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SB Nation rankings: Welterweight

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Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

The big three of SB Nation MMA sites, MMA Fighting, MMA Mania, and us here at Bloody Elbow, are all contributing to the new SB Nation rankings. BE is represented by the esteemed Dallas Winston, and myself. Last month we looked at the heavyweight rankings, and this time around we'll focus on the 170-pound division.

It shouldn't be a big surprise that UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre is once again reigning supreme over arguably the deepest division in MMA. His decisive win over interim champ Carlos Condit solidified his spot and proved that, even after a 19-month layoff due to injury, he's one of the most talented mixed martial artists in the world.

Here's a look at the full top ten, and who each panelist voted for:

Welterweight_tables_jpg_medium

The scoring system is pretty simple - fighters are given 10 points for a first-place vote, nine points for a second, etc., down to one point for 10th place. Official SB Nation rankings policy: Fighters under commission suspension are ineligible to be ranked during the duration of their suspension or if they have licensing issues. At welterweight, the currently affects Nick Diaz, who is currently suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission.

Johny Hendricks' 46-second knockout of Martin Kampmann at UFC 154 helped him earn second spot from five out of our six panelists (with Mr. Winston choosing to go with Condit at number two instead). Condit sits at three, while Jon Fitch, Martin Kampmann, Jake Ellenberger, and Josh Koscheck hold down the 4-7 spots. Rory MacDonald sits at 8, despite a lot of disagreement amongst panelists about where he sits. Strikeforce welterweight champion Nate Marquardt comes in at nine, while Demian Maia comes in at 10 after just two welterweight fights.

Only four men on the list are scheduled to fight right now - Marquardt will meet Tarec Saffiedine in January; MacDonald meets B.J. Penn at UFC on Fox 5, while Fitch and Maia will face off at UFC 156.

So folks, what do you think of the rankings?

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

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SB Nation MMA rankings

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