Image: John Brannigan/Sherdog.com illustration
Welterweight
1. Kamaru Usman (20-1) [1]
Usman kept on trucking at UFC 268, earning a unanimous decision triumph over Colby Covington in a championship rematch at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 6. “The Nigerian Nightmare” dropped Covington twice in the second round then survived a late push in the championship frames from his opponent to close the book on his rivalry with the controversial Covington. Usman now has 15 consecutive UFC triumphs under his belt, a streak that is only surpassed by middleweight great Anderson Silva.2. Colby Covington (16-3) [2]
Covington survived early adversity and surged late but still couldn’t quite get over the hump in a unanimous decision loss to Kamaru Usman in a welterweight title rematch in the UFC 268 headliner at Madison Square Garden in New York. Now 0-2 against the reigning champion, Covington will have to look for other appealing matchups within the welterweight division. In his post-fight interview, “Chaos” vowed that the best is yet to come for him, an indication that he might like to return to action as soon as he recovers from the grueling five-round bout with Usman.3. Gilbert Burns (20-4) [3]
It wasn’t his most crowd-pleasing performance, but Burns did what had to be done against Stephen Thompson at UFC 264, grounding his opponent in each round en route to a unanimous decision triumph at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 10. “Durinho” has been victorious in seven of his last eight Octagon appearances and in victory rebounds from a third-round TKO loss to Kamaru Usman in a title bout at UFC 258.4. Leon Edwards (19-3, 1 NC) [4]
Edwards scored his first victory since July 2019 with a convincing five-round verdict over fan favorite Nate Diaz in a five-round, non-title affair at UFC 263. The Englishman’s well-rounded attack kept Diaz off balance for four rounds, but he had to survive a scare after being wobbled by a left hand in the final frame. Edwards is unbeaten in his last 10 welterweight appearances. Edwards was slated to face Jorge Masvidal at UFC 269 before “Gamebred” pulled out of the event due to injury. Now it seems as though “Rocky” prefers to wait for a 170-pound title shot.5. Yaroslav Amosov (26-0) [5]
Amosov gave Ukraine its first MMA champion with an impressive performance against Douglas Lima in the Bellator 260 main event on June 11. The combat sambo champion held his own with Lima on the feet and grounded the Brazilian in every round to win a unanimous decision and claim the 170-pound throne. The 27-year-old Amosov’s sparkling undefeated record includes seven triumphs under the Bellator MMA banner.6. Stephen Thompson (16-5-1) [6]
Thompson may have seen his last chance at a title shot slip through his hands in the UFC 264 co-main event, when he dropped a unanimous verdict to Gilbert Burns at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 10. Ultimately, “Wonderboy’s” inability to remain upright cost him dearly, and the momentum built in back-to-back decision triumphs over Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal was lost. Thompson will return to action against Belal Muhammad at UFC Fight Night 199.7. Vicente Luque (21-7-1) [7]
Luque survived some early danger on the canvas before rallying to submit Michael Chiesa with a first-round brabo choke at UFC 256 at the Toyota Center in Houston on Aug. 7. The 29-year-old Brazilian has won four consecutive fights at 170 pounds and is well-known for his finishing acumen, with 13 victories coming inside the distance. His latest effort even caught the attention of reigning welterweight king Kamaru Usman, though he likely still has some work to do before he earns a title shot.8. Sean Brady (15-0) [8]
Brady took a significant step toward welterweight relevance at UFC Fight Night 198, as he outgrappled Micheal Chiesa en route to a unanimous decision triumph in the evening’s co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The former Cage Fury Fighting Championships title holder has five promotional triumphs to his credit, and his powerful ground game will make him a formidable adversary for many opponents in the division.9. Michael Chiesa (18-6) [9]
A late push wasn’t enough for Chiesa at UFC Fight Night 198, where he fell to undefeated prospect Sean Brady via unanimous decision on Nov. 20 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. After a hot start to a 170-pound tenure that included triumphs over Carlos Condit, Diego Sanchez, Rafael dos Anjos and Neil Magny, “Maverick” has dropped his last two fights within the promotion.10. Jorge Masvidal (35-15) [10]
Even with a full camp behind him, Masvidal was no match for Kamaru Usman at UFC 261, as he fell via-second round knockout in the evening’s main event at Vystar Veteran’s Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. After back-to-back losses to Usman – the other being a five-round verdict at UFC 251 – Masvidal’s days as a top contender at 170 pounds appear to be in the rearview until a new champion is crowned. The “BMF” champion’s return was delayed after he withdrew from a grudge match against Leon Edwards due to injury.Other Contenders: Michael Page, Douglas Lima, Neil Magny, Belal Muhammad, Khamzat Chimaev.
Continue Reading » Lightweight