UFC 129 Results: Ranking the Top 10 Welterweights in the UFC

The Georges St-Pierre era continued on Saturday night as the UFC Welterweight Champion successfully defended his title against Jake Shields in front of his home crowd in Canada.

Though it wasn’t quite as dominant as some of the other Octagon performances we’ve seen from GSP, the champion improved his record to an astonishing 22-2 while dismantling the man who many believed to be his most difficult test yet.

But even aside from St-Pierre, the UFC’s welterweight division is perhaps the deepest in the entire sport. Let’s count down the top 10 fighters in the division after one of the biggest events in the company’s history.

10.Martin Kampmann

MMA record: 17-5-0
Current Streak: Two losses
Last fight: Lost to Diego Sanchez (split decision)

This one might throw off some readers, but I believe that Martin Kampmann has been the most ripped off fighter in mixed martial arts over the last year.

It started last October when Kampmann was a big underdog against Jake Shields, who was making his UFC debut. Kampmann shocked just about everyone with the way he performed in that fight but ended up losing a very controversial decision.

Five months later, the judges struck again when Kampmann seemingly dominated a fight against Diego Sanchez but was again rewarded with a split decision loss.

Don’t be fooled by the two-fight losing streak. Martin Kampmann is definitely a top-10 welterweight.

9. Matt Hughes

MMA record: 46-8-0
Current streak: One loss
Last fight: Lost to BJ Penn (knockout, Round 1)

After being violently knocked out by BJ Penn in his last fight, former UFC Welterweight Champion, Matt Hughes, is being overlooked by many fans and experts.

Yes, Hughes looked bad in that fight, and yes, he’s nearing the end of his Hall of Fame career. But he’s still one of the absolute best welterweight fighters in the world.

He has proven it time and time again, and I expect him to do it again and mow right on through Diego Sanchez when the two men bump heads later this year.

Sanchez’s biggest weakness has always been his wrestling defense, so facing one of the top wrestlers the sport has ever seen is likely going to lead to Hughes’ hand being raised again as he fights in what will be his UFC record-breaking 25th fight in the Octagon.

8. Dong Hyun Kim

MMA record: 14-0-1
Current streak: Five wins (one no contest)
Last fight: Defeated Nate Diaz (unanimous decision)

This one might be a bit of a shocker to some, but I think it’s very appropriate to call Dong Hyun Kim a top-10 welterweight at this point.

After three straight unanimous decision victories over Nate Diaz, Amir Sadollah and TJ Grant, Kim has pushed his MMA record to an impressive 14-0-1. The only problem is that Kim has only finished one fight in the Octagon.

Not finishing can be a kiss of death for fighters, as we’ve seen with Jon Fitch who has only earned one UFC title shot since coming to the company, despite that being his only loss.

7. Carlos Condit

MMA record: 26-5
Current streak: Three wins
Last fight: Defeated Dan Hardy (knockout, Round 1)

The “Natural Born Killer” has been on a roll since dropping a split decision to Martin Kampmann all the way back in the main event at UFC Fight Night 18. Since that night, the former WEC Welterweight Champion has defeated three straight contenders in a row on his way to a consensus top-10 ranking in the division.

Condit won a split decision over Jake Ellenberger at UFC Fight Night 19, then went on to crush Rory MacDonald and Dan Hardy in back-to-back knockout victories at UFC 115 and UFC 120.

He is among the best strikers in the division and has a good chance of defeating just about anyone on any given night.

He will face one of the toughest challenges of his career in his next fight at UFC 132 when he will face the man below him on this list, Dong Hyun Kim, in a fight that just may propel the winner to a title shot should Georges St-Pierre decide to remain at welterweight.

6. Josh Koscheck

MMA record: 15-5
Current streak: One loss
Last fight: Lost to Georges St-Pierre (unanimous decision)

After getting schooled for the second time by the UFC Welterweight Champion, Josh Koscheck received insult to injury when he found out that he would need surgery to repair the damage he took in his right eye during the bout.

Like so many others, it seems that Josh Koscheck just may never be able to solve the riddle that is GSP.

He had defeated Frank Trigg, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson and Paul Daley in consecutive fights before getting his first crack at the UFC Welterweight Title at UFC 124. But he’s back down the ladder again after the disappointing loss.

No fight has been announced for Koscheck yet after he comes back, but he will need a win if he hopes to stay in the top-10 welterweight rankings.

5. BJ Penn

MMA record: 16-7-2
Current streak: One draw
Last fight: Majority draw with Jon Fitch

Some may say that this is too high for the former UFC Welterweight and Lightweight Champion, while others may actually say that this is too low for a guy who just fought to a draw with the consensus No. 2 fighter in the division.

BJ Penn is among the most controversial fighters in the world, but his talent cannot be denied. He is one of the absolute premier boxers in all of MMA, but his all-around game of jiu-jitsu and wrestling also make him a candidate to finish any fight on the ground from just about any position.

The knock on Penn has long been that he can’t stop fighters who are bigger than him and that’s exactly what we saw in the UFC 127 main event when Jon Fitch completely hammered Penn in the third round, earning what many believe should have been a decisive 10-8 round. In the end, the fight was ruled a draw, but even Penn sounded discouraged after the fight.

Penn will have his shoulder examined this week to determine if he needs surgery, but for now he cracks the top five of this list just due to the fact that he would almost certainly be a betting favorite against any of the fighters ranked below him.

4.Thiago Alves

MMA record: 18-7
Current streak: One win
Last fight: Defeated John Howard (unanimous decision)

After running up a seven-fight UFC win streak that included dominant victories over Chris Lytle, Karo Pariysan, Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck, Thiago Alves got his shot at the UFC Welterweight Title at UFC 100.

But like so many before him, Alves fell victim to a one-sided decision loss to Georges St-Pierre at the UFC’s biggest pay-per-view event of all time.

The loss seemed to discourage him as he failed to make weight in his next fight at UFC 117 against Jon Fitch. Fitch had already defeated Alves four years prior so one would have assumed that Alves would want to get revenge and prove that he was still a top contender, but it didn’t turn out that way.

Not only did he weigh in a pound and a half over, but it didn’t even give him the advantage as Fitch easily gave him the “Jon Fitch treatment” and grinded out a unanimous decision victory.

But just four months later, Alves got back in the win column last December with a win over a very tough opponent in John Howard at UFC 124.

Though he is one of the most dangerous fighters in the division and can practically win fights with his thunderous leg kicks, it has become a question of which Thiago Alves we will see from fight to fight.

Will we see the guy who crushed Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck, or will we see the one who looked like a fish out of water on his back against Jon Fitch and Georges St-Pierre?

He’ll have a chance to prove his top-five ranking once again at UFC 130 when he faces a man who barely missed making this list, Rick Story.

3. Jake Shields

MMA record: 26-5-1
Current streak: One loss
Last fight: Lost to Georges St-Pierre (unanimous decision)

Fans who are unfamiliar with Jake Shields’ work outside the UFC may be confused at this ranking, but for those who have seen this guy dominate the competition for the past six years, this ranking makes all the sense in the world.

Yes, Shields got picked apart by a more complete fighter in Georges St-Pierre at UFC 129, but he also showed that he is better on his feet than many believed going into the fight. He didn’t ever rock St-Pierre or come close to finishing the fight in any way, but he did earn respect with the way that he messed up GSP’s face after five rounds.

After a long streak of having not even lost a single round, two judges actually gave Shields two rounds in this fight, making it a not-so-one-sided 48-47 decision victory for the champion.

Coming into the fight, Shields had been on an unbelievable 14-fight win streak that went all the way back to 2005, and included wins over countless fighters who were or are now in both the top 10 in the welterweight and middleweight divisions.

If there’s anything we know about Jake Shields, it’s that he will continue to work hard and improve his game following this loss.

After all, it’s not like he’s the first fighter to ever lose like this to perhaps the greatest welterweight of all time.

2. Jon Fitch

Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 27: Jon Fitch of the USA celebrates after his drawn fight against BJ Penn of the USA during their welterweight bout part of UFC 127 at Acer Arena on February 27, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

MMA record: 23-3-1
Current streak: One draw
Last fight: Majority draw with BJ Penn

UFC 127 could have been Jon Fitch’s ticket to a rematch with Georges St-Pierre down the road, but it didn’t turn out quite the way that he was hoping.

After running up a ridiculous 12-1 UFC record with his only loss coming to GSP, Fitch fought to a draw with BJ Penn in the main event which took place in Sydney, Australia. Many, including myself, believe that Fitch should have been given the decision after what appeared to be a 10-8 third round, but the judges saw it differently.

UFC President, Dana White, has long been a critic of Fitch’s, citing that Fitch hasn’t finished an opponent since 2007, despite his crazy record. Though the UFC is not going to keep him out of the title picture simply because of that, Fitch likely would have already earned a rematch for the title if he was finishing fights on a more regular basis.

A rematch with Penn was scheduled to be the main event of UFC 132, but has now been scrapped after both fighters pulled out with injuries.

There is no set timetable for when Fitch will be returning to the cage, but unless the injury is a major setback, there is little reason to believe that Fitch won’t continue grinding out decisions over just about every opponent he faces.

Love him or hate him, he’s a winner and deserves his spot as the No. 2 welterweight in the UFC.

1. Georges St-Pierre

MMA record: 22-2
Current streak: Eight wins
Last fight: Defeated Jake Shields (unanimous decision)

Were you expecting someone else?

At this point, Georges St-Pierre is almost making it look too easy as he completely picks apart top fighter after top fighter in one-sided affairs that leave very little reason to believe he will ever feel the pain of another loss.

Since losing what may be the upset of a lifetime against Matt Serra at UFC 69, St-Pierre has recommitted himself to the sport in a way that no fighter has ever done. Until losing two rounds on two judges’ scorecards to Jake Shields at UFC 129, St-Pierre had not lost a single round since his loss to Serra.

The unbelievable dominance he has displayed in arguably the deepest, most talented division in the sport is simply astonishing. He has completely cleaned the cabinets of the UFC’s welterweight division, leaving only a potential champion-versus-champion fight with Strikeforce’s Nick Diaz at 170 pounds.

There have been many rumors that St-Pierre will be moving up to 185 pounds to fight Anderson Silva, but he has been hesitant to agree to the superfight, even though it could be the biggest event in the history of the sport between the consensus top two pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

If St-Pierre does decide to leave the welterweight division, it will be interesting to see who ends up with the belt. But until that time, GSP is king.

UFC 129 St-Pierre vs. Shields: Fight Card, News, Predictions, Results, and More!