Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Welterweight

1. Tyron Woodley (19-3-1)

Woodley continues to make his case to be known as the “Greatest of All Time” at welterweight. In the UFC 228 headliner, “The Chosen One” dispatched Darren Till via second-round submission, tapping out his English opponent with a brabo choke in the second frame. Unbeaten in his last seven Octagon appearances and the owner of the longest active title defense streak in the UFC, Woodley is in a great spot right now — regardless of how history currently sees him.

2. Colby Covington (14-1)

Love him or hate him, Covington is not going anywhere. The American Top Team representative claimed interim welterweight gold at UFC 225, taking a hard-earned five-round verdict over Rafael dos Anjos in the co-main event. The victory presumably set up a title unification bout against reigning 170-pound king Tyron Woodley, but Covington will be stripped of the interim crown so he can undergo sinus surgery. Woodley meanwhile, will face Darren Till at UFC 228, with Covington expected to face the winner at a later date.

3. Rafael dos Anjos (28-10)

Dos Anjos saw his three-fight welterweight winning streak come to an end in the UFC 225 co-main event, as he suffered a decision defeat to Colby Covington in an interim championship clash. The Brazilian was competitive in the contest but could not quite match the pace of his opponent. The close nature of the scorecards ensures that the ex-lightweight king will not be far removed from the title discussion at 170 pounds, provided he rebounds in his next Octagon appearance. That next bout will reportedly come against rising contender Kamaru Usman at the “TUF 28” finale on Nov. 30, though nothing is official just yet.

4. 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 36-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. The ex-champ reportedly has a high-profile matchup for his next appearance, as he will square off against Stephen Thompson in the UFC’s ESPN debut on Jan. 18.

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 he debuted with a 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. “The Red King” will move up to middleweight in his next outing, as he challenges reigning 185-pound king Gegard Mousasi on Sept. 29 in San Jose, California.

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. The former champion has a tough draw for the opening round of the Bellator welterweight grand prix, as he will square off with another ex-titlist, Andrey Koreshkov, in a trilogy bout on Sept. 29.

7. Darren Till (17-1-1)

It was a humbling experience for Till at UFC 228, as he was a non-factor in falling to Tyron Woodley by second round submission at American Airlines Arena in Dallas. The 25-year-old Liverpool native was thrust into a title bout earlier than expected, and he still has plenty of time to improve as a mixed martial artist. Don’t be surprised if “The Gorilla” ends up in a similar position down the road.

8. Stephen Thompson (14-3-1)

While many observers -- notably most of the MMA media -- thought Thompson deserved the nod against Darren Till in the UFC Fight Night 130 headliner, the cageside judges thought otherwise. After dropping a narrow verdict to Till in a tactical but not exactly thrilling encounter, Thompson is 1-2-1 in his last four outings. Though nothing is official, “Wonderboy” has been linked to a bout with Robbie Lawler in an as-yet-to-be announced UFC card on ESPN in January.

9. Kamaru Usman (13-1)

It was not the most thrilling performance, but Usman was in complete control in taking a five-round verdict over former title challenger Demian Maia in the UFC Fight Night 129 headliner in Chile. “The Nigerian Nightmare” has now won 12 consecutive bouts and owns a perfect 8-0 mark inside the Octagon. Still, he may need a more entertaining triumph over a ranked opponent before he can force himself into the title picture. That could come with a rumored bout against Rafael dos Anjos at “The Ultimate Fighter 28” headlner.

10. Santiago Ponzinibbio (26-3)

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. A hand injury forced to “Gente Boa” to withdraw from a meeting with Kamaru Usman in the UFC Fight Night 129 headliner in Santiago, Chile, but Ponzinibbio will get an even more attractive alternative as a result when he main events UFC Fight Night 140 against Neil Magny in his home country on Nov. 17.

Other Contenders: Leon Edwards, Jon Fitch, Neil Magny, Demian Maia, Jorge Masvidal.

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