By E. Spencer Kyte
Heading into last Saturday’s UFC 153, the welterweight division was stacked with contenders and potential title challengers. The group, like the rest of the MMA community, has fixed their gaze on next month’s title unification bout between returning champion Georges St-Pierre and interim titleholder Carlos Condit at UFC 154 in Montreal.
Following the event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, one week ago the depth of the division became even greater. Brimming with talent, the 170-pound ranks have never been as deep and intriguing as they are now. As such, the UFC should focus its attention on cultivating the match-ups that are waiting for them in welterweight division, rather than ruminating on a potential super-fight that would put the championship chase on hold once again.
The landscape in the welterweight division has changed dramatically since St-Pierre last competed. When he vanquished Jake Shields at UFC 129 in Toronto, the Canadian champion had effectively cleaned out the division. He’d beaten everyone in the upper echelon of the weight class, and had already started doubling up, having topped Josh Koscheck twice.
But that was 19 months ago, and St-Pierre hasn’t competed since then. Fights with Condit and Nick Diaz fell apart after consecutive knee injuries, a torn ACL requiring surgery at the end of last year. In his stead, Condit stepped up to claim the interim title, and a number of intriguing contenders have emerged to turn the 170-pound weight class into a highly competitive division once again, and one that needs to see its championship belt defended, not shelved.
Condit is going to get his long-awaited and well-earned opportunity to face St-Pierre next month in Montreal when “Rush” finally returns to the cage. As much as Condit’s decision to go on sabbatical after his controversial win over Diaz at UFC 143 was questioned, it set the table for others in the division to earn themselves a greater share of the spotlight. Now that both welterweight title-holders are ready to end their extended breaks, there is a myriad of competitors ready to make a push towards the top of the division.
On the same night that St-Pierre and Condit will go toe-to-toe to unify the welterweight titles, Martin Kampmann and Johny Hendricks will step into the Octagon before them to battle for the chance to face the main event winner.
Hendricks works his way to the top of the division with four consecutive victories, having most recently gone back-to-back against former title challengers Koscheck and Jon Fitch. The former middleweight Kampmann has used consecutive comeback wins to push his winning streak to three, and had a couple judges scored his two fights before that differently, “The Hitman” could have been riding a seven-fight run into UFC 154.
Regardless of who emerges victorious next month in Montreal, the winner will have done enough — consecutively and overall in his UFC career — to be able to fight for the welterweight title without having to endure a lengthy wait or, even worse, be forced to fight again while the championship sits on the shelf to accommodate a super-fight.
In addition to the UFC 154 welterweight contingent, there are a number of other 170-pound competitors jockeying for position. Some are older, more established fighters, while others are hungry, young newcomers to the welterweight championship chase.
Fitch and Demian Maia both inserted themselves in the conversation with impressive performances Saturday night in Rio at UFC 153. The former brought a halt to the rapid climb of Erick Silva, while the latter quickly became the first man to finish Rick Story, forcing a tap from the durable wrestler with a nasty squeeze that sent blood spurting from his nose.
While Fitch’s history in the division means he’s probably got a longer row to hoe, he’s talented enough to put together the necessary wins, and the increased aggressiveness we saw Saturday night could shorten the timetable. As for Maia, the Brazilian submission specialist could find himself on the fast track to contention if he puts up another first-round stoppage win next time out. He already needs to be considered for a place in the top 10, and looks to be a dangerous addition to the welterweight ranks.
Koscheck may have a pair of losses to St-Pierre on his record, but the trash-talking veteran remains a contender and a tough out in the middle of the division. After losing to Kampmann earlier this year, Jake Ellenberger got back in the win column earlier this month with a victory over Jay Hieron to push his record to 8-2 in the UFC. These two were initially slated to face-off at UFC 151, and will likely get the chance to square off once Koscheck is healthy and ready to return to action.
Young Canadian standout Rory MacDonald is quickly working his way into the title picture, having earned three consecutive victories after suffering the lone loss of his career to Condit at UFC 115. While his critics may argue that he’s yet to earn a win against elite competition, that could change in December when “Ares” takes on “The Prodigy” BJ Penn on the next FOX card.
Once the New Year arrives, suspended former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz should return to the mix as well, provided he isn’t serious about retiring from the sport. With his track record of success and his polarizing personality, the Stockton, California resident won’t be too far removed from title contention despite his year-long hiatus, and you can be sure fans are still interested in seeing Diaz step in the cage with St-Pierre after missing out on the marquee match-up twice already.
With a list of potential contenders like that already assembled, why press pause on the title chase? Next year has the potential to be an explosive time in the welterweight division, and after a year where not one, but two championships were held but not defended, fans are hungry to see championship bouts, and — more importantly — the fighters deserve the chance to chase their championship dreams.
E. Spencer Kyte is a regular contributor to ufc.com, UFC Magazine, and Fight Magazine, and writes the MMA blog Keyboard Kimura. Follow him on Twitter @spencerkyte.
