What Would the UFC Welterweight Division Look Like without Georges St. Pierre?

At UFC 126, middleweight champ Anderson Silva defeated Vitor Belfort by first-round knock out. Since then, the rumblings for a super fight between Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre have never been...rumblier.

Dana White has stated openly that, if Georges St. Pierre is victorious against Jake Shields at UFC 129, he will try to put a super fight between St. Pierre and Silva together.

St. Pierre has previously expressed that he would like to fight Anderson, but if he does, it would be a permanent move to middleweight and he would want to put on the weight safely over a period of around eight months. He also said he would want to prove himself at middleweight before receiving a title shot.

What I've been wondering for the past couple weeks is: Would the welterweight division really look all that different without Georges St. Pierre?

Many people are hoping that if GSP moves to middleweight the welterweight division will become more dynamic and less predictable. Unfortunately, I can't help feeling like, even without Georges, the welterweight division will seem very much the same.

The chief reason St. Pierre has been so successful at 170 lbs. is his freakish wrestling ability. Anytime he feels uncomfortable standing, he's able to take his opponent down and control the fight.

Keeping that fact in mind, let's look at the No. 2 and 3 fighters in the division: Jake Shields and Jon Fitch. What do both of these men have in common with GSP? They are very, very good wrestlers. They may not be particularly good strikers, but, in a GSP-free welterweight division, they have the tools to put any other welterweight on their back. Both men also have incredible submission defense.

In the event that GSP vacates his title, this is what I see happening. We'll see Jon Fitch square off against Jake Shields, and the winner of that fight will have a long reign at welterweight. The division will be essentially the same; we'll just have a less-exciting version of Georges St. Pierre, rather than St. Pierre.