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Welterweight
1. Leon Edwards (20-3, 1 NC) | UFC [1]
Edwards is living proof that a fight is never over until the final bell sounds. “Rocky” was well behind on the scorecards against Kamaru Usman with time winding down in the fifth round of their headlining bout at UFC 278 when he unleashed a head kick knockout that will go down in history. Edwards, who endured some hard luck at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, will carry an 11-fight unbeaten streak into his first 170-pound title defense. Edwards will attempt to prove that his most recent victory was no fluke in a trilogy bout against “The Nigerian Nightmare” at UFC 286 in London.2. Kamaru Usman (20-2) | UFC [2]
In MMA, all good things must come to an end, and that includes Usman’s 15-fight UFC winning streak. “The Nigerian Nightmare” was well on his way to a clear-cut unanimous decision triumph over Leon Edwards in the UFC 278 main event when his opponent shocked the world with a head-kick knockout late in the fifth round. Usman will get a chance for redemption when he faces Edwards in a championship trilogy bout at UFC 286 in London.3. Colby Covington (17-3) | UFC [3]
Covington’s grudge match against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272 went exactly as one might expect, as “Chaos” relied on his relentless grappling to cruise to a unanimous verdict over his former American Top Team stablemate. Shortly thereafter, Covington’s rivalry with Masvidal spilled outside of the Octagon following an alleged assault in Miami in which “Gamebred” is accused of attacking his rival for talking about his kids. Covington did not fight again in 2022, and his next move could be quite interesting indeed.4. Belal Muhammad (22-3, 1 NC) | UFC [4]
Muhammad kept the pressure on Sean Brady throughout their UFC 280 encounter, and that ultimately led to a technical knockout victory at the 4:47 mark of the second round of their clash in Abu Dhabi. By removing Brady from the ranks of the undefeated, “Remember the Name” extends his unbeaten streak to nine. With a resume that also includes wins over the likes of Vicente Luque, Stephen Thompson and Demian Maia, Muhammad continues to move closer to a title shot at 170 pounds.5. Khamzat Chimaev (12-0) | UFC [5]
Chimaev missed weight so badly ahead of UFC 279 that his headlining matchup with Nate Diaz was scrapped in favor of a 180-pound catchweight bout against Kevin Holland, which he dominated in the form of a first-round submission victory. In the aftermath, the Allstars Training Center representative showed no remorse for his troubles on the scales, but he’ll need to be more professional if he is to receive a welterweight title shot. Chimaev says he plans on competing at both 170 and 185 pounds going forward, and no matter where he fights, “Borz” figures to be a force with which to be reckoned as his career progresses.6. Gilbert Burns (21-5) | UFC [6]
Burns made short work of Neil Magny at UFC 283, as he grounded his opponent and locked in an arm-triangle choke for a submission victory 4:15 into the opening stanza of their clash in Rio de Janeiro. In addition to enjoying a happy homecoming in Brazil, “Durinho” rebounded from a hard-fought decision loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273. Burns will get a high-profile matchup for his next Octagon appearances when he faces Jorge Masvidal at UFC 287.7. Yaroslav Amosov (27-0) | Bellator [7]
After a hiatus that lasted more than a year and a half, Amosov returned from defending his native Ukraine against Russian invasion to put on a masterclass against Logan Storley in the Bellator 291 headliner. “Dynamo” battered Storley with blistering multi-punch combinations, kicks to the legs and body and timely takedowns en route to a lopsided unanimous decision triumph. It was a far more decisive victory than his split verdict over Storley in their first meeting in November 2020, and by unifying the Bellator welterweight belt, Amosov left no doubt regarding the top 170-pound talent in the California-based promotion.8. Shavkat Rakhmonov (17-0) UFC [10]
Rakhmonov engaged in a slugfest with Geoff Neal for the better part of three rounds before locking in a standing rear-naked choke at the 4:17 mark of Round 3. The Kazakhstan native has finished all 17 of his professional opponents — including five in the UFC. Rakhmonov called for a title shot after besting Neal, but it seems likely that he’ll need at least one more victory to achieve that goal.9. Stephen Thompson (17-6-1) | UFC [8]
Thompson put on a striking showcase in the UFC on ESPN 42 main event, outdueling Kevin Holland over four rounds to force a corner stoppage at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla., on Dec. 3. After struggling against the grappling of Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns in his last two outings, “Wonderboy” excelled against an opponent who was willing to engage on the karateka’s terms. Even at 39 years old, Thompson is capable of putting on high-quality performances in the Octagon — provided he receives the right type of matchup.10. Sean Brady (15-1) | UFC [9]
Brady’s undefeated run came to an end at UFC 280 in a second-round technical knockout loss to Belal Muhammad in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 22. The Philadelphia native was unable to ground his opponent, and as a result, he was eventually overwhelmed by Muhammad’s pressure and volume striking. Brady, who is still 5-1 in UFC competition, was forced to withdraw from a proposed booking against Michel Pereira at UFC on ESPN 43 due to a groin injury.Other Contenders: Geoff Neal, Vicente Luque, Michael Chiesa, Logan Storley, Jorge Masvidal.
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