Analysis by Richard Wade
Johny Hendricks set the welterweight division on its head with his first round KO of long time #2 Jon Fitch.
Compiling the rankings of twenty top mixed martial arts web sites, the USA TODAY / MMA Nation Consensus MMA Rankings present the top 25 fighters in MMA for the seven major weight classes. These world MMA rankings are the most accurate reflection of how the top fighters in MMA across all promotions like UFC, Strikeforce and ProElite are viewed by the experts who cover the sport.
| Rank | Fighter | Points | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georges St. Pierre | 400 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Nick Diaz | 368 | UFC | 3 |
| 3 | Jake Ellenberger | 344 | UFC | 5 |
| 4 | Carlos Condit | 342 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Johny Hendricks | 325 | UFC | 18 |
| 6 | Josh Koscheck | 324 | UFC | 6 |
| 7 | Jon Fitch | 301 | UFC | 2 |
| 7 | Jake Shields | 301 | UFC | 7 |
| 9 | B.J. Penn | 238 | UFC | 9 |
| 10 | Martin Kampmann | 202 | UFC | 8 |
| 11 | Thiago Alves | 171 | UFC | 12 |
| 12 | Diego Sanchez | 171 | UFC | 11 |
| 13 | Rory MacDonald | 154 | UFC | 14 |
| 14 | Rick Story | 131 | UFC | 15 |
| 15 | Ben Askren | 129 | Bellator | 13 |
| 16 | Tyron Woodley | 124 | Strikeforce | 17 |
| 17 | Charlie Brenneman | 121 | UFC | 16 |
| 18 | Jay Hieron | 93 | Bellator | 20 |
| 19 | Paulo Thiago | 92 | UFC | 19 |
| 20 | Brian Ebersole | 84 | UFC | 21 |
| 21 | Anthony Johnson | 80 | UFC | 10 |
| 22 | Paul Daley | 77 | Strikeforce | 22 |
| 23 | Mike Pyle | 71 | UFC | 27 |
| 24 | John Hathaway | 68 | UFC | 23 |
| 24 | Douglas Lima | 68 | Bellator | 25 |
Johny Hendricks set the welterweight division on its head with his first round KO of long time #2 Jon Fitch.
| Rank | Fighter | Points | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georges St. Pierre | 425 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Jon Fitch | 400 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Nick Diaz | 369 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Carlos Condit | 356 | UFC | 5 |
| 5 | Jake Ellenberger | 354 | UFC | 4 |
| 6 | Josh Koscheck | 350 | UFC | 6 |
| 7 | Jake Shields | 321 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Martin Kampmann | 244 | UFC | 9 |
| 9 | B.J. Penn | 236 | UFC | 8 |
| 10 | Anthony Johnson | 202 | UFC | 10 |
| 11 | Diego Sanchez | 188 | UFC | 11 |
| 12 | Thiago Alves | 175 | UFC | 12 |
| 13 | Ben Askren | 157 | Bellator | 14 |
| 14 | Rory MacDonald | 154 | UFC | 13 |
| 15 | Rick Story | 147 | UFC | 15 |
| 16 | Charlie Brenneman | 130 | UFC | 16 |
| 17 | Tyron Woodley | 118 | Strikeforce | 18 |
| 18 | Johny Hendricks | 115 | UFC | 17 |
| 19 | Paulo Thiago | 107 | UFC | 19 |
| 20 | Jay Hieron | 103 | Bellator | 20 |
| 21 | Brian Ebersole | 81 | UFC | 21 |
| 22 | Paul Daley | 78 | Ring Side | 22 |
| 23 | John Hathaway | 73 | UFC | 23 |
| 24 | Siyar Bahadurzada | 72 | Ultimate Glory | 24 |
| 25 | Douglas Lima | 71 | Bellator | 25 |
Tomorrow night, #2 Jon Fitch will take on #18 Johny Hendricks in December's premier welterweight clash.
| Rank | Fighter | Points | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georges St. Pierre | 400 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Jon Fitch | 376 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Nick Diaz | 343 | UFC | 5 |
| 4 | Jake Ellenberger | 335 | UFC | 6 |
| 5 | Carlos Condit | 333 | UFC | 3 |
| 6 | Josh Koscheck | 328 | UFC | 4 |
| 7 | Jake Shields | 304 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | B.J. Penn | 238 | UFC | 8 |
| 9 | Martin Kampmann | 216 | UFC | 14 |
| 10 | Anthony Johnson | 199 | UFC | 10 |
| 11 | Diego Sanchez | 165 | UFC | 12 |
| 12 | Thiago Alves | 164 | UFC | 11 |
| 13 | Rory MacDonald | 152 | UFC | 13 |
| 14 | Ben Askren | 145 | Bellator | 18 |
| 15 | Rick Story | 139 | UFC | 9 |
| 16 | Charlie Brenneman | 129 | UFC | 14 |
| 17 | Johny Hendricks | 124 | UFC | 19 |
| 18 | Tyron Woodley | 108 | Strikeforce | 17 |
| 19 | Paulo Thiago | 106 | UFC | 16 |
| 20 | Jay Hieron | 103 | Bellator | 20 |
| 21 | Brian Ebersole | 78 | UFC | 21 |
| 22 | Paul Daley | 77 | Ring Side | 26 |
| 23 | John Hathaway | 72 | UFC | 22 |
| 24 | Siyar Bahadurzada | 71 | Ultimate Glory | 27 |
| 25 | Douglas Lima | 70 | Bellator | 32 |
Georges St. Pierre remains the undisputed #1 as he awaits the chance to defend his belt against #3 Nick Diaz in 2012.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georges St. Pierre | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Jon Fitch | 95 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Carlos Condit | 84 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Josh Koscheck | 81 | UFC | 5 |
| 5 | Nick Diaz | 81 | UFC | 4 |
| 6 | Jake Ellenberger | 80 | UFC | 8 |
| 7 | Jake Shields | 77 | UFC | 6 |
| 8 | B.J. Penn | 73 | UFC | 7 |
| 9 | Rick Story | 48 | UFC | 10 |
| 10 | Anthony Johnson | 47 | UFC | 15 |
| 11 | Thiago Alves | 44 | UFC | 11 |
| 12 | Diego Sanchez | 44 | UFC | 12 |
| 13 | Rory MacDonald | 40 | UFC | 13 |
| 14 | Charlie Brenneman | 39 | UFC | 9 |
| 14 | Martin Kampmann | 39 | UFC | 14 |
| 16 | Paulo Thiago | 28 | UFC | 16 |
| 17 | Tyron Woodley | 26 | Strikeforce | 18 |
| 18 | Ben Askren | 25 | Bellator | 17 |
| 19 | Johny Hendricks | 25 | UFC | 20 |
| 20 | Jay Hieron | 24 | Bellator | 19 |
| 21 | Brian Ebersole | 20 | UFC | 21 |
| 22 | John Hathaway | 19 | UFC | 23 |
| 23 | Mike Pyle | 19 | UFC | 24 |
| 24 | Dong Hyun Kim | 18 | UFC | 25 |
| 25 | Matt Hughes | 18 | UFC | 22 |
UFC 137 despite losing out on two of the best possible welterweight match ups available still features one of the best and most interesting fights possible as #5 Nick Diaz and #8 B.J. Penn headline the pay per view.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georges St. Pierre | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Jon Fitch | 95 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Carlos Condit | 84 | UFC | 5 |
| 4 | Nick Diaz | 81 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Josh Koscheck | 80 | UFC | 7 |
| 6 | Jake Shields | 78 | UFC | 3 |
| 7 | B.J. Penn | 75 | UFC | 6 |
| 8 | Jake Ellenberger | 72 | UFC | 16 |
| 9 | Charlie Brenneman | 51 | UFC | 10 |
| 10 | Rick Story | 50 | UFC | 8 |
| 11 | Thiago Alves | 48 | UFC | 9 |
| 12 | Diego Sanchez | 44 | UFC | 11 |
| 13 | Rory MacDonald | 41 | UFC | 14 |
| 14 | Martin Kampmann | 41 | UFC | 12 |
| 15 | Anthony Johnson | 33 | UFC | 15 |
| 16 | Paulo Thiago | 29 | UFC | 18 |
| 17 | Ben Askren | 26 | Bellator | 17 |
| 18 | Tyron Woodley | 25 | Strikeforce | 21 |
| 19 | Jay Hieron | 25 | Bellator | 19 |
| 20 | Johny Hendricks | 24 | UFC | 20 |
| 21 | Brian Ebersole | 21 | UFC | 24 |
| 22 | Matt Hughes | 21 | UFC | 13 |
| 23 | John Hathaway | 20 | UFC | 23 |
| 24 | Mike Pyle | 20 | UFC | 26 |
| 25 | Dong Hyun Kim | 19 | UFC | 25 |
| 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 | 4 |
| 5 | Carlos Condit | 79 | UFC | 7 |
| 6 | B.J. Penn | 77 | UFC | 6 |
| 7 | Josh Koscheck | 77 | UFC | 5 |
| 8 | Rick Story | 58 | UFC | 8 |
| 9 | Thiago Alves | 51 | UFC | 9 |
| 10 | Charlie Brenneman | 50 | UFC | 11 |
| 11 | Diego Sanchez | 50 | UFC | 10 |
| 12 | Martin Kampmann | 41 | UFC | 12 |
| 13 | Matt Hughes | 35 | UFC | 14 |
| 14 | Rory MacDonald | 35 | UFC | 23 |
| 15 | Anthony Johnson | 34 | UFC | 15 |
| 16 | Jake Ellenberger | 30 | UFC | 16 |
| 17 | Ben Askren | 26 | Bellator | 18 |
| 18 | Paulo Thiago | 26 | UFC | 20 |
| 19 | Jay Hieron | 25 | Bellator | 19 |
| 20 | Johny Hendricks | 24 | UFC | 32 |
| 21 | Tyron Woodley | 24 | Strikeforce | 36 |
| 22 | Paul Daley | 23 | Strikeforce | 12 |
| 23 | John Hathaway | 21 | UFC | 22 |
| 24 | Brian Ebersole | 21 | UFC | 25 |
| 25 | Dong Hyun Kim | 20 | UFC | 21 |
With UFC champion Georges St. Pierre the undisputed #1 in the world and the top 16 welterweights all calling the UFC home, welterweight relevance can't be found outside the Octagon.
| 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.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georges St. Pierre | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Jon Fitch | 95 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Jake Shields | 90 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Josh Koscheck | 83 | UFC | 5 |
| 5 | Nick Diaz | 81 | Strikeforce | 6 |
| 6 | B.J. Penn | 77 | UFC | 7 |
| 7 | Carlos Condit | 71 | UFC | 8 |
| 8 | Thiago Alves | 62 | UFC | 4 |
| 9 | Rick Story | 57 | UFC | 23 |
| 10 | Diego Sanchez | 45 | UFC | 9 |
| 11 | Paul Daley | 44 | Strikeforce | 10 |
| 12 | Martin Kampmann | 42 | UFC | 11 |
| 13 | Matt Hughes | 35 | UFC | 12 |
| 14 | Anthony Johnson | 31 | UFC | 13 |
| 15 | Charlie Brenneman | 29 | UFC | NR |
| 16 | Mike Pyle | 28 | UFC | 14 |
| 17 | Jay Hieron | 28 | Bellator | 15 |
| 18 | Paulo Thiago | 27 | UFC | 17 |
| 19 | Ben Askren | 27 | Bellator | 16 |
| 20 | Dong Hyun Kim | 24 | UFC | 18 |
| 21 | Jake Ellenberger | 24 | UFC | 21 |
| 22 | John Hathaway | 22 | UFC | 19 |
| 23 | Dan Hardy | 19 | UFC | 20 |
| 24 | Rory MacDonald | 17 | UFC | 31 |
| 25 | Chris Lytle | 17 | UFC | 22 |
| 25 | Siyar Bahadurzada | 17 | Ultimate Glory | 24 |
#8 Thiago Alves dropped a unanimous decision to #9 Rick Story who then dropped a unanimous decision to #15 Charlie Brennaman leaving the loser of each fight awkwardly ranked above the winner.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georges St. Pierre | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Jon Fitch | 95 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Jake Shields | 90 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Thiago Alves | 85 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Josh Koscheck | 82 | UFC | 5 |
| 6 | Nick Diaz | 79 | Strikeforce | 6 |
| 7 | B.J. Penn | 78 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Carlos Condit | 70 | UFC | 8 |
| 9 | Diego Sanchez | 61 | UFC | 9 |
| 10 | Paul Daley | 47 | Strikeforce | 10 |
| 11 | Martin Kampmann | 46 | UFC | 11 |
| 12 | Matt Hughes | 41 | UFC | 12 |
| 13 | Anthony Johnson | 35 | UFC | 13 |
| 14 | Mike Pyle | 32 | UFC | 14 |
| 15 | Paulo Thiago | 29 | UFC | 17 |
| 16 | Ben Askren | 29 | Bellator | 16 |
| 17 | Jay Hieron | 28 | Bellator | 14 |
| 18 | Dong Hyun Kim | 26 | UFC | 18 |
| 19 | Jake Ellenberger | 25 | UFC | 20 |
| 20 | Dan Hardy | 22 | UFC | 20 |
| 21 | John Hathaway | 22 | UFC | 19 |
| 22 | Chris Lytle | 21 | UFC | 22 |
| 23 | Rick Story | 18 | UFC | 23 |
| 24 | Brian Ebersole | 14 | UFC | 26 |
| 25 | Siyar Bahadurzada | 14 | Ultimate Glory | 24 |
#1 Georges St. Pierre reasserted his dominance over the welterweight division at UFC 129 when he took a clear decision victory over #3 Jake Shields despite only being able to see out of one eye for the majority of the bout.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georges St. Pierre | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Jon Fitch | 95 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Jake Shields | 89 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Thiago Alves | 85 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Josh Koscheck | 84 | UFC | 5 |
| 6 | Nick Diaz | 79 | Strikeforce | 6 |
| 7 | B.J. Penn | 77 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Carlos Condit | 69 | UFC | 8 |
| 9 | Diego Sanchez | 59 | UFC | 9 |
| 10 | Paul Daley | 50 | Strikeforce | 10 |
| 11 | Martin Kampmann | 47 | UFC | 12 |
| 12 | Matt Hughes | 40 | UFC | 11 |
| 13 | Anthony Johnson | 34 | UFC | 13 |
| 14 | Mike Pyle | 31 | UFC | 14 |
| 14 | Jay Hieron | 31 | Bellator | 15 |
| 16 | Ben Askren | 27 | Bellator | 16 |
| 17 | Paulo Thiago | 27 | UFC | 17 |
| 18 | Dong Hyun Kim | 25 | UFC | 18 |
| 19 | John Hathaway | 24 | UFC | 19 |
| 20 | Dan Hardy | 23 | UFC | 20 |
| 20 | Jake Ellenberger | 23 | UFC | 26 |
| 22 | Chris Lytle | 22 | UFC | 21 |
| 23 | Rick Story | 21 | UFC | 22 |
| 24 | Siyar Bahadurzada | 20 | Ultimate Glory | 23 |
| 25 | Mike Pierce | 19 | UFC | 25 |
#1 Georges St. Pierre will defend his title this Saturday at UFC 129 against #3 Jake Shields. Any hope of a super fight with Anderson Silva requires a GSP victory here.
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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. Show more »
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