Top Welterweights

1. Layoff will tell us quite a lot.
2. Has proven himself to be #2
3. Don't see anyone else who deserves #3 more; I think he will beat Hitman
4. Very close to Ellenberger; needs to work on avoiding shots
5. Very close to Kampmann
6. Similar to Hendricks but with a little less power, slightly less solid chin
7. I think he deserves this spot; since '08, has finished Kampmann, Gouveia, Maia, Palhares and Woodley,      decisioned Miller, and lost decisions to Okami and Sonnen.
8. Definitely want to see more of Ares; can go places; I think he will beat Penn
9. Not much better than Sields imo, but still in the mix, just not for a title
10. Wasn't going to put Sanchez, and Silva did make quick work of Prater (NC, though) and Brenneman; can go places

Note: Not including Diaz due to no return 'till February at the least. Sanchez fights hard and is tough, but I don't see him as top 10 material, though he is close. No way I'm putting Askren.

Oh and Bahadurzada, Pierce, Story and Hatheway are getting better. Very interested in these guys. Alves is not consistent enough and needs to work on grappling. Shields is still close.

It's way too early to rank Erick Silva in the Top 10.  And I don't see Hendricks beating Kampmann, Ellenberger or MacDonald, either.  And he will never beat Jon Fitch again, either.

Where is Nick Diaz? Is he not included because of the suspension or is he not in ur top ten?

Didn't Condit beat Diaz?

Shields? SHIELDS? SHIIIEEELDSS???

@Bill    whether Hendricks "will" or will not beat fitch again he still did so should he not still be ranked over Fitch until they atleast fight again?

@putaforkinya  Well, according to most members here, he is.  But I rank according to career, for the most part.  For some members here to omit Jon Fitch based on 1 SINGLE FIGHT is obscene and criminal.

It also speaks to their sense of fair play.  Fitch was universally ranked #2 until he got caught by Hendricks, and now is omitted from the Top 10????  I DON"T THINK SO!

Hendricks could barely handle Kos, and yet, some feel he should go #3.  Unfathomable.  The house clearly dislikes Fitch due to his style, and were only waiting for any excuse to either drop him out of the Top 10 or dump him entirely.

I just don't get it.  My own listing is obviously out of date.  I must put BJ back in there.  I wasn't sure if he was coming back.

To rank Hendricks over Fitch until they fight again, would be like having ranked Serra over GSP until they fought again, ignoring their past fight history.  Career history should still count for something, and it still does with thoughtful rankers.

* Edited at 07.17.2012, 9:43 AM ET *

If Kos all but drew with Hendricks, and many felt he beat him, how can there be several fighters in-between them?  

Would not logic suggest that even though the refs gave a controversial decision to Hendricks, that Kos' vastly superior past fight history should rank him above Hendricks?  Were is the overall balance?  Where is the big picture?

Many insist Kos beat Hendricks due to controlling him on the ground and that last take-down.  So, how can there be several people separating them on some people's lists?  

* Edited at 07.17.2012, 9:51 AM ET *

I'm leaving Nick Diaz in mine until he's actually had a year of inactivity, and I'll leave Shields at 170 as well until the week of his Ed Herman fight.

Bill Burgess....I like your inclusion of Hathaway.  He'd be in my 10 spot if I removed Diaz and Shields.  His last couple of fights have been a bit lackluster, but his overall record is very impressive.  I expect he'll be competing for the title in a couple of years.

* Edited at 07.17.2012, 10:55 AM ET *

I disagree strongly with Nate being in the 10 spot with a single win at welter weight against a guy who not in the top 10. I dont understand how beating Woodly makes nate a top 10 welter weight. Woodly not that good. He decent but loves to lay and pray.  I think there number of guys more deserving of the spot then nate.

I considered Woodley to be a top 15 guy.  Top 20 at worst.  Considering Nate's overall accomplishments, combined with how he finished it, and the fact that he's now the Strikeforce champ, I think number 10 is reasonable.

It not reasonable at all when you exclude people like alves, sanchez ect. And put Nate who prior to that fight was on a 2 fight losing streak.  And only has a single win at welter weight against a top 20 opponent? I am sorry but that is an absurd reach. There one thing to think he will become top 10, it another thing to place him in there over a single win against Woodly who dropped him twice.......... Woodly the same guy who had to lay and pray a number of opponents who were far cry from top 10. In the most stacked division in the world no less. There is no way in hell a single win over woodly should even be argued that nate should be rank in the top 10 over people like alves.

Also notice that Franklin is not ranked in your top 10 middle weights which I find amusing givng your reasoning for nate being top 10 welter weight. because Franklin has actually dominated at middle weight losing to only anderson.  His last win was victory over wanderlie>woodly in a weaker division no less. But some how Nate who was never a UFC champnion and only has a single victory at welter weight is ranked in the top 10.......does not add up at all



You must like nate a lot

* Edited at 07.17.2012, 12:58 PM ET *

Nate was not on a two-fight losing streak. Before the Woodley win he was coming off a UD win over Dan Miller at 185 in the UFC. Before the Miller win, he lost a Decision to Okami, and before that he KO'd Palhares in the first round. In fact, Nate has never lost 2 fights in a row in his entire career. 

Besides that, you have to understand that not everyone makes their rankings based on MMA Math, but rather on who, skill-wise, they think the top ten in any given division are, or a combination of who they've actually beaten in the division and how good they think the fighter is compared to the others. He may not have the accomplishments of Thiago Alves or Diego Sanchez at 170, but he would probably destroy Sanchez and would likely be a solid favorite over Alves. 

* Edited at 07.17.2012, 1:03 PM ET *

 

Well said as usual @skelliher

You are correct about the two fight losing streak, I completely dropped the ball on that one. For that i apologies.  However still think it pretty big stretch to put a guy with a single win at wlter weight in the top 10 when it was not even against a guy remotely close to being a top 10 welter weight.  Could nate be a top 10 welter weight? deff. Does he deserve to be ranked there after beating woodly? hells no.

I don't think you're necessarily wrong. After all, Nate's not in my top ten because of exactly what you're saying, but all I'm saying is not everyone does their rankings by who someone has beaten in a given weight class, but rather how good they think they are compared to the other guys in that class. If I remade my rankings with my own opinion of Marquardt in mind compared to the top ten, I'd have him beating more than a few of the guys in my top ten. 

Also I dont think my rankings are accurate at all, I deff need to change them. Can't believe I still have BJ Penn in the top ten welter weights.

Well it seems I got here late, as skelliher has already given a great response, but I'll give my 2 cents anyway.

Franklin880088...As skelliher pointed out, Nate was not on a 2 fight losing streak.  He was still a top contender at 185 when he decided to drop down. 

Alves, while I'm a big fan, has been pretty inconsistent in the last couple of years.  He's only won 2 of his last 6, and those 2 wins were against Abedi and Howard, both of whom were far lower ranked than Woodley. 

Diego, I have just outside the top 10, though he really should be on a 2 fight losing streak right now with that gift decision against Kampmann (who Nate stopped in the first round), and that fight he dropped to Hathaway wasn't that long ago.  His win over Paulo was impressive, but Paulo has also fallen off a bit lately. 

As far as Franklin goes, I still rank him at LHW (or I would if Tapology still had him available there.)  His last fight was at 190, which is still technically within the light heavyweight class.  I'll add him at middleweight once he makes his official return.

I'm honestly not even a big fan of Marquardt.  He's a great fighter, but kind of a bland personality.  I just think winning one of Zuffa's titles against a solid opponent (whether he has a reputation of being boring or not), in the fashion that he did warrants a high ranking.  I've only got him at number 10 mind you.  It's not like I threw him into the top 5.