UFC on Versus 5 Results: Ranking the Top 15 Welterweights in the UFC

With five welterweight bouts having taken place in the past eight days, at UFC 133 and last night at UFC on Versus 5, now is a good time to examine the hierarchy at 170.

Did any of the winners make the cut? Did any losers drop off? Read on.

This list is expanded to include the top 15 welterweights, given that the very top of the division is somewhat static (at least for the moment). Please also note that this covers the UFC only. 

15. Anthony Johnson

Record: 9-3

Anthony “Rumble” Johnson has had one weird career. Recently, repeated injuries have conspired to limit Johnson to three fights in the past two years. Nevertheless, Rumble’s formidable size and power make him a load for any opponent at 170.

We’ll see if he can extend his winning streak to two when he steps into the cage Oct. 1 against flavor of the month, Charlie Brenneman. For Johnson, the stepping in part is half the battle.

14. Matt Hughes

Record: 45-8

Hard to believe it has been almost a year since B.J. Penn tore through Hughes in their third and decisive collision.

Hughes has taken a more relaxed fighting schedule of late, having not faced anyone since Penn. He'll return to action this November to face a tough (and crazy) opponent in Diego Sanchez.

The capacity of the 37-year-old legend to even approach the insane energy level of Sanchez will say a lot about his MMA future.

13. Charlie Brenneman

Record: 14-2

Don’t save me a seat on the Charlie Brenneman bandwagon just yet. I'm just fine over here in the sidecar.

Sure, I was impressed when, on just a few hours’ notice, Brenneman out-wrestled Rick Story in front of a friendly home-state crowd. His 14-2 record is also pretty gaudy, but there’s not much else on his resume yet to suggest he is a true contender.

He’s up here for now solely on the strength of that great Story—uh, story. But I’m still not convinced he’ll be here for the long haul. He’ll have a great chance to prove me wrong this fall against Anthony Johnson.

12. Rory MacDonald

Record: 12-1

Welcome to the big time, Rory MacDonald.

After a machine-like destruction of Mike Pyle at UFC 133, MacDonald is No. 12 with a bullet. His next opponent has yet to be named, but a rematch with Carlos Condit—the only man to ever defeat him, and it was a narrow defeat at that—is a tantalizing proposition.

11. Thiago Alves

Record:  18-8

Alves is 1-3 in his last four engagements, but those shortfalls came at the hands of some talented practitioners. Yes, he lost to Rick Story, who is not on this list, but Alves has a few more scalps on his resume than does Story, who in his last fight dropped a surprise decision to Brenneman.

A large and fierce Muay Thai striker, Alves is fun to watch, and as such will probably enjoy a long leash from UFC brass (provided, of course, that he can make weight consistently).  

But the UFC powers that be did him no favors by pairing him with Congo-born wrecking machine Papy Abedi, who will make his Octagon debut against Alves in November.

It’s got all the makings of a trap for Thiago, as a win won’t improve his position greatly and a loss to a relative unknown in Abedi would further damage his public standing.

10. Jake Ellenberger

Record:  25-5

The good news is that, after winning four straight, Jake Ellenberger is ready for his close-up. The bad news is, it means he has to fight Jake Shields.

It will be interesting to see if the thunder-fisted Ellenberger can get over on Shields’ smothering jiu-jitsu.

9. Martin Kampmann

Record:  17-5

The charismatic kickboxer has dropped two in a row, even though he didn’t look too bad in the effort. In his March loss to Diego Sanchez, it was Sanchez who left the Octagon looking like he’d fallen into a vat of V-8.

Regardless of your opinion on that outcome, it is strange that an immediate rematch did not materialize. In the meantime, though, a date between Kampmann and Jon Fitch may be in the works.

8. Diego Sanchez

Record: 23-4

Look out, Chris Lytle.

The newly minted record-holder for the most fight-night bonuses may already be vulnerable, especially if Diego Sanchez keeps performing as he has in his six prior engagements, in which he has garnered four Fight of the Night honors.

His 2-1 record since returning to 170 includes victories over very tough opponents in Paulo Thiago and Kampmann. A win this November over Matt Hughes wouldn’t exactly vault him into the welterweight ionosphere, but would be another solid step forward for one of the UFC’s most intense competitors.

7. Carlos Condit

Record: 27-5

Carlos Condit isn’t just winning; he’s crushing.

In his last two fights, against Dan Hardy and the very strong Dong Hyun Kim, Condit has dominated, finishing each fight in the first round en route to Knockout of the Night bonuses.

In the fight before that, he stopped MacDonald in the third round in a Fight of the Night effort that is looking more and more impressive with the passage of time.

His fight this October with B.J. Penn should be ever so slightly entertaining.

6. Josh Koscheck

Record: 15-5

I wonder if the division’s second-best wrestler is mad that, with the arrival of Nick Diaz, he’s no longer “the bad boy” in the UFC's welterweight class. I wonder if that keeps him up at night. 

Recovering nicely from an operation to repair the broken face (excuse the medical jargon) he suffered against Georges St-Pierre, Koscheck is expected to stage his next fight at middleweight. He stays on this list, however, because he is expected to return to 170 afterward.

5. B.J. Penn

Record: 16-7-2

The former welterweight champ has staged a couple of great battles in his career with the division’s current top two.

After Penn dispatched Hughes and took Jon Fitch to a draw, the UFC rewarded him with Carlos Condit. So it goes. One has to think a Penn victory would all but guarantee a rematch with Fitch.

4. Nick Diaz

Record: 25-7-1

It’s hard to find new things to say about Nick Diaz. Either you love him or you hate him. He either deserves a much higher ranking, or a much lower one.

Regardless, though, it’s Diaz and his razor-sharp boxing and Gracie jiu-jitsu that Dana White chose to next challenge Georges St-Pierre. It even rises to the level of a super-fight in the eyes of some because it pits the most recent Strikeforce champion against the current UFC belt-holder.

Either way, given that Diaz won and thrice defended the Strikeforce belt and currently rides a 10-fight winning streak, it’s hard to argue with the logic.

3. Jake Shields

Record: 26-5-1

Shields’ crazy 15-fight win streak was halted against GSP. But he’ll have a chance to get back on the horse against Jake Ellenberger.

The young knockout artist will present a stylistic challenge to the methodical submission artist in Shields. But with wins over noted strikers Condit, Paul Daley, Robbie Lawler and Martin Kampmann on his resume, something tells me he’ll be prepared.

2. Jon Fitch

Record: 23-3-1-1

How do you solve a problem like Jonathan Parker Fitch?

If you’re the UFC, you sweep it under the rug and pretend you can’t hear it tweeting. You can almost imagine Dana White in his office, fingers jammed into ears, exclaiming “La la la la la! I can’t hear boring fighters when they talk, Jon Fitch!”

So while the Condits and the Shields and the Penns of the world duke it out for the next title shot, Fitch stands idle. I know that he’s injured, but it’s clear he feels ignored even despite that circumstance. 

And it’s a shame, too. The division’s best wrestler hasn’t lost to anyone not named Georges in nine years, and deserves to fight for a title shot when he returns, even if most people will use the opportunity to go make a sandwich.

1. Georges St-Pierre

Record: 22-2

Duh.