| 18 September 2010
Georges St-Pierre is the undisputed king of MMA's welterweight division (and I'm not just saying that because I am a fellow Canuck). But this hasn't always been the case, although that is hard to remember at this point. No, GSP is just the latest in a long line of legendary fighters to grace the 170lb weight class. And with St-Pierre as a coach on TUF 12 and B.J. Penn vs Matt Hughes, Part 3 on the way in a few months, now is as good a time as ever to rank the sport's all-time best at 170. So The MMA Manifesto has once again gathered up an illustrious voting panel and has determined, democratically, the five best welterweights in MMA history.
Voting panel: Jeff Fox from The MMA Manifesto, speeds from Sports Two's MMA Forum, hoops writer and MMA fan College Wolf from TWolves Blog and a couple of top performers from our MMA Pick 'Em Contest, Dave H and MMA Chiro.
Honourable Mention: B.J. Penn, Jon Fitch, Matt Serra
5) Jake Shields
Record: 25-4-1
Welterweight Titles Held: Rumble on the Rock Welterweight Tournament, Elite XC (2008, one successful title defense)
Notable Wins: Hayato Sakurai, Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, Paul Daley
"Jake Shields is another wrestler who lets his work ethic do the talking. If he can't finish his opponent, he makes sure he smothers them with his wrestling background, slowly breaking them down and making them fight at his pace, a valuable tool which St-Pierre and Hughes share - two of the game's best." - Dave H
"The grappler. Shooto, EliteXC, and Strikeforce Champion Jake Shields is one of the finest in two weight classes. His current 14-fight winning streak has spanned five years." - speeds
4) Royce Gracie
Record: 14-3-3
Welterweight Titles Held: UFC 1, 2 & 4 Tournament winner, UFC Hall of Fame
Notable Wins: Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Kazushi Sakuraba
"The O.G.. Befuddled his larger opponents with Gracie BJJ and general nastiness. If he'd retired in 1995 after drawing Ken Shamrock, he might be regarded as the GOAT. A second stint in PRIDE and the UFC that included some funny business in Japan as well as a positive steroids test sullied his resume and reputation." - speeds
"The hardest fighter to rank has to be MMA pioneer Royce Gracie. The lack of weight classes back in his time make it difficult to determine what group of fighters to rank him with (we went with welterweight since he fought at about 176lbs during his career). Plus, the lack of quality opposition back in the early days of the UFC make it hard to determine how good Gracie really was. But make no mistake about it, the sport wouldn't be where it is today if it wasn't for Gracie, who was a real-life David slaying the Goliaths of his day." - Jeff Fox
3) Pat Miletich
Record: 29-7-2
Welterweight Titles Held: UFC Welterweight Championship (1998-2001, four successful title defenses), UFC 16 Lightweight Tournament (for fighters 170lbs and under)
Notable Wins: Shonie Carter (twice), Kenichi Yamamoto
"When one thinks of the welterweight division, many remember the first UFC Welterweight Champion, Pat Miletich. While Miletich hasn't fought in two years, his spirit lives on through his gym where he trains both fighters and the next crop of MMA superstars. Tim Sylvia, Matt Hughes, Jens Pulver and Robbie Lawler are among the many trainees that have received knowledge from this globetrotter of the welterweight division." - Dave H
"Pat Militech's resume could be even more outstanding if he had been given, as expected, a rematch against Carlos Newton, the man who took his championship belt from him in 2001. Instead, Dana White gave the title shot to Miletich's protege Matt Hughes, who won the belt and basically kept it around his waist until 2006, ending any hope for Miletich to ever challenge for it again. Nonetheless, Miletich's accomplishments in the cage are legendary, only topped by his even more legendary accomplishments as a coach/trainer. Here's hoping the UFC does the right thing and puts him in the Hall of Fame." - Jeff Fox
2) Matt Hughes
Record: 45-7
Welterweight Titles Held: UFC Welterweight Championship (2001-2004, five successful title defenses; 2004-2006, two successful title defenses), most wins in UFC history (18), UFC Hall of Fame
Notable Wins: Akihiro Gono, Carlos Newton (twice), Hayato Sakurai, Sean Sherk, Georges St-Pierre, Royce Gracie, B.J. Penn, Renzo Gracie
"Longevity. One simple word that can describe Matt Hughes. Hughes has been around since 1998, and in his 12-year career, which is still going strong, Hughes has gone through it the whole time with a blue collar work ethic which paid off for him in every way imaginable. With holding such accomplishments as listed above, one can't ignore that Hughes has been one of the most consistent and hard-working competitors in the game. Always one to entertain the fans with interesting fights, Hughes is currently taking it one fight at a time, while quietly amassing a three-fight win streak in the process." - Dave H
"The legend. Two two-year title runs, two six-fight winning streaks, a finishing rate of 78%, 18 career UFC wins and a spot in the Hall of Fame. What more can you require?" - speeds
1) Georges St-Pierre
Record: 20-2
Welterweight Titles Held: UCC Welterweight Champion (2002-2003, one successful title defense), UFC Welterweight Championship (2006-2007, no successful title defenses; 2007-present, six successful title defenses)
Notable Wins: Sean Sherk, B.J. Penn (twice), Matt Hughes (twice), Matt Serra, Jon Fitch
"The most impressive stat of them all? (The above accomplishments) have all been done by the age of 29. Georges St-Pierre is the definiton of a pure athlete. With a background in wrestling, as well as having multiple black belt in Kyokushin, Gaidojutsu and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, St-Pierre jumped into the sport in 2002. In 2004 St-Pierre made his UFC debut and quickly showed fans why he was there. Over the past eight years St-Pierre has gone through the who's who of the welterweight division, gaining himself a 14-2 record while avenging the only two losses of his professional career in the process. While future super battles with Anderson Silva and the 2012 Olympics are on every fans' mind, St-Pierre takes his approach to the sport one day at a time and soaks up as much knowledge in the process. He is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world as well as garnishing my number one spot for best welterweight of all time." - Dave H
"The blueprint. Has consistently battled and defeated the best of the welterweight division, arguably the deepest division in MMA, his entire UFC career. Two titles, four defences and counting, and no end in sight. Crushed champions Matt Hughes and BJ Penn twice. GSP sets the standard for the modern MMA fighter." - speeds
"He's technically and athletically superior to all challengers, as it looks like there won't be anyone to take the title from him in the near to distant future." - College Wolf
"Considering he's not even in his thirties yet and he is as determined and serious about his craft as ever, when all is said and done, Georges St-Pierre just might go down as the greatest pound-for-pound fighter of all-time." - Jeff Fox
Previous "Five Best" Lists: Five Best Lightweights of All-Time, Five Best Non-UFC Fighters, Five Best The Ultimate Fighter Casts.
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