411's MMA Rankings 5.29.08: Welterweight Rankings

Posted by Dustin James on 05.29.2008

It's time again for 411 to rank the best welterweight fighters in MMA! We all know GSP is #1, but who are his biggest challengers? Jon Fitch? Thiago Alves? Matt Hughes? 411's Dustin James gives you all the details inside.....

Welcome back kiddies! I'm sorry I have no introduction this week as I'm extremely short on time. But I swear I will make it up to you next week when I preview the cursed show from hell that we have come to know as "UFC 85". Plus I might even give my opinions on the WEC and EliteXC shows coming up this weekend. Mmmmm delicious......

Now, on with the goods........

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 everybody on "Hannah Montana".


411's Official MMA Rankings

Welterweight Division


1) Georges St. Pierre (16-2)

Height: 5'10

Birthday: May 19, 1981

Currently Fighting With: UFC

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. Jon Fitch - UFC 87 - August 9, 2008

Comments: It was officially announced that our dear friend and LORD of the Welterweight division, GSP, will be stepping into the octagon for what could be his "toughest battle yet" when he faces Jon Fitch at UFC 87 in August. This is a fight that MMA fans have been clamoring to see for months now. Fitch is on an amazing roll right now. He has tied Royce Gracie's record for most consecutive wins in the UFC, and he will be looking for his ninth straight victory in the UFC with a win over GSP. Fitch's only problem? IT'S FREAKING GSP! I truly believe that this will be an excellent fight and one that could earn "fight of the year" honors when we get into December.

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2) Jon Fitch (17-2)

Height: 6'0

Birthday: February 24, 1978

Currently Fighting With: UFC

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. Georges St. Pierre - UFC 87 - August 9, 2008

Comments: It's finally time! Jon Fitch has been sitting by on the sidelines waiting for his chance to dive in and take a shot at the UFC welterweight title. The time is NOW! Like I mentioned earlier, Fitch has tied Royce Gracie for the most consecutive wins in UFC history (at 8). If Fitch can get his ninth victory in a row, he would set a new UFC record as well as become the new UFC welterweight champion! Hey Fitch....no pressure!

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3) Matt Hughes (42-6)

Height: 5'9

Birthday: October 13, 1973

Currently Fighting With: UFC

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. Thiago Alves - UFC 85: Bedlam - June 7, 2008

Comments: Matt Hughes needs to be VERY VERY careful these next few weeks. We are just less than two weeks away from UFC 85, a show that I truly believe is cursed. It seems that everybody on this card and their goldfish seem to get injured. We have already gone through around three main event changes for UFC 85 thus far. As of right now the current main event is Matt Hughes vs. Thiago Alves. But trust me when I say this, the card is subject to change! Either way, this fight against Alves will be a tremendous test for Hughes. If Hughes does pull off the victory we should see a Serra/Hughes fight by year's end. If not, we could hear those retirement rumors come out of Hughes' mouth once again.

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4) Josh Koscheck (10-2)

Height: 5'10

Birthday: November 30, 1977

Currently Fighting With: UFC

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. Chris Lytle - UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin - July 2008 (Thanks for the reminder!) *EDIT

Comments: Nothing new on Koscheck........

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5) Jake Shields (20-4-1)

Height: 5'11

Birthday: January 9, 1979

Currently Fighting With: EliteXC

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: So, will they? Or won't they? That seems to be the big question in regards to a possible Jake Shields/Drew Fickett EliteXC welterweight title fight. The fight has already been scheduled twice, and canceled twice due to injuries. It will be interesting to see if this fight does go down by year's end. One thing is for sure, we need some Jake Shields action fast!

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6) Diego Sanchez (18-2)

Height: 5'10

Birthday: December 31, 1981

Currently Fighting With: UFC

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: Diego is just sitting by and waiting for the current season of the Ultimate Fighter to end so he can step back into the octagon and battle Luigi Fioravanti. If I weren't half-Italian I might be pulling for Diego in this fight. But that's just not the way it was meant to be sometimes.

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7) Carlos Condit (22-4)

Height: 6'1

Birthday: April 26, 1984

Currently Fighting With: WEC

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: It was announced recently that Carlos Condit has signed an extension to stay with WEC. This comes as very odd news seeing as there were rumors going around that WEC was interested in sending all the "bigger" fighters to the UFC while focusing on the "smaller" weight classes such as featherweight and bantamweight. Either way, no matter where Carlos Condit goes.....opponents will be punished into submitting.

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8) Thiago Alves (14-3)

Birthday: October 3, 1983

Currently Fighting With: UFC

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:

- vs. Matt Hughes - UFC 85: Bedlam - June 7, 2008

Comments: It's only a matter of time before Thiago Alves gets to show the MMA world if he is for real or not. When Alves steps into the octagon next month against Hughes he is not facing your normal welterweight in MMA. He's facing MATT FREAKING HUGHES! One of the greatest welterweight's of all-time and a future hall-of-famer! If Alves can somehow pull off the victory against Hughes, then it would not surprise me to see the UFC schedule Alves to face the winner of GSP/Fitch in August. Could be some interesting times ahead for Thiago.......

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9) Matt Serra (9-5)

Height: 5'6

Birthday: June 2, 1974

Currently Fighting With: UFC

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: Things are quiet on the Serra front.....

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10) Karo Parisyan (18-5)

Height: 5'10

Birthday: August 28, 1982

Currently Fighting With: UFC

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: Karo needs to move fast and schedule another fight. Why? Because a lot of us still have that bad taste in our mouth's from the Karo/Alves fight in April. I can personally see Karo scheduling a fight for the upcoming Fight Night 14 in an effort to keep his name on the top of the contenders list to the UFC welterweight title.

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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)

Height: 5'8

Birthday: August 24, 1973

Currently Fighting With: UFC

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: Bedlam - June 7, 2008

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Nick Thompson (35-9-1)

Height: 6'1

Birthday: June 23, 1981

Currently Fighting With: World Victory Road

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

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Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2)

Height: 5'11

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Jon Koppenhaver - Win via technical submission (anaconda choke) - UFC 84: Ill Will - May 24, 2008

- 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

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Currently unknown