Welterweight
1. Johny Hendricks (16-2)
Hendricks battled tooth-and-nail for five rounds with Robbie Lawler at UFC 171, and in the end, the Oklahoman’s determination and conditioning earned him the vacant UFC welterweight title. “Bigg Rigg” has now won seven of eight fights in the last three years, his lone loss coming against absent ruler Georges St. Pierre. The new king does not yet have a top contender, but Hendricks could be in line for a fight with a UFC 171 costar like Tyron Woodley or Hector Lombard.2. Robbie Lawler (22-10, 1 NC)
Somewhere in the middle of their 25-minute battle at UFC 171, it looked like Lawler was pulling ahead of Johny Hendricks. The granite-fisted American Top Team fighter could not sustain his assault, however, and a late takedown sealed Lawler’s spot on the wrong end of a unanimous decision. Regardless, Lawler has proven himself a serious commodity in the welterweight division over the past year, something few expected from a 13-year veteran of the sport.3. Tyron Woodley (13-2)
Woodley was all aggression in his high-profile showdown with former title challenger Carlos Condit at UFC 171. That aggression paid off in the second round, where a hard leg kick from Woodley buckled Condit’s leg and gave the former University of Missouri stud wrestler a TKO victory -- one that could propel Woodley into title contention.4. Carlos Condit (29-8)
Condit missed out on a December bout with Matt Brown and then was handed an equally tough task in Tyron Woodley at UFC 171. Despite an exciting start to the fight, Condit’s leg gave out after a Woodley low kick midway through the second round, putting an end to any immediate title hopes and giving Condit his third defeat in four fights.5. Hector Lombard (34-4-1, 1 NC)
The blistering speed and powerful punches for which Lombard is known were on full display in the first round of his bout with Jake Shields at UFC 171. As the fight wore on, however, the judo specialist implemented throws, trips and submission defense to outwork Shields in a 15-minute unanimous decision.6. Rory MacDonald (16-2)
MacDonald’s back was against the wall early in his UFC 170 clash with Demian Maia. The Brazilian grounded the Tristar Gym product in the first round and eventually moved to mount. However, MacDonald survived the assault and rallied to capture a unanimous decision thanks to stout takedown defense and a versatile striking arsenal. In nine UFC appearances, MacDonald’s only losses have come at the hands of top-5 talents Carlos Condit and Robbie Lawler.7. Ben Askren (12-0)
After a dominant run as Bellator’s welterweight king, Askren’s season of free agency left many scratching their heads. Spurned by Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney and UFC President Dana White, the “Funky” one elected to take his talents to Asia to compete for the One Fighting Championship promotion. Askren is expected to receive a title shot against the newly crowned Nobutatsu Suzuki when he makes his promotional debut sometime this spring.8. Jake Shields (29-7-1, 1 NC)
Shields showed grit in withstanding a heavy onslaught of punches from Hector Lombard but had little else to offer the Cuban slugger in their UFC 171 encounter. The normally dominant grappler suffered his first loss in five fights, halting Shields’ momentum in the welterweight division after decisions over tough competition like Tyron Woodley and Demian Maia.9. Demian Maia (18-5)
After a 3-0 start in the division, Maia’s 170-pound prospects have cooled of late. First, the Brazilian dropped a grinding affair to Jake Shields in October. Then at UFC 170, Maia was unable to follow up on a strong opening frame and faded down the stretch to fall to Rory MacDonald via unanimous decision. Having lost back-to-back fights for the first time in his career, Maia has some work to do to climb back into the welterweight title picture.10. Jake Ellenberger (29-7)
Ellenberger talked a good game in the weeks leading up to his UFC on Fox 8 showdown with Rory MacDonald, but come fight night, the Nebraskan’s ominous promises of violence never materialized in a disappointing decision loss. “The Juggernaut” was set to face former Strikeforce champion Tarec Saffiedine in the UFC Fight Night 34 main event, but a hamstring injury forced Ellenberger out of that confrontation. The matchup has been rebooked for UFC 172 in Baltimore.Other Contenders: Matt Brown, Steve Carl, Martin Kampmann, Dong Hyun Kim, Tarec Saffiedine.
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