Fighters.com's August Welterweight Rankings

After Fighters.com’s Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (17-2) defended his title from then top contender Jon Fitch (17-3) in Minneapolis 9 August, who better to challenge him next than…Fighters.com’s Lightweight Champion “Prodigy” B.J. Penn (13-4-1)?

On the gutsy unanimous decision loss, Fitch dropped three ranks to fifth in August’s rankings.  However, to those who’ve called Fitch St. Pierre’s “toughest challenge”, Fighters.com reminds them that sixth-ranked “Terror” Matt Serra (9-5) knocked St. Pierre out in the first round in Houston 7 April, 2007.

In fact, it was obvious in the stand-up exchanges between St. Pierre and Fitch that the 2007 knockout remains in the forefront of St. Pierre’s mind as St. Pierre was more cautious than he had been in previous fights.

But, rather than St. Pierre match-up versus Penn, Fighters.com would rather sanction a title fight between St. Pierre and the winner of the match-up between Fighters.com’s new top contender “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (15-3) and seventh-ranked “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (18-2) to be fought in Chicago 25 October.

Alves attains the top contender rank on Fitch’s loss, but not because of his stoppage of eighth-ranked Matt Hughes (42-7) which wasn’t fought at welterweight due to Alves’s inability to make the 170-pound limit, which remains a question.

Moving up five spots to rank third in August was EliteXC Welterweight Champion Jake Shields (21-4-1) on his dominating first-round stoppage of tenth-ranked “Goat” Nick Thompson (36-9-1).

Thompson dropped a rank which allowed “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2) to ease into the ninth spot before his 6 September match-up versus “Heat” Karo Parisyan (18-5) in Atlanta.

Josh Koscheck (10-2) held rank at fourth after winning a bloody unanimous decision over virtually unstoppable, but beatable “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (25-16-5) in Las Vegas 5 July.

August Welterweight Rankings

1. “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (17-2)

Since “Terror” struck at UFC 69, “Rush” has had to scrape pieces of Fitch, Koscheck, Hughes, and Serra off the bottom of his feet on his steamroll back to the UFC belt many believe the 27-year old will wear for a generation.

2. “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (15-3)

Alves has dealt three big stoppages to Karo Parisyan, Chris Lytle, and Kuniyoshi  Hironaka.  St. Pierre hears “Pitbull” scraping at the door, but he’ll have to prove he can make 170-pounds and make Sanchez a would’ve-been.

3. Jake Shields (21-4-1)

Shields added Thompson, a legit top-tenner, to a two-year run of stoppages that in includes Mike Pyle among lesser known challengers.  But, Thompson was as good as Shields can get outside of the UFC.  So, who’s next?

4. Josh Koscheck (11-2)

After revenge over Sanchez, Koschek was overwhelmed with a St. Pierre bouncing back from a loss. Like St. Pierre, “Kos” has all the physical tools to be a champion and absorbs new skills like a sponge. Time and continued top competition will tell.

5. Jon Fitch (17-3)

Fitch tied a record for most consecutive wins in the Octagon, including a stoppage of Alves and a decision over Sanchez, plus UDs over tough Chris Wilson and Kuniyoshi Hironaka, before losing a UD to St. Pierre.

6. “Terror” Matt Serra (9-5)

After knocking out the 170-pound division’s champion, St. Pierre, Serra was outclassed in their ’08 rematch.  However, Serra looked no worse than St. Pierre’s two previous victims, Koscheck and Hughes and looks forward to his own fight with Hughes.

7. “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (18-2)

All the hype can’t replace a loss in the Octagon, and, in Sanchez’s case, two losses to Fitch and Koschek.  An ’06 decision over Karo Parisyan in one of the fights of that year proves he has the talent, but does he have the focus?

8. Matt Hughes (42-7)

Since getting KO’d by St. Pierre for the first time since ’01, Hughes hasn’t fought the same in a throw-away decision over Christ Lytle and another stoppage by St. Pierre. It’s apparent a return to MFS is required.

9. “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2)

“Zenko” debuted in the UFC with 56 second stoppage of Jon Koppenhaver and is without an “L” in two years, all wins also by stoppage. With overseas wins over Katsuya Inoue and Akira Kikuchi, Yoshida hopes to fare better than countryman Kuniyoshi Hironaka.

10. “Goat” Nick Thompson (36-10-1)

“The Goat” had bucked twelve straight challengers, eleven by stoppage, a list including Chris Wilson, Ansar Chalangov, Eddie Alvarez, and Fabricio Monteiro, until becoming the dot at the end of Shields’s exclamation point.