The UFC’s welterweight division has been a mess since December of 2011. That was when the first knee injury derailed a Georges St. Pierre title defense, eventually forcing him out of the Octagon for an extended period of time. Since then, Carlos Condit has emerged as the interim champion, and a slew of contenders have taken their seats in the waiting room. Now, recent announcements have revealed the date that this weight class will potentially reach a point of clarity.
Circle the date of November 17th as the day that St. Pierre will face Condit to unify the 170-pound crown. UFC 154 in Montreal, Canada is expected to be the event that “Rush” will be returning to competition in the Octagon. And while this bout has not been put to paper and confirmed as of this time, it has been reported multiple times that St. Pierre was expected to return in November, barring any setbacks to his knee injury. The logjam that has slowed down the development of this weight class started at the top, and now the opportunity to correct the situation is in front of us.
Along with the title bout, a true number one contender will be named when Johny Hendricks and Martin Kampmann meet that same night. Both Kampmann and Hendricks have been on impressive runs as of late, as they’ve dispatched fighters who have been mainstays in the welterweight division for years. The winner of “Big Rig” vs. the “Hitman” will set up a true number one contender with the perfect fight schedule to take on the winner of the main event.
These potential matchups are also placed on the correct card, because if St. Pierre is forced out due to a setback with his knee, either Kampmann or Hendricks can be moved up to face Condit for his interim belt. Condit has called out Kampmann due to a 2009 loss he suffered to the Danish striker. Regardless of which fighter is chosen, either could be a suitable replacement to step into the main event if necessary.
UFC 154 would be the perfect end to a year that has seen the welterweight division ground to a halt due to injuries, suspensions, and fighters electing to sit on the sidelines. Once the event is over, we will be looking at a definitive champion and a number one contender to close out the year. From there, we can build towards a number of monumental fights in 2013 that will create some sure fire contenders, and give fans bouts that they want to see.
Recent winners Rory MacDonald, Erick Silva and Johny Hathaway sit on the outside looking in, and are now a solid two to three wins away from being considered true top contenders in the weight class. Even beyond these names, you have fighters such as Jake Ellenberger and Rick Story who can jump back into contention with big wins against fighters such as Josh Koscheck or Jon Fitch, who may be coming off losses, but are long-time ranked fighters at 170.
While the main event of UFC 154 is not 100 percent confirmed, the planned matchups of St. Pierre vs. Condit and Hendricks vs. Kampmann will not only bring a close to a dragging 11 months in the welterweight division; it will finally shed some light on where the division should go in the future.
