1: Georges ‘Rush’ St. Pierre: The undisputed king of the welterweight ranks after seeing off challenges from the former WEC champion, Carlos Condit and the former Strikeforce champion, Nick Diaz. The big question these days is will the irritable French-Canadian stick around long enough for a super fight with Anderson Silva or will his long-standing issue with the press and/or injuries get in his way?
2: Johny Hendricks: Hendricks has rocketed into the rankings of many of MMA’s top media outlets and MMABay is no exception. Six straight wins inside the octagon has made “Big Rigg” the undisputed number one contender at 170 pounds, including a highly entertaining unanimous decision win over former interim champion, Carlos Condit. Stay tuned to MMABay for more build-up to his fight with St. Pierre as it comes in.
3: Carlos ‘The Natural Born Killer’ Condit: It’s been a tough year for the former WEC champion but it’s safe to say the fans have lost no love for his work inside the octagon. Back-to-back defeats to the top two men in the division have naturally lowered his stock a touch but it’s safe to say he’s still head and shoulders above the rest of the competition.
4: Rory MacDonald: Perhaps the pretender to the throne is the training partner of the divisions current king. Four straight wins over a bunch of difficult opponents including former two-division champion, B.J. Penn has seen the you prodigy stand out from the rest of the division. What a way to bounce back from a UFC 115 defeat at the hands of Carlos Condit, eh?
5: Jake Ellenberger: “The Juggernaut” is another young prospect on a serious roll at 170 pounds after winning eight of his last nine professional fights, all of which came inside the octagon. He has recently picked up back-to-back wins over veteran Jay Hieron and former Strikeforce champion, Nate Marquardt. The big question is can he take it to the next level and earn a shot at the title next time out?
6: Demian Maia: The sleeping giant of the 170 pound ranks in our opinion is the submission specialist from Brazil. Maia has picked up a trio of wins since deciding to drop from middleweight where he competed for the title, defeating Dong Hyun Kim, Rick Story and Jon Fitch. Three tough fights if you ask anyone. One to watch, guaranteed.
7: Nick Diaz: The problem is with the man from Stockton is you always have to wonder whether his heart and head are in it. He spends so much time complaining about what’s not going for him he often overlooks the positions he’s put in mainly due to his unwavering fan base. Following a March defeat to Georges St. Pierre we’ll have to wait and see if he retires or not.
8: Jon Fitch: No longer a member of the UFC’s roster but that doesn’t mean you’re automatically kicked off the MMABay’s rankings. Fitch has been Mr. Consistent over the past few years although we do concede defeats to Johny Hendricks and Demain Maia has lowered his stock of late. The thing to remember is we have both of those men ranked at number two and six respectively, a tough call for any man.
9: Martin ‘The Hitman’ Kampmann: For the man who stood with Paul Daley and grappled with Jake Shields, game-planning has never been a strong point. Kampman was just moments away from losing another ill-advised stand up war with Thiago Alves in early March, before one of the most ‘WTF?’ finishes in recent memory saw him snatch a last second submission win. Another come-from-behind win over Jake Ellenberger in June helped propel him into title contention at 170 pounds but a defeat to Johny Hendricks in November has dropped him back down the ranks.
10: Josh ‘Kos’ Koscheck: Teetering on the edge of losing his top ten position for the first time in over three years, Koscheck is another TUF star that seems to have lost his love for the game. Back-to-back defeats to Johny Hendricks and more alarmingly Robbie Lawler means “Kos” will likely need a win in his next fight if he’s to avoid a potentially awkward conversation with Dana White and Joe Silva.
(Updated May 1st, 2013)
Why not tell us what you think about this story and get your thoughts featured in this week’s edition of MMABay Radio? Email Mailbag@mmabay.co.uk, start the subject with the word ‘RADIO MAILBAG’ and we’ll talk about our favourites on the next show.
