UFC 130: Rick Story and the Top 8 Welterweights That Haven't Faced GSP Yet
Rick Story will be taking on a big test when he faces former title contender Thiago Alves at this weekend's UFC event in Las Vegas.
UFC 130 will host the welterweight matchup between a wrestling-oriented fighter in Story against the savage and brutal kickboxing skills of Alves.
There are several contender bouts coming up in the welterweight division, and this is the first of them to go down to find the next challenger for UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre.
Fans have been calling for GSP to move up in weight because they don't feel there are any new challengers for the top pound-for-pound fighter.
These eight fighters all disagree and all provide intriguing challenges to the Canadian superstar.
Notable Mention: Martin Kampmann (17-5)
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Despite dropping two back-to-back defeats, Martin "Hitman" Kampmann still remains one of the top welterweights in the world.
After losing two very close decisions to Jake Shields and Diego Sanchez, Kampmann is forced to reevaluate his career where he once campaigned at middleweight.
Since making his welterweight debut at UFC 93, he has gone 4-3 with wins over Carlos Condit, Paulo Thiago and Jacob Volkmann.
His next bout will be against John Howard at UFC Live on Versus on June 26th.
No. 8: Jake Ellenberger (25-5)
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Jake Ellenberger is one of the most powerful strikers in the welterweight division, and this always makes for an intriguing style to go against a safety-first fighter like Georges St. Pierre.
His only loss inside the UFC came against Condit in his UFC debut. It was a controversial split-decision loss that many thought he had won.
Since then, he has picked up victories over Mike Pyle, John Howard, Sean Pierson and Carlos Eduardo Rocha.
Out of his 25 victories, 16 have come by knockout.
No. 7: Ben Askren (8-0)
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Ben Askren is currently fighting under the Bellator banner, and he is one of the fastest rising prospects in the division.
The 26-year-old is the current Bellator welterweight champion and besides being undefeated in MMA, he also went undefeated in his collegiate wrestling career in his junior and senior years.
He also competed in the 2008 Olympic Games in freestyle wrestling but came up short in obtaining a medal.
His MMA career started in 2009 where he picked up wins against Nick Thompson, Lyman Good, Dan Hornbuckle and Ryan Thomas.
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No. 6: Rory MacDonald (11-1)
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Rory MacDonald trains out of the same gym as Georges St. Pierre at Tristar, but he has one goal in mind; to win the title.
The 21-year-old picked up his biggest victory when he defeated Nate Diaz at UFC 129. He dominated the Ultimate Fighter winner for three rounds before being awarded a unanimous decision.
His only loss came against Carlos Condit in his UFC Debut, which was a fight he was winning till the referee stopped it with seven seconds left to go in the final round. Depending on how the judges scored the last round, he would have probably won a split-decision.
His next bout will be against tough, veteran fighter Mike Pyle at UFC 133.
No. 5: Rick Story (12-3)
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From camp Brave Team and fighting out of Vancouver Washington, Rick Story is one or two fights away from a potential shot at the championship in the welterweight division.
His 5-1 record inside the Octagon has catapulted himself into contender status for his next fight versus Thiago Alves at UFC 130. His only setback in the last three years was against prospect John Hathaway in his UFC debut.
Since then, he has defeated fighters like Johny Hendricks, Dustin Hazelett, Jesse Lennox and Brian Foster.
A win over Alves will be a huge step in the division, and he has a very good chance of defeating the Brazilian muay-thai expert.
No. 4: Anthony Johnson (9-3)
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When Anthony Johnson takes on St. Pierre's teammate, Nate Marquardt, it will be a big moment for both fighters and especially Johnson. The two will be fighting at UFC Live on Versus.
Johnson has had cardio issues in the past, and his massive 50 lb. weight cuts may have something to do with it. This is something that he will need to get control over if he plans on facing a well-conditioned athlete like GSP.
Johnson's knockout power and highlight reel knockouts have helped make him one of the UFC's most exciting fighters in a division where wrestling is the dominant style for most.
If he is able to get a win over Marquardt, look for him to be thrust into a title shot later this year or in early 2012.
No. 3: Kim Dong-Hyun (14-0-1)
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Undefeated at 14-0-1 and 5-0-1 inside the UFC, Kim Dong-hyun is one of the best and new challengers to St. Pierre's crown.
He has wins over very tough opposition in Amir Sadollah, Nate Diaz, TJ Grant and Matt Brown.
If Kim can make it past his next opponent, Carlos Condit, he will probably be next in line for a title shot against GSP.
The only thing that may hold him back is his marketability in the United States. Still, he is the best fighter out of South Korea, and that could be the boost he needs to get the fight he wants.
No. 2: Carlos Condit (26-5)
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Former WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit is one of the most exciting challengers for St. Pierre, and his record shows why.
With 26 victories, he has had one win by decision. 12 have been by knockout, and 13 have been by submission.
His well-rounded game and fearless attitude towards his opponent makes for an exciting challenge if he makes it past his UFC 132 opponent Kim Dong-hyun.
He is recently coming off a first-round knockout over former title challenger Dan Hardy. St. Pierre took Hardy the distance while Condit finished him off very quickly with one punch in front of his opponent's hometown fans.
No. 1: Nick Diaz (25-7)
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It's the biggest fight that can be made right now in the welterweight division. UFC champion versus Strikeforce champion; it's the fight that fans want to see.
Current Stikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz' recently saw his teammate, Jake Shields, lose a unanimous decision to the UFC welterweight champion, and he wants redemption for Shields and his camp.
Nobody in the division has proven they could offer a different and more dangerous challenge to the pound-for-pound Canadian superstar than Diaz at the moment.
This would be one of the most highly-anticipated fights ever made in the division, and it needs to happen now.
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