Weighing In: The Welterweight Division

With the news that Mike Swick is out of UFC 103 WKR is bringing you another edition of "Weighing In" talking about the UFC's welterweight division.

If Martin Kampmann defeats Paul Daley he should receive a title shot.

E. Spencer Kyte: Absolutely; if he was going to get one by beating Swick, things don't change by beating Daley just because it's his UFC debut. While fans stuck in the UFC vacuum may not know who he is, Daley is a tough kid with a great record who has face some quality opponents over the years, including taking on Jake Shields for the EliteXC welterweight belt on the second CBS show. He's only lost twice in the last three years, once to Shields and once to Nick Thompson who is a very talented veteran in his own right.

Zak Woods: I really want to say yes but I am afraid that Daley and Condit (who would be Martin's big two welterweight wins) aren't big enough brands to feed the UFC hype machine for a title shot with Georges St. Pierre. I am not happy about writing this but I think Kampmann would have to win one more fight to achieve a title shot.

A welterweight who fights in September (Josh Koscheck, Frank Trigg, Carlos Condit, Brock Larson, Martin Kampmann) will earn a title shot.

Zak Woods: I think that the fighters with the highest probability of fighting for the title are fighting this month but it all depends upon on St. Pierre's recovery. If Georges isn't ready to go until the middle of 2010 then the chances are reduced for the September welterweights for achieving an immediate title shot. My bet is on the top two winners in September fighting for #1 contender in January.

E. Spencer Kyte: Because Kampmann is on the list I would say yes, but outside of the Kampmann - Daley tilt, the others would need at least one more win in my books. I don't think Trigg will get passed Koscheck and one win isn't going to be enough to get Kos another fight with GSP.

Condit is intriguing because he was the WEC welterweight champ and lost a tight decision to Kampmann in his UFC debut, but again, one win over a debuting UFC fighter isn't going to be enough.

Brock Larsen is the most under appreciated welterweight out there right now; the guy has two career losses and has looked outstanding since returning to the UFC, but he keeps getting preliminary card fights against mediocre competition. He's actually someone I can see giving GSP fits, in as much as anyone can give GSP fits, because he's got great wrestling. Koscheck would fit the bill too, but he's stopped being a wrestler and now relies on his striking too much.

Mike Swick's injury while unfortunate will prevent him from ever fighting for the title.

E. Spencer Kyte: Welcome to Yushin Okami territory! When you miss your chance, you miss your chance, and while that certainly sucks, it's the way things go. While he's on the shelf, someone is going to have a solid performance that gets people talking and leapfrog the injured Swick. People questioned before whether he was a true potential #1 contender and extra time off isn't going to help his cause moving forward.

Zak Woods: Yushin Okami? How about Karo Parisyan. I don't know what type of injury Swick sustained but he really needed this fight. There are simply too many great welterweight fighters in the UFC. How many chances will you have to rise to the top without running into some unfortunate loss like what happened to Karo with Thiago Alves. Simply put the 170lbs. division is the equivalent of running the gauntlet and Swick was right at that finish line but instead of getting to the title shot Mike landed on chance went directly to jail and did not collect $200 for passing Go.