UFC 133 Results: Ranking the Top 10 Welterweights in the UFC

At UFC 133, Rory MacDonald continued his meteoric rise to the top of the welterweight division with a first round thrashing of veteran Mike Pyle.

Brian Ebersole also represented the welterweight division well, as he defeated Dennis Hallman in the opening stanza of their bout. After having his back taken almost immediately, Ebersole reversed Halmman and blasted the speedo-wearing veteran with elbows.

With UFC 133 in the books, let's see if either of these two rising contenders did enough to break into the top 10 of the welterweight division.

10. Jake Ellenberger

Jake Ellenberger has won eight of his last nine fights. Ellenberger's only loss during that three-year span came in a split decision against Carlos Condit.

In his next fight, Ellenberger will take a massive step up in competition to face Jake Shields. Should he win the fight, which will take place in September, Ellenberger could be extremely close to fighting for the belt.

9. Rory MacDonald

In his last three fights, Rory MacDonald has defeated Mike Pyle and Nate Diaz and has come seconds away from beating Carlos Condit.

It's still a little early to anoint MacDonald as the next Georges St-Pierre, but he is certainly taking the right path by training with the UFC Welterweight Champion at Tristar Gym.

A few more wins for each and the two Canadian phenoms could meet inside the Octagon with the belt on the line.

8. Carlos Condit

Carlos Condit has recorded two more knockouts since that come-from-behind finish against Rory MacDonald. With one more victory, Condit could find himself competing for the UFC Welterweight Championship.

That win will not come easily, as Condit is scheduled to fight former UFC champion B.J. Penn at UFC 137 in October.

7. Martin Kampmann

Martin Kampmann has lost two straight fights, but he really can't be penalized in the rankings very much for either defeat. Against Jake Shields and Diego Sanchez, Kampmann suffered controversial defeats in close fights.

Despite his recent run of bad luck, Kampmann still holds notable wins over Carlos Condit and Paulo Thiago.

6. Diego Sanchez

After a loss to John Hathaway in his return to welterweight, Diego Sanchez has earned back-to-back wins over Martin Kampmann and Paulo Thiago.

A win over Matt Hughes in his next fight wouldn't do much for Sanchez in these rankings, but it would definitely put him one step closer to a title shot.

5. Josh Koscheck

With his recent loss to Georges St-Pierre and legal rivalry with Stephan Bonnar, Josh Koscheck is considering a move to the middleweight division.

If Koscheck hopes to win a title before he retires, a move to 185 pounds could be the right one to make, as he is approaching his 34th birthday.

4. B.J. Penn

When he lost his UFC Lightweight Championship to Frankie Edgar, few thought of B.J. Penn as a fighter who could contend at welterweight again.

However, the former UFC Welterweight Champion has looked excellent in his first two fights since returning to 170 pounds. After a knockout win over Matt Hughes, Penn fought to a draw with elite welterweight Jon Fitch.

3. Jon Fitch

Jon Fitch's five-fight winning streak came to an end in his last fight against B.J. Penn, a bout that ended in a draw and caused a major setback in Fitch's campaign for a rematch with Georges St-Pierre.

A scheduled rematch between Fitch and Penn was scrapped when both fighters suffered injuries. While Penn has recovered and is now scheduled to fight Carlos Condit, Fitch is still rehabilitating.

2, Jake Shields

After putting together a winning streak of 15 fights over six years, Jake Shields finally tasted defeat in a title fight against UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre.

Now, Shields will look to rebound in a bout against Jake Ellenberger in September.

1. Georges St-Pierre

Coming off a win over one Cesar Gracie-trained former Strikeforce champion in Jake Shields, Georges St-Pierre will now set his sights on another Cesar Gracie-trained former Strikeforce champion by the name of Nick Diaz.

At this point, few fights of interest remain for St-Pierre. Time is beginning to tick down on the one St-Pierre fight that would draw a massive amount of interest,a superfight with UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva.

Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. Sean has also had his work featured on UFC.com. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.