Ben Duffy/Sherdog.com illustration
Welterweight
1. Kamaru Usman (16-1)
Usman endured a challenging first title defense, as he battled Colby Covington for nearly five rounds before earning a technical knockout victory at the 4:10 mark of the fifth round in the UFC 245 main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Usman survived Covington’s high output early and gradually asserted himself as the bout wore on thanks to solid body work and harder strikes overall. “The Nigerian Nightmare” has begun his UFC tenure with 11 consecutive victories, and the latest was his most difficult to date. The opponent for Usman’s next title defense is unclear, as the champion’s callouts of Jorge Masvidal and Conor McGregor haven’t resulted in a fight date as of yet.2. Colby Covington (15-2)
Whether you love or hate his schtick, Covington proved himself to be a top-flight competitor at UFC 245, as he battled Kamaru Usman for the better part of five entertaining rounds in the evening’s headliner before falling via technical knockout at the 4:10 mark of the final period. Covington showcased his trademark volume early on but was unable to maintain his frenetic pace down the stretch in seeing his seven-fight winning streak come to an end. Still, “Chaos” gave Usman plenty of problems and the entertaining nature of their bout means that a rematch could eventually be in store.3. Gilbert Burns (19-3)
Burns nearly finished Tyron Woodley in the opening moments of the UFC on ESPN 9 main event, and he dominated their fight from there, winning a clear-cut unanimous decision at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on May 30. That makes five straight welterweight triumphs for Burns, who has thrived since moving up from 155 pounds and just thrust himself into the middle of the championship discussion in a loaded division.4. Jorge Masvidal (35-13)
If it wasn’t already obvious before, it is now: Masvidal is a bonafide star in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. “Gamebred” captured the one-off “BMF” title in an entertaining showdown with Nate Diaz in the UFC 244 headliner, winning via TKO after three rounds when a cageside doctor determined Diaz could no longer continue due to a cut above his eye. Barring some kind of improbable short-notice appearance, the victory likely caps off a memorable 2019 for the Miami native that included a record setting knockout of Ben Askren as well as an impressive stoppage of former title challenger Darren Till. Masvidal’s breakout campaign seemed to have him ticketed for an inevitable showdown with Kamaru Usman, but the Strikeforce veteran recently hinted that he’d be interested in a rematch with Diaz.5. Leon Edwards (18-3)
Edwards gave the most complete performance of his career at UFC on ESPN 4, earning convincing five-round verdict over former lightweight king Rafael dos Anjos in San Antonio on July 20. That makes eight consecutive victories for “Rocky,” the second longest active winning streak in the division behind only reigning champ Kamaru Usman. Edwards has positioned himself as one of the top contenders at 170 pounds, but the coronavirus pandemic nixed a clash with Tyron Woodley on March 21 in London.6. Tyron Woodley (19-6-1)
Woodley stumbled out of the gates against Gilbert Burns in the UFC on ESPN 9 headliner and never recovered, losing a lopsided unanimous decision at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on May 30. That makes two straight lopsided defeats for “The Chosen One,” who had previously never lost back-to-back fights in his professional career. At 38 years old, Woodley finds himself on the outside looking in at the welterweight title picture.7. Douglas Lima (32-7)
It wasn’t the most thrilling performance, but Lima reclaimed the welterweight throne with a decision victory over Rory MacDonald in the grand prix finals at Bellator 232. In avenging a previous loss to “The Red King” at Bellator 192, Lima thwarted the takedown attempts of his opponent while picking him apart on the feet with crisp jabs and leg kicks. Now a three-time Bellator 170-pound king, Lima has won six of his last seven appearances within the California-based promotion. “The Phenom” was supposed to face Gegard Mousasi for the vacant middleweight crown at Bellator 243 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the promotion to put its event schedule on hold.8. Michael Chiesa (17-4)
Chiesa looks quite comfortable at welterweight, particularly when he looks significantly larger than his opponent as he did against Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Raleigh. The Sikjitsu product used his size and grappling to ground the former lightweight king for significant periods of time to capture a unanimous verdict in the evening’s co-main event. Since moving up from the lightweight division, Chiesa has earned convincing triumphs over Carlos Condit, Diego Sanchez and dos Anjos to establish himself as a person of interest at 170 pounds.9. Rafael dos Anjos (29-13)
Dos Anjos lost for the fourth time in his last five Octagon outings at UFC Fight Night 166, dropping a unanimous verdict to Michael Chiesa in the evening’s co-main event in Raleigh, N.C. While the Brazilian did have some success on the feet, he was unable to keep the contest upright long enough to impose his will. Instead, it was Chiesa who controlled the fight on the mat through his superior size and grappling.10. Rory MacDonald (21-6-1)
The entirety of the Bellator welterweight grand prix was a slog for MacDonald, and it finally caught up to him in the tournament finals, where he dropped a unanimous verdict — and the 170-pound belt — to Douglas Lima. Unlike his first meeting with Lima, the Tristar Gym representative was unable to impose his will through takedowns at Bellator 232, and as a result, “The Phenom” gradually picked him apart with quick left hands and hard leg kicks. When MacDonald finally did briefly ground his opponent, Lima was able to quickly reversed the position to put his final stamp on the fight. “The Red King” will not have a trilogy with Lima anytime soon, as he has departed for the Professional Fighters League with an eye on competing for the promotion’s $1 million payout at 170 pounds.Other Contenders: Demian Maia, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Anthony Pettis, Geoff Neal.
Continue Reading » Lightweight