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Welterweight
1. Kamaru Usman (20-1) | UFC [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. Usman’s next title defense will come against Leon Edwards in the UFC 278 headliner on Aug. 20.2. Colby Covington (17-3) | UFC [2]
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. While Covington remains one of the top welterweights in the sport, his title hopes are diminished until someone other than Kamaru Usman holds the belt. In the meantime, Covington’s rivalry with Masvidal has 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.3. Leon Edwards (19-3, 1 NC) | UFC [3]
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, “Rocky” will be next in line for a 170-pound title shot against Kamaru Usman in the UFC 278 main event.4. Khamzat Chimaev (11-0) | UFC [4]
Chimaev held up in the biggest test of his career to date, outlasting former No. 1 contender Gilbert Burns to win a unanimous decision in a “Fight of the Year” candidate at UFC 273. While it wasn’t the walkthrough that pre-fight betting odds seemed to forecast, the Allstars Training Center representative is now deservedly in the 170-pound title discussion after largely being a product of the UFC’s promotional push early in his career. With five Octagon triumphs under his belt, Chimaev will next lock horns with fan favorite Nate Diaz in a five-round main event at UFC 279.5. Gilbert Burns (20-5) | UFC [5]
While Burns ultimately couldn’t derail the Khamzat Chimaev hype train in a unanimous decision loss at UFC 273, “Durinho” didn’t see his stock fall much in a back-and-forth slugfest that will go down as one of the best fights of 2022. The former welterweight title challenger has lost two of his last three Octagon appearances, with his other defeat coming via third-round TKO against reigning champ Kamaru Usman at UFC 258. Once he recovers from his clash with Chimaev, there figures to be no shortage of interesting possibilities for Burns’ next UFC bout.6. Yaroslav Amosov (26-0) | Bellator [6]
Amosov gave Ukraine its first MMA champion with an impressive performance against Douglas Lima in the Bellator 260 main event. 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. Amosov was supposed to make his next title defense against Michael Page at Bellator 281, but the conflict between Russia and the champ’s native Ukraine forced him to pull out of the fight as he helps to defend his home country against invasion.7. Belal Muhammad (21-3, 1 NC) | UFC [7]
Muhammad continued his march toward the top of the mountain on April 16, using his relentless takedown assault to earn a five-round decision over Vicente Luque. The win avenges Muhammad’s loss in their first meeting over five years ago, but more importantly it extends his unbeaten streak to eight fights. Muhammad has now followed up his disappointing no-contest against Leon Edwards last March with three straight decision wins over ranked foes. He’ll look to continue his run against the undefeated Sean Brady at UFC 281 in Abu Dhabi.8. Stephen Thompson (16-6-1) | UFC [8]
Though he had some success at distance, Thompson’s inability to remain upright cost him dearly against Belal Muhammad, as he was taken down repeatedly in a unanimous decision loss in the UFC Fight Night 199 co-main event on Dec. 18. For the second consecutive outing, Wonderboy’s suspect takedown defense was exposed — he was grounded a combined 10 times in losses to Muhammad and Gilbert Burns — likely bringing an end to his hopes for another welterweight title run.9. Vicente Luque (21-8-1) | UFC [9]
“The Silent Assassin” saw his four-fight win streak snapped at UFC on ESPN 34 on April 16, as he had no answer for the takedowns and heavy kicking game of Belal Muhammad. The loss puts a damper on Luque’s rise as a contender, but he is still 14-4 in the Octagon, and since losing his debut, his setbacks have come only against the best the division has to offer. Given with his well-deserved reputation as an action fighter — in victory, at least — the 30-year-old Brazilian can regain lost momentum in a hurry with the right performance in his next fight, which will come against Geoff Neal on Aug. 6.10. Sean Brady (15-0) | UFC [10]
Brady took a significant step toward welterweight relevance at UFC Fight Night 198, as he outgrappled Michael 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. Up next, Brady will lock horns with Belal Muhammad at UFC 281 in Abu Dhabi.Other Contenders: Shavkat Rakhmonov, Michael Chiesa, Jorge Masvidal, Logan Storley, Michael Page.
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