Carlos Condit Needs A Challenger

The top of the Welterweight division has been the topic of discussion since UFC 143 this past Saturday. From the methodical nature of Carlos Condit's decision win and Nick Diaz's lack of adaptability to Diaz's failed drug test. For now, I'm going to bypass those subjects and focus on the immediate future of the Interim Title. Considering the controversial nature of the decision, regardless of which side of the debate you fall on, a rematch with Nick Diaz was the best course of action. Now that a rematch is impossible we need to look forward. Personally, I don't see any reason to have an interim title if you're not going to keep the division moving in the meantime, so I'm discounting the possibility of Carlos waiting until he can fight Georges St. Pierre and looking at who should challenge him before GSP's return.

Winner of Jake Ellenberger vs. Diego Sanchez

This is the most relevant bout scheduled at the top of the division and is slated for UFC On Fuel 1 on February 15. Diego is on a two fight win streak. The first was against Paulo Thiago at UFC 121 where he recovered after a rough first round and out-paced Thiago to win a decision. The second win is highly contested. Diego took a unanimous decision against martin Kampmann in a fight many people thought he should have lost. However, Diego Sanchez has been a UFC mainstay since TUF 1 and at 30 years old probably does not have much longer to compete at the top of the division. Those factors and a win against Ellenberger could be enough to get him the nod for a shot at Condit's belt.

It will be no easy task for Diego to upset Jake Ellenberger though. Jake has been on a tear of his own since his split decision loss to Carlos Condit at UFN 19. He's won his last five outings, the last coming against former contender Jake Shields in a 53 second TKO victory. While Shields may not have been overly impressive in his three outings as a UFC fighter, his record speaks for itself and that win definitely puts Ellenberger at the top of the division. On top of that, the split decision loss adds some drama to the potential rematch. If Jake manages to defeat Sanchez, especially if he does it in impressive fashion, there is no reason not to make this fight while awaiting St. Pierre's return.

Follow after the jump to see the rest of the contenders.

Despite BJ Penns best efforts, Johny Hendricks became the man to dethrone Jon Fitch as the Welterweight Division's purgatorial number two. In only 12 seconds, Hendricks managed to TKO Fitch, who's only previous UFC loss was to reigning champion Georges St. Pierre. That alone puts him "in the mix". To add to it, Hendricks is on a solid 3 fight win streak including a win of Mike Pierce, who just took Josh Koscheck to a controversial decision and lost a split decision to Jon Fitch, as well. If the time allowed, I would prefer a match up between Hendrick's and the winner of Ellenberger vs. Sanchez, but with GSP's imminent return, there's not enough time for an interim title eliminator.

Winner of Martin Kammann Vs. Thiago Alves

Both of these fighters have been competing at the top of the division for some time now. However, Alves has already lost a decisive victory to the champ and Kampmann has had difficulty against top tier MMA talent. Barring extenuating circumstances, I don't see either of these guys getting the nod to fight Carlos for the interim belt. However, for Kampmann, his split decision win over the Condit would provide a back story for the match. And Alves returned with in impressive fashion with a first round TKO of Papy Abedi.

Honorable Mentions:

Rory MacDonald - Rory started his UFC career with a TKO loss to Carlos Condit. But, especially in this case, the record doesn't tell the whole story. Rory impressively stole two rounds from the veteran fighter before succumbing to a vicious third round beating that ended in a stoppage with only six seconds left in the bout. Since then, MacDonald has looked unstoppable as he put beatings on both Nate Diaz and Mike Pyle. It seems the UFC wants to take it slow with Rory's development at this point as he's already slated to face Che Mills at UFC 145. I'm a huge RoryMac mark, but I cannot argue that it's important for the 22 year old fighter to get some more experience before he's thrown in to deep waters again.

Josh Koscheck - Aside from the Diaz/Condit story of UFC 143, Koscheck also picked up a victory Saturday night. There's no doubt that Kos can still compete on the elite level, despite his lackluster win over Mike Pierce. Yet, Koscheck just lost to GSP in a one-sided orbital smashing that lasted 25 minutes. I don't see any way the UFC sets Koscheck up for another title fight any time soon.