As I was wandering through cyberspace I landed at sherdog.com. Typically this is a site that I really enjoy. You can get up-to-date information on the sport of mma on their site. What I was reading today was their top 10 welterweights and who was sitting at number 6 on that list but none other than Paulo Thiago. I even read a fan post on mmajunkie.com that Thiago was 1 to 2 fights away from deserving a shot at GSP. Paulo Thiago? Are you kidding me? Sure he was 10-0 outside of the UFC but he was regarded as a rung on the ladder Koscheck was climbing to get to a title shot in the future before that fight. One flash KO and he is suddenly the 6th best 170 lb fighter in the world. Really? Sure it was an impressive win. Sure it should open people's eyes to what Thiago could potentially become. It does not make him the 6th best welterweight in the world. Included in his 10 fights were only 4 wins were against fighters with records above .500 in their mma careers: Luis Dutra, Ferrid Kheder, Leonardo Pecanha, and Igor Pakoto. Also included in those 10 fights were exactly 3 against fighters with more than 6 fights in their mma career: Dutra, Kheder, and Pecanha. Pakoto has 4 fights in his mma career. Now don't get me wrong,I am not putting down Thiagos' skills. This is not an indictment on the fighter he could become. Thiago could very well become a tremendous fighter and a title contender and I would like to see him get the chance to continue to build up his resume'. I am merely expressing my displeasure with fans and the media's need to make every fighter that pulls off an upset into one of the top fighters in their division immediately. Let him prove his skills at a top level a couple more times and then we can start talking about how high in the rankings he should be and how close he is to a title shot. Here are my top 10 Welterweights:
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Thiago Alves
4. Jake Shields
5.Carlos Condit
6. Marcus Davis
7. Mike Swick
8. Josh Koscheck
9. Matt Hughes
10. Nick Thompson