USAT/SBN July 2011 MMA Consensus Rankings: Welterweight

by Richard Wade on Jul 29, 2011 1:35 PM EDT in MMA Rankings

Rank	Fighter	%	Promotion	Last Rank
1	Georges St. Pierre	100	UFC	1
2	Jon Fitch	95	UFC	2
3	Jake Shields	91	UFC	3
4	Nick Diaz	83	UFC	5
5	Josh Koscheck	80	UFC	4
6	B.J. Penn	77	UFC	6
7	Carlos Condit	76	UFC	7
8	Rick Story	55	UFC	9
9	Thiago Alves	52	UFC	8
10	Diego Sanchez	47	UFC	10
11	Charlie Brenneman	46	UFC	15
12	Martin Kampmann	38	UFC	12
12	Paul Daley	38	Strikeforce	11
14	Matt Hughes	35	UFC	13
15	Anthony Johnson	33	UFC	14
16	Jake Ellenberger	28	UFC	21
17	Mike Pyle	27	UFC	16
18	Ben Askren	26	Bellator	19
19	Jay Hieron	24	Bellator	17
20	Paulo Thiago	23	UFC	18
21	Dong Hyun Kim	22	UFC	20
22	John Hathaway	20	UFC	22
23	Dan Hardy	16	UFC	23
23	Rory MacDonald	16	UFC	24
25	Brian Ebersole	14	UFC	27

UFC 137: St. Pierre vs. Diaz will be headlined by the highly anticipated clash of #1 Georges St. Pierre and #4 Nick Diaz for the UFC Welterweight Championship. The card will also feature #6 B.J. Penn vs. #7 Carlos Condit in one of the most exciting fights the UFC could possibly promote.

#3 Jake Shields will attempt to bounce back against #16 Jake Ellenberger at UFC Fight Night 25.

#10 Diego Sanchez finally gets his shot at #14 Matt Hughes at UFC 135 in a matchup that will likely have bigger title implications than it ought to.

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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Diaz in the top ten?

Bleh.

by Sqwibbs on Jul 28, 2011 6:43 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Sorry. Top 5 is what I meant.

Wish I could edit.

by Sqwibbs on Jul 28, 2011 6:43 PM EDT up reply actions

same as it ever was

http://mixedmartialartsblogger.wordpress.com/

Mel Gibson shot the movie Apocalypto on location at the center of my taint.
-Fake Emcee

by Cory Braiterman on Jul 28, 2011 10:48 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Whats he done to deserve it though?

by Spider_Vemon on Jul 29, 2011 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions

very little?

again, same as it ever was

http://mixedmartialartsblogger.wordpress.com/

Mel Gibson shot the movie Apocalypto on location at the center of my taint.
-Fake Emcee

by Cory Braiterman on Jul 29, 2011 3:42 PM EDT up reply actions

Leland, buddy…I know you have a system, but…AJ in the top 5? Above Jake Shields?? Hardy in the top 10?

"You are a miserable human being." - Mike Fagan

My twitter: @TB_Money

by Tim Burke on Jul 28, 2011 7:13 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs

He has Jake one spot ahead of Kampmann, and two spots ahead of Daley who are last two guys he beat at 170 in the last 3 years… it makes sense to me.

by Sqwibbs on Jul 28, 2011 7:39 PM EDT up reply actions

Please ignore me.

I’m sorry, i was looking at the Diaz ranking as Daley. I am having a bad reading comprehension day. Keep having to alt-tab because people are walking past my cube. I’m just going to stop posting for the rest of the day.

by Sqwibbs on Jul 28, 2011 7:44 PM EDT up reply actions

*Diaz as Sheilds... god... someone shoot me.

by Sqwibbs on Jul 28, 2011 7:44 PM EDT up reply actions

This

I’m very confused

http://mixedmartialartsblogger.wordpress.com/

Mel Gibson shot the movie Apocalypto on location at the center of my taint.
-Fake Emcee

by Cory Braiterman on Jul 28, 2011 10:51 PM EDT up reply actions

Diaz is getting the “fighting the champ” bump in the rankings.

by CstBoog on Jul 28, 2011 8:37 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Yikes the WW rankings are a mess from ballot to ballot. MMA Ratings has Charlie Brenneman at #3? Nutty…

by nastyem on Jul 29, 2011 9:52 AM EDT reply actions

Correction, #4 — still high

by nastyem on Jul 29, 2011 9:53 AM EDT up reply actions

i want them to fight

fitch vs shields
to see the whole building boo those two

Fuck the Bruins, Fuck the Patriots, Fuck Damon & Afleck and MotherFuck The Celtics!!!

p.s i don`t give 2 shits about baseball

by sol-badguy on Jul 29, 2011 12:03 PM EDT reply actions

The Spaniard is way too high on this list

You know what they say

by NEW-HAMPSHIRE on Jul 29, 2011 1:37 PM EDT reply actions

There’s not much anyone can do. He just beat Story who beat a perennial top 5 WW. Just gotta wait til he fights better guys and loses.

"I have reached an age when, if someone tells me to wear socks, I don't have to."- Albert Einstein

by Tim Bernier on Jul 29, 2011 2:07 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Charlie Brenneman

is overrated

Learn JiuJitsu.
Always looking for that new danger.

by RolloTomasi on Jul 29, 2011 1:42 PM EDT reply actions

Overrated severely

How quickly it erased Johny Hendricks’ utter beatdown of him in August.

I went whale watching the other day. I think. There were a lot of people in that lake.

by SSreporters on Jul 29, 2011 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Diaz #4? How about barely on the cusp of the top 10? That’s a much more fitting place.

1. GSP, 2. Fitch, 3. Shields, 4. Condit, 5. Penn, 6. Alves, 7. Koscheck, 8. Sanchez (HE BEAT DIAZ!!!!), 9. Diaz, 10. Askren

by Spider_Vemon on Jul 29, 2011 1:54 PM EDT reply actions

Sanchez beat Diaz in 2005. You going to hold that against him forever?

by Tats16 on Jul 29, 2011 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Until he beats someone worth being ranked above Sanchez then yes…yes I am.

by Spider_Vemon on Jul 29, 2011 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions

hes maybe higher ranked than he should be but his resume is a lot more impressive than Sanchez’s lately.

Sanchez should be 1-3 in his last 4, with 3 of them beating ugly losses. Instead hes 2-2 with a gift decision in my mind, and a good win over Paulo Thiago.

Diaz’s 10 fighter win streak, including beating Paul Daley at his own game which no one else in the WW division would do, is more impressive than going 2-2 or 1-3 however you see it.

by Tats16 on Jul 29, 2011 2:14 PM EDT up reply actions

Look at the level of fighters Diego lost to. Penn…who would absolutely destroy Diaz and his entire crew if necessary and John Hathaway who is a good up and coming prospect. And I felt Sanchez did enough to beat Kampmann it was a great fight that could have went either way. And After nearly endings Diaz’s life with his fists Daley suddenly and unexplainably falls over…

by Spider_Vemon on Jul 29, 2011 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Upon rewatch

There’s no way Sanchez beat Kampmann.

If people are going to regard takedowns so highly then stuffing takedowns should be just as important. Accurate strikes, even a jab, should override aggression.

Diego, Garcia, etc. all get away with this.

I went whale watching the other day. I think. There were a lot of people in that lake.

by SSreporters on Jul 29, 2011 2:29 PM EDT up reply actions

I haven’t rewatched the fight but I remember watching it live and thinking it was a close fight and that Deigo could possibly win a decision and Id have no quip with it.

by Spider_Vemon on Jul 29, 2011 2:38 PM EDT up reply actions

Inititally I thought Kampmann won 29-28

And could see Sanchez winning it.

Now I see it as an easy Kampmann 29-28 with a minor case for 30-27.

Kampmann outstruck him in rounds 1 and 2 and in round 3 he was more accurate. Sanchez was 19-88 in round 3, the round that decided the fight. Kampmann was 19-70. So are we going to reward Sanchez on one brief takedown and throwing more punches?

I went whale watching the other day. I think. There were a lot of people in that lake.

by SSreporters on Jul 29, 2011 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions

Ok he lost to Penn. Diaz would wreck Hathaway though.

by Tats16 on Jul 29, 2011 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions

I know, I know...its all subjective...

But a few rediculous rankings here…

1. Matthew Roth… Ranking a retired Ricardo Almedia (or anyone outside of your top 10) over Thiago Alves..???

2. Subo…Do you really believe that Mike Swick could beat Paul Daley?

3. Subo..again. Koscheck as the 15th best WW? I don’t get it…

4. Leland Rolling…C’mon man. I know Diaz has fought some weak competition..but ranking him below Dan Hardy.. the same Dan Hardy who’s calling out Chris Lytle in hopes of getting a victory.

by Fedorable on Jul 29, 2011 1:58 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Also

This must be the most stacked division in all of MMA when, outside of the consensus top 3, there is no continuity in rankings from there down… its crazy to think that at any given time the #4 ranked WW fighter could lose to the d#12 ranked fighter

by Fedorable on Jul 29, 2011 2:00 PM EDT reply actions

Disagree with that example

considering the number 4 (Nick Diaz) just recently tko’d the #12b fighter (Paul Daley) in his last fight, and there’s no way that the #12a fighter (Kampmann) would be favored to get a win against him, as Nick has repeatedly shown expert hands and grappling, and Kampmann isn’t exactly a wrestling powerhouse…

by bawssauce on Jul 29, 2011 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions

ok

But would Diaz be able to beat, say Rick Story, or Jake Ellenberger who have the wrestling to take him down at will?

by Fedorable on Jul 29, 2011 6:26 PM EDT up reply actions

Or Kos, or Fitch or even Hendricks, or…

"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid." -John Wayne
Death before dishonor, drinks before lunch.
Never send sheep to kill a wolf.

by The American Ronin on Jul 29, 2011 6:34 PM EDT up reply actions

I think Kampmann beat Shields and got robbed of the decision. He is pretty damn good. I wouldn’t be surprised if Kampmann beat Diaz 50% of the time.

by Sqwibbs on Jul 29, 2011 6:46 PM EDT up reply actions

Agreed, Kampmann and Diaz, Condit and Diaz or Kampmann and Condit are all 50/50 imo.

"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid." -John Wayne
Death before dishonor, drinks before lunch.
Never send sheep to kill a wolf.

by The American Ronin on Jul 30, 2011 3:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Leland.....Hardy in the top 10 despite not winning a round since Swick?

I went whale watching the other day. I think. There were a lot of people in that lake.

by SSreporters on Jul 29, 2011 2:22 PM EDT reply actions

Paulo Thiago would absolutely destroy Brennaman

I understand because of recent losses he has dropped significantly for a reason, but it would be a cold day in hell when the Spaniard could take it to Thiago imo

by bawssauce on Jul 29, 2011 2:31 PM EDT reply actions

It's funny how wild the individual polls are

despite the normalized list being pretty spot-on

I’ll just say, I never would have guessed Luke Thomas would be the pollster whose votes I see most eye-to-eye with, but he has been for the last two meta-rankings.

Also, subo’s unabashedly militant opinions are always a highlight.

by LBo on Jul 29, 2011 3:59 PM EDT reply actions

Brenneman is a joke of contender

The cards aligned for Brenneman to have the chance to beat Story, but he’s not better than Story and he was finished by Hendricks who lost to Story in an evenly contested bout. The Spaniard is nothing special but he had a special night, that’s the best way of putting it and you shouldn’t get carried away because of that one win. Other than that, I don’t care.

by Rumblerg on Jul 29, 2011 4:20 PM EDT reply actions