Welterweight
1. Tyron Woodley (16-3)
A year and a half away from the cage meant nothing to Woodley at UFC 201 in Atlanta, as “The Chosen One” looked positively destined in the Octagon. He knocked the rugged Lawler cold with his potent right hand in just over two minutes and ended his violent run atop the 170-pound division. While “Wonderboy” Stephen Thompson may be the division’s current top contender, Woodley has already openly lobbied for a big-money fight with Nick Diaz, who has just finished serving an 18-month suspension from the Nevada Athletic Commission following UFC 183.2. Robbie Lawler (27-11, 1 NC)
Lawler’s late career resurgence over the last three years and change was astonishing to watch, and if his January classic with Carlos Condit holds up, the “Ruthless” one will have the unanimous “Fight of the Year” three years in a row. However, Lawler’s Cinderella act came to an end in Atlanta at UFC 201, as Tyron Woodley laid him out with a brutal right hand and follow-up punches in just over two minutes. The question for Lawler now is whether the 34-year-old, after over 15 years in the sport, can continue besting the top welterweights in the world after a career filled with such violent carnage, especially recently.3. Stephen Thompson (13-1)
“Wonderboy” dominated former UFC title challenger Rory MacDonald from bell-to-bell on June 18, cementing himself as the man in line to face Tyron Woodley, despite the new champ's desire for a “big money” fight. Seven straight wins in the ultra-deep welterweight division have unquestionably put Thompson amongst the elite in one of MMA’s best divisions; that streak includes lopsided wins over MacDonald, former champion Johny Hendricks, Jake Ellenberger and Patrick Cote.4. Rory MacDonald (18-4)
MacDonald spent 11 months away from the cage following his 2015 “Fight of the Year” with Robbie Lawler and took enough damage in his brutal title challenge that many wondered if the 26-year-old would be the same fighter upon his return. On June 18 in Ottawa, Ontario, MacDonald was far from vintage form, as Stephen Thompson befuddled the “Red King” for 25 minutes, earning a unanimous decision and severely hampering the bargaining power of MacDonald as the Canadian enters free agency.5. Demian Maia (23-6)
Over his last five wins in the welterweight division, Maia has been essentially flawless, dominating the likes of Neil Magny, Gunnar Nelson and Matt Brown in his last three outings alone. If Maia wants a UFC title crack in a second weight class, the 38-year-old Brazilian will need to deal with the always-dangerous Carlos Condit. Originally set for UFC 202 on Aug. 20, the high-stakes welterweight clash has been re-appropriated as the main event for the UFC on Fox 21 in Vancouver, British Columbia, one week later.6. Carlos Condit (30-9)
Condit has already been the UFC interim welterweight champion, and in January, he came incredibly close to unseating undisputed 170-pound king Robbie Lawler in the frontrunner for “Fight of the Year.” That effort notwithstanding, Condit is 2-2 in his last four fights, and in order to keep pace in the always-dynamic welterweight division, he will need to deal with surging jiu-jitsu ace Demian Maia in a bout that will now headline UFC on Fox 21 in Vancouver, British Columbia on Aug. 27.7. Ben Askren (15-0, 1 NC)
Askren once again used his powerful wrestling base to dominate and grind out an opponent, as the One Championship welterweight titleholder bested challenger Nikolay Aleksakhin across five rounds on April 15. Unbeaten in 16 professional outings, the Roufusport fighter continues to toil against unknown competition outside of the major North American organizations.8. Kelvin Gastelum (12-2)
Gastelum chewed through overweight former champion Johny Hendricks at UFC 200, as he rebounded from his split decision loss to Neil Magny in November and showed why many view him as a future title contender at 170 pounds. Having thrown out his anchor at the star-studded Kings MMA camp, “The Ultimate Fighter 17” winner has gone 7-2 since arriving in the UFC in 2013.9. Andrey Koreshkov (19-1)
Since suffering his first and only loss in July 2013 to then-Bellator champ Ben Askren, Koreshkov has been positively dominant. While Askren’s defection to One Championship paved Koreshkov’s path to the Bellator welterweight crown, the new champ has been sterling in his last six outings, including lopsided blowouts of Douglas Lima and former UFC lightweight champ Benson Henderson. However, Koreshkov is still constrained by Bellator’s talented-but-limited 170-pound division, where he has already bested perhaps its best opposition.10. Lorenz Larkin (18-5, 1 NC)
A former 205-pounder in Strikeforce, Larkin began his UFC career as a middleweight and went 1-4 in those five fights. Since dropping to 170 pounds, he is 4-1. He put on an absolute master class at UFC 202 against Neil Magny, who had won nine of his last 10 fights in the Octagon. Larkin is one of the UFC’s biggest wild cards at this point, and if “The Monsoon” has truly turned a corner as a welterweight, he may emerge as a viable title contender in the near future.Other Contenders: Donald Cerrone, Jake Ellenberger, Dong Hyun Kim, Neil Magny, Gunnar Nelson Continue Reading » Lightweight