There isn’t a lot of argument that the UFC’s lightweight division is the most stacked and dominant in the company, but it hasn’t always been that way. Division power comes and goes with big names and big fights and as the UFC continues to grow, so does each division.
The lightweight division has now been viewed as one of the best for a couple of years now thanks largely to the merger of the UFC and the WEC, which has seen the likes of Donald Cerrone, Danny Castillo, Anthony Njokuani, Anthony Pettis and current UFC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson all come over to the already deep division.
I remember hearing about the UFC’s light heavyweight division being the organization’s most dominant just a few years ago.
It seemed every time we looked, a new, talented challenger emerged and was beginning to look like the “next big thing.” Guys like Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida, Tito Ortiz, Forrest Griffin, Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva, Brandon Vera, Rampage Jackson, Thiago Silva, Shogun Rua, Chuck Liddell, and the list goes on and on, but my, how the mighty have fallen.
Today, many consider the light heavyweight division to be one of the weakest in the UFC. The main question is: what makes a division the most dominant?
Is it how top heavyweight it is or how deep it is? I would say it takes both and that’s why I believe that by the beginning of 2013, the UFC’s welterweight division will become the UFC’s most dominant.
I’ll start right at the top with reigning champion Georges St-Pierre. He is currently working his way back from a torn ACL, but he is planning on returning this November. GSP recently turned 31, which is in no way young, but, really isn’t that old neither. The way St-Pierre trains and takes very good care of himself outside the cage, he could have anywhere from three to six more years left inside the octagon.
Now, let’s take a look at the next five guys on top of the welterweight division: Carlos Condit, Martin Kampmann, Johny Hendricks, Nick Diaz and Jake Ellenberger.
Condit, who is currently the UFC Interim Welterweight Champion, is only 28 years old and is one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC. Nicknamed “The Natural Born Killer,” and for good reason, Condit holds 28 professional MMA wins, 13 by knockout and 13 by submission. He’s coming off arguably the biggest win of his career defeating Nick Diaz to become the UFC Interim Welterweight Champion and he’s scheduled to face St-Pierre for the undisputed Welterweight Championship in November.
Kampmann, 30, is scheduled to face Hendricks, 28, at the same event to name a new UFC welterweight No. 1 contender. Ellenberger, 27, is coming off a KO loss to Hendricks, but was riding a six-fight winning streak before the loss and could get right back into the title mix with another win.
Nick Diaz has fought all across the globe and is a former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion. While his attitude and actions have many worried about his future, there is no doubt in my mind we’ll see Diaz back in the UFC sometime in 2013. Believe it or not, Diaz is still only 28 years old.
So, the division is without question one of the most top heavy when it comes to the top six guys, but that’s not what separates the welterweight division from the others. No, that’s the talented group of young, scary and talented fighters in the middle.
It starts with Rory MacDonald, who is scheduled to fight former UFC Lightweight Champion B.J. Penn in what will be the biggest test of his young career. MacDonald could very easily be the UFC Interim Champion today if he defeated Condit back in 2010. He was about 10 seconds from doing so, but the fight was stopped after MacDonald was rocked by a flurry from Condit. Since then, MacDonald has defeated Che Mills, Mike Pyle and Nate Diaz. A win over Penn will no doubt propel MacDonald from a young, up-and-comer to title contender overnight.
Other talent in the UFC welterweight division include Siyar Bahadurzada (28), Lance Benoist (23), John Hathaway (24), Erick Silva (27), Rick Story (28), Pascal Krauss (25), T.J. Waldburger (24), Matt Riddle (26) and Simeon Thorsesen (28). All of those guys hold at least one win in the UFC already and knowing Dana White and company, they’ll be looking to get the division more young talent as time goes on.
With all this said, you still can’t forget the so-called “other” guys which include former title contenders Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, B.J. Penn, Diego Sanchez, Thiago Alves and Dan Hardy as well as former middleweight title contender Demian Maia. The division also includes highly skilled veterans like Mike Pyle, Brian Ebersole, Mike Pierce, Dong Hyun Kim, Charlie Brenneman and Paulo Thiago.
As you can see, this division is absolutely stacked, which means get ready for some great fights and a lot of movement in the rankings as it appears we are currently moving into the age of the welterweights.
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