Bellator Welterweight Division Rankings

Top Bellator Welterweight Fighter Rankings:

1. Ben Askren - (10-0, 7-0 BFC) - With just three fights under his belt before making his Bellator debut, the former U.S. Olympic wrestler won Bellator's Season 2 Welterweight Tournament beating Dan Hornbuckle by decision at Bellator 22. He followed the win by defeating Champion Lyman Good at Bellator 33 by decision and has defended his title once defeating Jay Hieron last Fall by split decision. While Askren is 10-0 and the 170 lb Champion for Bellator, his inability to finish top-level competition will undoubtedly be brought up by his critics, ProFighting-fans.com included. However, few fighters can bring in an obvious game plan to each fight and thoroughly dominate the way Askren dominated Douglas Lima at Bellator 64. Until someone proves they can beat him at his own game, or fend off his takedowns, Askren is the kingpin of Bellator's 170 lb division and deserves a spot in the worldwide Top 10 rankings of MMA Welterweights.

2. Jay Hieron - (22-5, 3-1 BFC) - A UFC, WEC, Strikeforce and Affliction veteran, Jay Hieron competed in Bellator's Season 4 Welterweight Tournament scoring wins over Anthony Lapsley, Brent Weedman and Rick Hawn to earn a title shot at reigning Champ Ben Askren. When all was said and done Askren scored a 48-47 win on two judges' scorecards with Hieron 48-47 on the other. While the split decision loss caused some controversy and calls for a rematch, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney remained solid in the promotion's format requiring winning a season tournament for a title shot, close decision or not. We are hoping to see Hieron in a future Bellator Welterweight Tournament, maybe as soon as the Fall of 2012.

3. Douglas Lima - (21-5, 3-1 BFC) - Undefeated in his last 9 fights prior to Bellator 64, Douglas Limashowed that the pre Bellator Season 5 Welterweight Tournament hype was warranted, but when matched up with Askren he was highly overmatched. With the loss expect to see Lima in a future Bellator Welterweight Tournament, hopefully along with Jay Hieron in the Fall of 2012.

4. Ben Saunders - (13-4-2, 4-1 BFC) – Ben "Killa B" Saunders is one of Bellator's highest profile fighters sporting a resume that is hard to match. After a 4-3 stint with the UFC, Saunders signed with Bellator winning his first three inside the Bellator cage, finishing each opponent, before a KO loss to Douglas Lima at Bellator 57 in November 2011. Now with a win under his belt in Bellator's Season 6 Welterweight Tournament, Saunders has his eye on a title shot against Ben Askren.

5. Karl Amoussou - (14-4-2, 4-2 BFC) - Amoussou, a veteran of M-1 Global and Strikeforce, joined Bellator's Season 6 Welterweight Tournament with an impressive finish of Bellator vet Chris Lozano at Bellator 63. After reversing position on the ground Amoussou locked in a rear naked choke and will face undefeated David Rickels at Bellator 67 with the winner advancing to the finals.

Ben Askren (left) scored a split decision win over Jay Hieron (right) at Bellator 56 and followed with a dominant win over Douglas Lima in his 2nd title defense.

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Honorable Mention: Bryan Baker, Brian Foster, David Rickels, Luis Santos