St-Pierre vs. Hendricks: The Top 10 Welterweights in the UFC
UFC 167 is over, but the blowback is just beginning.
Georges St-Pierre is still the champion, but most think he doesn't deserve to be. Johny Hendricks might very well be in line for an immediate rematch if St-Pierre elects to stick around after his in-cage announcement of a hiatus.
With four other welterweight bouts on the card, there was plenty of other impact on the top 10 of the division.
Here are the updated rankings.
10. Matt Brown
1 of 10
Matt Brown is enjoying a career resurgence of sorts, winning six straight and forcing his way into the top 10 with a string of impressive finishes.
He hasn't fought top-tier competition, but when a guy goes out and starches everyone the UFC puts in front of him, it gets to the point where he can't be ignored.
Brown is in that position now, and people are taking notice. He'll get a massive jump in competition when he fights former interim champion Carlos Condit in a few weeks time.
9. Jake Ellenberger
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Jake Ellenberger is in something of a holding pattern now, as he's booked to meet Tarec Saffiedine on the first card of 2014. His last appearance was a loss to Rory MacDonald, but it did little to diminish his value considering the lack of engagement in the bout.
Ellenberger has wrestling chops and crazy power, but there are concerns over his gas tank and his ability to step up in big fights. Still, he's approaching 40 fights in his career and is a ways off from 30 years old, so there's plenty of room for growth.
He's a perennial contender and will get there eventually, but he's not there yet. A win over Saffiedine will help though.
8. Martin Kampmann
3 of 10
Martin Kampmann, a man who will give anyone a fight and is as game as they come, is the forgotten warrior of the welterweight division. He's coming off of a pair of losses, but they came against two of the last three men to challenge for the title.
He's a good kickboxer with an underrated ground game, but there's reason to be concerned about his durability going forward. He's taken some crazy punishment in his time and it may be adding up, but he should have a few good years left to make a run up the rankings.
It all starts in Kampmann's next bout, though he's presently without a dance partner.
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7. Rory MacDonald
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Rory MacDonald suffered a crushing defeat to Robbie Lawler at UFC 167. It was uninspired performance that easily could have gone his way with a little more pressure on the gas pedal.
At only 24, MacDonald is already at something of a crossroads in his young career: stay the course in his fighting evolution or make some changes and get back to the killer he was when he first came to the UFC.
He's got a lot of time to straighten himself out and make some adjustments, but as of now, his stock is as low as it's been in a while.
6. Demian Maia
5 of 10
Demian Maia is coming off of one of the most disappointing bouts in his career, one in which he got beat at his own game on his home turf by Jake Shields. It was a beautiful display of grappling expertise by both men, but it hurt the aging Maia's chances at the title shot many thought he'd get with a win.
He's reinvented himself at 170 after a great middleweight run, but the clock is ticking. He needs another top-tier opponent, and he needs to beat that opponent convincingly if the title is still the goal. If he doesn't, he's a sinking stone in the top 10.
5. Jake Shields
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Jake Shields is back in a big way after beating Maia and is the quietest 4-2 against elite competition in the UFC today. He bounced around divisions after losing two in a row, but he's back at 170 lbs now and looks like he might be making one last good run.
He's underappreciated because he's not flashy or overly exciting, but he's very good. There's no shame in losing to names like Ellenberger and St-Pierre, and on most days, Shields beats most guys at welterweight.
Look for him to get a big test next time out in an effort by the UFC to see what he has left in the tank.
4. Carlos Condit
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Fan favorite Carlos Condit is as popular as any man at welterweight thanks to his sharp kickboxing and ruthless finishing instinct, and he's coming into his own in his late 20s. He's already held the WEC title and an interim UFC title, and he came within inches of finishing Georges St-Pierre when they met last year.
There is no question that he's still in the title picture, and probably no one has staked his claim by spilling more blood than Condit.
He'll fight Matt Brown in a few weeks, and if he wins, he might very well be only a fight away from another title shot.
3. Robbie Lawler
8 of 10
Folks, Robbie Lawler is back. And in a division that's ripe with talent, after he'd been cruising the middleweight divisions of anyone who'd pay him a pile of money, you can't help but think it's against all odds.
After crushing Josh Koscheck and Bobby Voelker earlier this year, Lawler derailed the Rory MacDonald hype train at UFC 167 and really staked his claim to contendership.
Based on the drama surrounding GSP and Johny Hendricks, Lawler might have to take another fight before he can truly beat the drum for a title shot. If Condit beats Brown, that's the fight to make to create the next contender.
2. Johny Hendricks
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Johny Hendricks' position in the division is only a number on this, the day after he won the title in Las Vegas but wasn't given a belt for his accomplishment.
The OK State alum beat Georges St-Pierre from pillar to post with some old-fashioned, down home Oklahoma enthusiasm at UFC 167, but the judges didn't see it that way. In fact, it's possible they didn't see the fight at all given their score tabulations.
Hendricks' stock took absolutely no hit by losing his second career fight; in fact, there's an argument to be made that it might even have gone up. He'll probably get an immediate rematch, but even if he doesn't, he's not far off another crack at the belt.
He very well may be the best welterweight in the world now based on his performance against GSP.
1. Georges St-Pierre
10 of 10
Being the best in the history of the welterweight division doesn't necessarily mean you're the best in the welterweight division today, and that may be where champion Georges St-Pierre finds himself the day after UFC 167.
He struggled mightily with the power and aggression of Hendricks and did little to press the pace himself. He took a great deal of damage and offered almost nothing aside from a couple of takedown attempts and some counterjabs, looking befuddled for the entire bout.
It was a very un-GSP performance, and it may be the official beginning of the end for him at the top of the division.
Nevertheless, he got the win on paper, and they rarely ask how, as it's often how many in the world of sports. He's 25-2 and has a large gold belt that tells the world he's the best right now.
Who are we to argue?
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