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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
We’re back on the rotation in our “Keeping Tabs On…” series, where we break down the UFC’s Top 15 ranked fighters in each division. We'll let you know where we've got them ranked, what they've got coming up, how often they've been competing, what we've said about them recently at MMATorch, and more. We continue today with the middleweight division.
1. Johny Hendricks
MMATorch Rank: 1 Next Fight: Robbie Lawler, UFC 171, March 15 Previous Fight: Georges St-Pierre (Loss), UFC 167 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 7 Contender Status: Fighting for vacant title What We're Saying: "Hendricks is all about confidence, and his ability to back that up in the cage is a big part of him being in this position. He clearly believes he's simply better than Robbie Lawler, but he's not going to let himself overlook what Lawler is able to do. He'll figure out ways he can take advantage of the things that Lawler does, and he'll try to implement that come March 15. If he can follow through, he'll capture that title that he's been solely focused on for the last couple of years. If he can't, he'll fall victim to the upset." - Jamie Penick
2. Carlos Condit
MMATorch Rank: 2 Next Fight: Tyron Woodley, UFC 171, March 15 Previous Fight: Martin Kampmann (win), UFC Fight Night 27 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 5 Contender Status: Rising, back on track and a fight or two away from another shot What We're Saying: "This is a real interesting and potentially dangerous fight for Condit. Given it's only a three round matchup, he's going to have to implement his game right off the bat, and not allow Woodley to dictate the pace and put him on the ground like a number of fighters have in the past." - Jamie Penick
3. Robbie Lawler
MMATorch Rank: 3 Next Fight: Johny Hendricks, UFC 171, March 15 Previous Fight: Rory MacDonald (Win), UFC 167 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 7 Contender Status: Fighting for vacant title What We're Saying: "Lawler has had a change of attitude since coming back to the UFC, and he's taking care of things in the cage much better than he had been doing in his Strikeforce run. He was unreliable in Strikeforce at best, and seemed to be in a rapid decline during that run. But he's always had flashes of brilliance. He can be amongst the most violent finishers in the sport when he's at his best, and he's got one hell of a highlight reel." - Jamie Penick
4. Rory MacDonald
MMATorch Rank: 4 Next Fight: TBA Previous Fight: Demian Maia (Win), UFC 170 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 7 Contender Status: Rising, could be in contention soon What We're Saying: "MacDonald took the decision after losing the first round to Maia. I wouldn't exactly call this a great win, but it was good and solid. He still has to do more if he wants to get that hype train back on the tracks, though. A couple more performances like this and he does it, but we need to see this MacDonald again." - Frank Hyden
5. Jake Ellenberger
MMATorch Rank: 6 Next Fight: Tarec Saffiedine, UFC 172, April 26 Previous Fight: Rory MacDonald (Loss), UFC on Fox 8 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 8 Contender Status: Falling, loss to MacDonald set him back significantly What We're Saying: "As for Ellenberger, he hopes to rebound from a decision loss to Rory MacDonald last July, a fight in which he'd likely agree he had his worst UFC performance to date. Prior to that, he himself had knocked out the aforementioned Marquardt." - Jamie Penick
6. Jake Shields
MMATorch Rank: 7 Next Fight: Hector Lombard, UFC 171, March 15 Previous Fight: Demian Maia (Win), UFC Fight Night 29 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 6 Contender Status: Rising, but still a long way from a second UFC Title bout What We're Saying: "This is a really big fight for both Shields and Lombard, but it's not a No. 1 contender fight. The winner could move into a No. 1 contender type fight, perhaps against Rory MacDonald later in the year, but it's not a title eliminator by itself. While it's true that Condit lost to both GSP and Hendricks, he had close fights with both, and things could have been different with five rounds against Hendricks. That's what he's stuck behind, and he'll need another win to get a title fight after Lombard." - Jamie Penick
7. Demian Maia
MMATorch Rank: 9 Next Fight: TBA Previous Fight: Rory MacDonald (Loss), UFC 170 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 8 Contender Status: Falling, consecutive losses have him way back in the line What We're Saying: "He started off strong in the fight, he really did, but it wasn't something he was able to keep up for the full 15 minutes, and to MacDonald's credit it was because of what he did as well. Maia remains a top flight welterweight, but this was a big setback for him, and he'll need to rebound in a big way if he wants to attempt another run towards title contention." - Jamie Penick
8. Matt Brown
MMATorch Rank: 10 Next Fight: Erick Silva, UFC Fight Night 40, May 10 Previous Fight: Mike Pyle (Win), UFC Fight Night 26 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 8 Contender Status: Rising, incredibly may only be a fight or two away What We're Saying: "This should be an exciting welterweight fight, no question, but it's a bit dubious as a main event. Brown-MacDonald would have worked in that slot, but Silva getting a main event fight just two bouts removed from the Kim KO loss and off a squash match with Sato just doesn't add up to a sensible decision. It should be extremely violent and almost certainly guarantees a finish, but it's a step down for Brown when he's nearing title contention." - Jamie Penick
9. Tarec Saffiedine
MMATorch Rank: 12 Next Fight: Jake Ellenberger, UFC 172, April 26 Previous Fight: Hyun Gyu Lim, UFC Fight Night 34 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 4 Contender Status: Rising, but needs to do more to get into contention What We're Saying: "Saffiedine's win over Lim was his first in the UFC, following up on a win over Nate Marquardt to capture the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship in the final fight in that organization's history." - Jamie Penick
10. Dong Hyun Kim
MMATorch Rank: 13 Next Fight: TBA Previous Fight: John Hathaway (Win), TUF: China Finale Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 5 Contender Status: Rising, string of finishes has him in the “mix” What We're Saying: "If you're an exciting finisher within the UFC you always have a chance to be a contender. Do I think that Dong Hyun Kim will be fighting for the belt anytime in the near future? No. While his new fighting style is fan friendly for those who like sloppy brawling, he leaves himself open for countershots and a skilled technical fighter will pick him apart. However, if Kim can make a transition from brawling to a more polished striker he could be dangerous. The hands down and chin out style he has employed lately is a recipe for disaster." - Cash Norman
11. Tyron Woodley
MMATorch Rank: 11 Next Fight: Carlos Condit, UFC 171, March 15 Previous Fight: Josh Koscheck (Win), UFC 167 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 5 Contender Status: Rising, could catapult up with an upset over Condit What We're Saying: "The continued use of "point fighter" in regards to Condit is just laughable, and the only fight you can levy that criticism against him for was the Diaz bout. Beyond that, Condit has one of the highest finishing rates in the sport in his wins, and his last fight saw him demolish Martin Kampmann for a vicious stoppage. And for Woodley of all people to make that comment is even more ridiculous given the way he's won a majority of his fights. Regardless, it's true that he stepped up for this fight, and if he defeats Condit in impressive fashion, then he might get consideration over several fighters." - Jamie Penick
12. Hector Lombard
MMATorch Rank: 8 Next Fight: Jake Shields, UFC 171, March 15 Previous Fight: Nate Marquardt (Win), UFC 166 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 4 Contender Status: Rising, could be a contender within a couple wins What We're Saying: "This is a major fight for both Lombard and Shields. Another decisive win for Lombard could quickly put him in contention at welterweight, while another big win for Shields can continue moving him forward." - Jamie Penick
13. Mike Pyle
MMATorch Rank: Not Ranked (received votes) Next Fight: TBA Previous Fight: T.J. Waldburger (Win), UFC 170 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 6 Contender Status: Rising again, but still just in the middle of the pack What We're Saying: "Pyle got the stoppage in the third round in a fight that was never really in doubt. Pyle controlled the fight. Waldburger did well at times, but you never got the sense that Pyle was in danger of losing. Referee Herb Dean didn't stop the fight until Waldburger had taken much more abuse that he should have. I thought that was much worse than the stoppage in the main event, which I thought was a good stoppage." - Frank Hyden
14. Rick Story
MMATorch Rank: Not Ranked (received votes) Next Fight: Kelvin Gastelum, UFC 171, March 15 Previous Fight: Brian Ebersole (Win), UFC 167 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 5 Contender Status: Stagnant, too inconsistent to make a run right now What We're Saying: "[Story] got back into the win column in his last outing. The inconsistent Story defeated Quinn Mulhern by TKO in March of last year, but lost a split decision to Mike Pyle in his next outing in May. He then defeated Brian Ebersole by decision at UFC 167 in November." - Jamie Penick
15. Josh Koscheck
MMATorch Rank: Not Ranked Next Fight: TBA Previous Fight: Tyron Woodley (Loss), UFC 167 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 4 Contender Status: Falling, unlikely to fight for a title again What We're Saying: "Koscheck's on the decline, and he's gotten beat handily in two straight fights now. While he might be able to find a bounce back win against the right opponent, his chin is going out on him, and he continues to leave himself open for the kill shot. He took a ton of damage in that fight with Woodley, and if that's opened his eyes to retirement, that's the right move. If not, hopefully for his sake he doesn't get knocked out in vicious fashion should he come back for another fight." - Jamie Penick
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
Interested in joining MMATorch's writing team? Send idea for a theme to your column (for Specialist section) or area of interest (i.e. TV Reporter) along with a sample of writing to mmatorch@gmail.com.
