USAT/SBN April MMA Consensus Rankings: Welterweight

by Kid Nate on Apr 29, 2009 7:38 PM EDT in Rankings Comment 29 comments

Rank	Fighter	%	Promotion	Last Rank
1	Georges St. Pierre	100	UFC	1
2	Thiago Alves	94	UFC	2
3	Jon Fitch	93	UFC	3
4	Jake Shields	87	Strikeforce	4
5	Matt Hughes	72	UFC	6
6	Josh Koscheck	72	UFC	7
7	Carlos Condit	65	UFC	5
8	Martin Kampmann	62	UFC	38
9	Mike Swick	50	UFC	9
10	Karo Parisyan	41	UFC	8
11	Matt Serra	36	UFC	10
12	Paulo Thiago	36	UFC	12
13	Nick Thompson	36	Strikeforce	11
14	Hayato Sakurai	31	DREAM	21
15	Marcus Davis	26	UFC	15
16	Jay Hieron	25	Affliction	16
17	Dustin Hazelett	25	UFC	13
18	Brock Larson	24	UFC	17
19	Dan Hardy	22	UFC	18
20	Nick Diaz	21	Strikeforce	23
21	Diego Sanchez	19	UFC	14
22	Anthony Johnson	16	UFC	19
23	Chris Lytle	16	UFC	20
24	Brad Blackburn	15	UFC	22
25	Dong Hyun Kim	14	UFC	26

Rankings compiled by Richard.

The UFC continues to utterly dominate this weight class with 20 of the top 25 under contract to Zuffa. Strikeforce is a (very) distant second with three and Affliction and DREAM both have a single ranked welterweight under contract.

Strikeforce's division is so lean that #4 Jake Shields will be moving up to challenge their middleweight champion (ranked #6 in his division) Robbie Lawler at their May Showtime event. Their other draw at welterweight, #20 Nick Diaz, trains with Shields and therefore he too is moving up to find fights. Diaz will face middleweight Scott Smith at a catchweight on that same card.

UFC champion #1 Georges St Pierre may find himself pulled up in weight if he convincingly defeats #2 Thiago Alves at UFC 100 on July 11. GSP will have pretty well cleared out the division at that point and a fight against #1 middleweight Anderson Silva would be very hard to resist.

UFC 100 will also see #3 Jon Fitch against #12 Paul Thiago as the American Kickboxing Academy fighter attempts to avenge his teammate #7 Josh Koscheck's loss to Thiago.

The big mover in the April welterweight rankings is #8 Martin Kampmann, jumping thirty places from #38 following his split decision win over #7 Carlos Condit at UFN 18 on April Fool's Day. The arrival of Kampmann, along with the continuing emergence of #9 Mike Swick, gives the UFC some new contenders to challenge for the title. Swick needs to beat the unranked Ben Saunders at UFC 99 in Germany on June 13 to continue his rise.

Based on the premise that all MMA rankings are subjective but that it’s still useful and informative to know who the online MMA community as a whole ranks as the best fighters in MMA, we collect and average the rankings of the top MMA websites to produce our consensus rankings.

We compile the top MMA rankings from each of our sources and award 25 points for a first place ranking, 16 for a 10th place ranking, 1 for a 25th place ranking. A formula is used to “normalize” the data so all fighters are awarded points from those lists that do not include a full 25 fighters. This formula ensures that each ranking site awards the same number of total points regardless of how many fighters they choose to rank. Each fighter’s total is divided by the number of possible points to determine their standing in the Consensus Rankings.

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If Sakurai wins DREAM’s WWGP I would expect him to be placed in the Top 5.

by AnonymousA on Apr 29, 2009 6:28 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

How would winning a tournament in which you’re the only top 25 fighter competing catapult you into the top five of a division?

Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken

by Richard Wade on Apr 29, 2009 7:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And

That’s a huge leap. from 14 to 5….. No.

by poundnground on Apr 29, 2009 7:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Winning a GP of any kind gives you instant credibility. Just watch, he’ll be Top 10 at the very least.

by AnonymousA on Apr 29, 2009 7:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think he is top 10 already

as in #10 exactly. The win in the GP won’t do much for me

Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.

http://CurseOfRonKarkovice.blogspot.com/

by Brent Brookhouse on Apr 29, 2009 8:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Didn't mean to hit post yet...

The win in the GP won’t do much for me because it is him beating up on guys he SHOULD be up on. I’d be shocked if he cracked the top 5 overall.

Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.

http://CurseOfRonKarkovice.blogspot.com/

by Brent Brookhouse on Apr 29, 2009 8:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m not sure that’s representative of the MMA reality, though.

Both Galvao, and High are young MMA prospects who could be a lot tougher than their current status. And Zaromskis, though he hasn’t fought the upper echelon of Welterweights, has proven to be a tough fighter too.

That’s why I say that if Sakurai can get through two of those guys on the same day, he should be credited for it. Coupling that with his history, I think he deserves to be ranked above someone like Mike Swick, or Carlos Condit.

by AnonymousA on Apr 29, 2009 8:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I could see him as high as #8...

I do think you’re right that he isn’t getting much credit. And yeah, there are some young prospects in the GP, but I don’t know that beating prospects gives you a huge boost. I could be wrong but I think right now it’d take him looking EXTREMELY impressive in the GP, Serra beating Hughes and maybe a few other things to break his way to see him crack the top 5.

Winning the GP should for sure put him above guys like Paulo Thiago (who has NO business being ranked above Sakurai) and Swick

Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.

http://CurseOfRonKarkovice.blogspot.com/

by Brent Brookhouse on Apr 29, 2009 8:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

There are too many fighters not getting enough credit. That’s just how things roll.

by poundnground on Apr 29, 2009 9:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Perhaps in bizzaro world, aka MMAWeekly.com

"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR

by Rundownloser on Apr 29, 2009 7:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Or Fight! Magazine who already has him at #2.

by Richard Wade on Apr 29, 2009 7:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ugh...

"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR

by Rundownloser on Apr 29, 2009 7:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Double that.

UGH..

by poundnground on Apr 29, 2009 7:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

In their defense they use a formula. A formula that’s apparently kinda dumb, but that’s what we’re working with.

by Richard Wade on Apr 29, 2009 8:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The guys 12-2 since 2005.

I think that’s pretty good. Had Sakurai not lost to Baron (who I think he beats 75% of the time) his only loss would be to Takanori Gomi at LW when Gomi was the most feared LW on Earth.

So I think if Sakurai can get through two of either Galvao, High, or Zaromskis, Top 10 is extremely deserved.

by AnonymousA on Apr 29, 2009 8:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

almost everyone he's beaten in that time span is a lightweight

The Baron loss really took the wind out of Sakurai for me.

"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"

by Kid Nate on Apr 29, 2009 9:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Mm-hmm

by subo on Apr 30, 2009 10:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

sakurai is weird. dude looks like he doesn’t give a damn half the time, and yet he can still knock fools out.

by I Can't Feel My Face on Apr 29, 2009 9:08 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Pretty weak that The Goat dropped two spots..

I poop rainbows.

by Blackout612 on Apr 29, 2009 9:11 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Kampmann clearly should be ahead of him...

the other guy to jump him being Paulo Thiago…not so much

Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.

http://CurseOfRonKarkovice.blogspot.com/

by Brent Brookhouse on Apr 29, 2009 9:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I wouldn’t argue Kampmann, nor did I study the ramifications. I’m sure being in Strikeforce, and continuing to win, will only help his standing in the future.

I poop rainbows.

by Blackout612 on Apr 29, 2009 9:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs