2008
- vs. Georges St. Pierre - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC 74: Respect - August 25, 2007
- vs. Diego Sanchez - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 69: Shootout - April 7, 2007
- vs. Jeff Joslin - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC Fight Night 7 - December 13, 2006
- vs. Jonathan Goulet - Win via submission (strikes) - UFC Fight Night 6 - August 17, 2006
Next scheduled appearance:
- vs. Currently unknown
Comments: And the guy who makes the biggest jump in the rankings? Koscheck, himself! Why the huge jump? That decision loss to St. Pierre doesn't look bad at all. Kos is trying to rebound and set himself up for a rematch with GSP. However, he will have to get in line. It seems like the UFC is wanting to give Thiago Alves a title shot after Fitch. Perhaps Kos should ask for a fight with Alves just to prevent that from happening? Hmm, interesting.
5) Jake Shields (20-4-1)
Last 5 fights:
- vs. Mike Pyle - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - EliteXC: Renegade - November 10, 2007
- vs. Renato Verissimo - Win via TKO (strikes) - EliteXC: Uprising - September 15, 2007
- vs. Ido Pariente - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - K-1 HERO's DYNAMITE!! USA - July 2, 2007
- vs. Ray Steinbeiss - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - BodogFIGHT: Costa Rica - February 18, 2007
- vs. Steve Berger - Win via TKO - FCP - Malice at Cow Palace - September 9, 2006
Next scheduled appearance:
- vs. Currently unknown
Comments: Jake Shields was suppose to face Drew Fickett at the "Shamrock vs. Le" Strikeforce/EliteXC show. However, due to an injury Shields was force to pull out. Nothing in Shield's future has been confirmed, however in my opinion EliteXC would be wise to put Shields on one of their CBS specials, as he is a fighter that EliteXC should be marketing to the moon.
6) Diego Sanchez (18-2)
Last 5 fights:
- vs. David Bielkheden - Win via submission (punches) - UFC 82: Pride Of A Champion - March 1, 2008
- vs. Jon Fitch - Loss via decision (split) - UFC 76: Knockout - September 22, 2007
- vs. Josh Koscheck - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC 69: Shootout - April 7, 2007
- vs. Joe Riggs - Win via KO (knee) - UFC Fight Night 7 - December 13, 2006
- vs. Karo Parisyan - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC Fight Night 6 - August 17, 2006
Next scheduled appearance:
- vs. Luigi Fioravanti - UFC: Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale - June 2008
Comments: It was announced recently that everybody's favorite fighter named Diego Sanchez would be facing off against Luigi Fioravanti at the upcoming Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale in June. Fiorvanti is currently 12-3 as a pro and 3-3 in the UFC. It should be a pretty sweet ass fight as long as Diego is INTENSE. Oh wait, Diego is ALWAYS intense!
7) Carlos Condit (22-4)
Last 5 fights:
- vs. Carlo Prater - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - WEC 32: Albuquerque - February 13, 2008
- vs. Brock Larson - Win via submission (armbar) - WEC 29 - August 5, 2007
- vs. John Alessio - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - WEC 26 - March 24, 2007
- vs. Kyle Jensen - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - WEC 25 - January 20, 2007
- vs. Tatsunori Tanaka - Win via KO (stomps) - Pancrase - Blow 9 - October 25, 2006
Next scheduled appearance:
- vs. Currently unknown
Comments: What is there that I can say about Carlos Condit that I haven't said in the past? The dude dominates WEC and it's time to move up to the UFC. It's the only way he will get his feet wet. He's an amazing submission artist and I'd love to see his skills displayed in the big big time.
8) Matt Serra (9-5)
Last 5 fights:
- vs. Georges St. Pierre - Loss via TKO (knees to body) - UFC 83: Serra vs. St Pierre II - April 19, 2008
- vs. Georges St. Pierre - Win via TKO (punches) - UFC 69: Shootout - April 7, 2007
- vs. Chris Lytle - Win via decision (split) - The Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale - November 11, 2006
- vs. Karo Parisyan - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC 53: Heavy Hitters - June 4, 2005
- vs. Ivan Menjivar - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 48: Payback - June 19, 2004
Next scheduled appearance:
- vs. Currently unknown
Comments: Thanks to the Ultimate Fighter and an injury, it had been a year since we'd last seen Matt Serra. Then he finally came back and basically got crushed by GSP. GSP knew that his game plan last time was ineffective and switched it up totally on Serra. Serra really needs another big win over a huge name to justify his ranking in the Top 10. Maybe against somebody like.....Matt Hughes?
9) Karo Parisyan (18-5)
Last 5 fights:
- vs. Thiago Alves - Loss via TKO (knees and punches) - UFC: Fight Night 13 - April 2, 2008
- vs. Ryo Chonan - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 78 - Validation - November 17, 2007
- vs. Josh Burkman - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 71: Liddell vs. Jackson - May 26, 2007
- vs. Drew Fickett - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC Fight Night 7 - December 13, 2006
- vs. Diego Sanchez - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC Fight Night 6 - August 17, 2006
Next scheduled appearance:
- vs. Currently unknown
Comments: And it happens again. Once again, Karo falls short of getting to that UFC welterweight title. Karo looked really out of shape against Alves and Alves beat him up plain and simple. Perhaps Karo underestimated Alves? Either way, Karo needs to hit a treadmill and work on something besides judo throws if he plans on remaining one of the top contenders in the UFC's welterweight division.
10) Thiago Alves (14-3)
Last 5 fights:
- vs. Karo Parisyan - Win via TKO (knee and punches) - UFC: Fight Night 13 - April 2, 2008
- vs. Chris Lytle - Win via TKO (doctor stoppage due to cut) - UFC 78: Validation - November 17, 2007
- vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka - Win via TKO - UFC: Fight Night 11 - September 19, 2007
- vs. Tony DeSouza - Win via KO (knee) - UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz II - December 30, 2006
- vs. John Alessio - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC: The Final Chapter - October 10, 2006
Next scheduled appearance:
- Currently unknown
Comments: Welcome to the Top 10, Thiago Alves! Alves beat Karo Parisyan at UFC Fight Night 13, thus making himself a formidable contender for the UFC's welterweight title. Alves last loss was to Jon Fitch back in 2006, and really, that's not a bad loss. Will Alves receive a shot at the welterweight title as rumored, or will he fight one more time before getting his title shot? If I knew.....I would be rich right now, wouldn't I?
On The Bubble: (On the bubble includes fighter's who aren't ranked yet still are a threat in the division)
Marcus Davis (14-3)
Last 5 fights:
- vs. Jess Liaudin - Win via KO (punch) - UFC 80: Rapid Fire - January 19, 2008
- vs. Paul Taylor - Win via submission (arm bar) - UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion - September 8, 2007
- vs. Jason Tan - Win via KO (punch) - UFC 72: Victory - June 16, 2007
- vs. Pete Spratt - Win via submission (achilles lock) - UFC 69: Shootout - April 7, 2007
- vs. Shonie Carter - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC Fight Night 7 - December 13, 2006
Next scheduled appearance:
- vs. Mike Swick - UFC 85 - June 7, 2008
Nick Thompson (35-9-1)
Last 5 fights:
- vs. Fabricio Monteiro - Win via decision (unanimous) - World Victory Road - Sengoku - March 5, 2008
- vs. John Troyer - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - BodogFight: Thompson vs. Troyer - February 1, 2008
- vs. Mark Weir - Win via TKO - BodogFight: Vancouver - August 24, 2007
- vs. Eddie Alvarez - Win via TKO (strikes) - BodogFight: Clash of the Nations - April 14, 2007
- vs. Dustin Denes - Win via TKO (punches) - BodogFight: Costa Rica - February 18, 2007
Next scheduled appearance:
- Currently unknown
Yoshiyuki Yoshida (9-2)
Last 5 fights:
- vs. Dan Hardy - Win via DQ - GCM: Cage Force 5 - December 1, 2007
- vs. Akira Kikuchi - Win via TKO (elbows) - GCM: Cage Force 4 - September 8, 2007
- vs. Matt Cain - Win via TKO (strikes) - GCM: Cage Force EX - May 27, 2007
- vs. Katsuya Inoue - Win via KO (punch) - GCM : Cage Force 2 - March 17, 2007
- vs. Asato Hashimoto - Win via TKO (elbow injury) - GCM: Cage Force 1 - November 25, 2006
Next scheduled appearance:
- vs. Jon Koppenhaver - UFC 84: Ill Will - May 24- 2008
Hayato Sakurai (32-7-2)
Last 5 fights:
- vs. Hidetaka Monma - Win via TKO (punches) - DREAM 1: Lightweight Grand Prix Opening Round - March 15, 2008
- vs. Hidehiko Hasegawa - Win via decision (unanimous) - Yarennoka! New Year's Eve 2007 - December 31, 2007
- vs. Mac Danzig - Win via KO (punch) - PRIDE 33: Second Coming - February 24, 2007
- vs. Luciano Azevedo - Win via TKO (doctor stoppage) - PRIDE: Bushido 12 - August 26, 2006
- vs. Olaf Alfonso - Win via KO (punch) - PRIDE: Bushdio 11 - June 4, 2006
