Fighters.com October Welterweight Rankings

Fighters.com and UFC Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2) awaits the winner between ninth-ranked “Quick” Mike Swick (14-2) and tenth-ranked “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (22-6) at UFC 105 at M.E.N. Arena in Manchester November 14.  According to UFC President Dana White, St. Pierre will defend his title versus the winner in Britain.

For St. Pierre, it’ll be his first fight since injury his groin in a UD over second-ranked “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (16-4) at UFC 100 in Las Vegas July 11.

Though it’s not official, Alves is expected to fight fellow Brazilian fifth-ranked Paulo Thiago (7-1) at UFC 107 in Memphis December 12.

Third-ranked Jon Fitch (19-3) is expected to fight unranked “Cacharrao” Ricardo Almeida (11-3) at UFC 106 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas November 21, though again the fight hasn’t been officially announced.

Fourth-ranked Jake Shields (21-4-1) has apparently abandoned the division and will challenge “Mayhem” Jason Miller (22-5) for the vacant Strikefore middleweight title at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates 33 miles northwest of Chicago November 7.

At UFC 103 in Dallas September 19, sixth-ranked Josh Koscheck (13-4) bounced back from his loss to Thiago at UFC 95 in London February 19 with a first-round knockout of “Twinkle Toes” Frank Trigg (19-7) then called out seventh-ranked Matt Hughes (41-7).

Hughes rebuffed Koscheck, but remains tight-lipped about his opponent when he returns to the Octagon in 2010.

Eighth-ranked “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2) will fight division prospect “Rumble” Anthony Johnson (7-2) at UFC 104

Fighters.com October Welterweight Rankings

1. “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2)

2. “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (16-4)

3. Jon Fitch (19-3)

4. Jake Shields (21-4-1)

5. Paulo Thiago (7-1)

6. Josh Koscheck (13-4)

7. Matt Hughes (41-7)

8. “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2)

9. “Quick” Mike Swick (14-2)

10. “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (22-6)