Welterweight
1. Tyron Woodley (18-3-1)
Woodley may already have three successful UFC title defenses under his belt, but his immediate future never quite seems certain. Despite his stumping for Nate Diaz and Georges St. Pierre fights, it seemed like “The Chosen One’s” next challenger would naturally be Rafael dos Anjos after the Brazilian’s Dec. 16 win over Robbie Lawler. While UFC President Dana White said the dos Anjos-Lawler winner would be the next title challenger, the promotion now seems non-committal.2. Rafael dos Anjos (28-9)
After losing the UFC lightweight title to Eddie Alvarez and dropping a five-round decision to Tony Ferguson, dos Anjos did not merely snap a two-fight losing skid. No, in the span of six months, dos Anjos has gone 3-0 as a revitalized welterweight, and on Dec. 16, he dominated former UFC champ Robbie Lawler for 25 minutes. Despite the Brazilian being promised that a win over Lawler would net him a title shot against Tyron Woodley, the UFC seems to be weighing its options. Regardless, dos Anjos has quickly inserted himself into the company’s 170-pound title picture.3. Robbie Lawler (28-12)
Lawler’s surprising late-career resurgence was both spiriting and thrilling, but that era seems to have come to an end. The 35-year-old on Dec. 16 was dominated from start to finish by former lightweight king Rafael dos Anjos, and to make matters worse, he suffered a torn ACL in the unanimous decision defeat. While the “Ruthless” one can still crack, his days as a pound-for-pound standout appear to be done.4. Stephen Thompson (14-2-1)
After a seven-fight winning streak in the Octagon, things were looking good for “Wonderboy.” Then, he narrowly missed out on winning the UFC welterweight title twice, going to a majority draw with Tyron Woodley before losing a majority verdict to the champ just four months later. Thompson needed knee surgery after the second Woodley bout. Undaunted, he returned to action at UFC 217 on Nov. 4 and did so in style, dominating Jorge Masvidal every which way for 15 minutes en route to an authoritative unanimous decision.5. Rory MacDonald (20-4)
Not all of Bellator MMA’s recent free agent acquisitions have panned out, but MacDonald’s tenure with the promotion seems to be off to a decent start. After his May submission of Paul Daley, MacDonald outlasted Douglas Lima and overcame a gnarly hematoma on his shin at Bellator 192 on Jan. 20, earning a unanimous decision and the Bellator welterweight crown.6. Douglas Lima (29-7)
Lima in June looked like a million bucks against one recent Bellator signing, dominating Lorenz Larkin for 25 minutes. Things did not go nearly as well at Bellator 192 on Jan. 20, as Lima’s leg kicks were not enough to stop the wrestling of Rory MacDonald, who wore out the Brazilian and took his welterweight title with a unanimous decision.7. Colby Covington (13-1)
Where do you even start with Covington? The American Top Team rep has racked up an 8-1 record in the UFC, and his dominant 2017 wins over Dong Hyun Kim and Demian Maia would have been enough for most fighters to claim they had a noteworthy year; never mind his out-of-control trash talking, which included his calling Brazilians “filthy animals.” However, “Chaos” managed to live up to his nickname once again in Sydney, where he got into an altercation with UFC heavyweight Fabricio Werdum, who hurled a boomerang at him. That resulted in Covington pressing assault charges against the Brazilian and then going on bizarre public rants about fascism. We can only guess what Covington has in store for 2018.8. Demian Maia (25-8)
Going on 40 years old, Maia looked every bit his age in the UFC Fight Night 119 co-headliner, as he spent most of his three rounds against Colby Covington getting his face battered and bloodied on the feet in front of his hometown crowd in Sao Paulo, Brazil. After earning a UFC title shot with his outstanding three-year, seven-fight winning streak, Maia has now lost back-to-back bouts.9. Santiago Ponzinibbio (26-3)
The welterweight division is as hot as it has ever been, so it can be hard for any given contender to make a mark. With his Dec. 16 victory over Mike Perry, Argentina’s Ponzinibbio picked up a sixth straight win inside the Octagon and earned his spot among the welterweight elite the old-fashioned way. “Gente Boa” is now undeniably one of the most intriguing 170-pound contenders the UFC has on its roster.10. Kamaru Usman (12-1)
Usman ragdolled Norway’s Emil Weber Meek for 15 minutes and earned a unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 124. The win was “The Nigerian Nightmare’s” 11th in a row and moved him to 7-0 in the UFC. Usman was not shy in victory, calling out a fellow ranked welterweight in American Top Team lightning rod Colby Covington.Other Contenders: Paul Daley, Leon Edwards, Neil Magny , Jorge Masvidal, Darren Till.
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