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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. Considering he now has a 1-1 record against Usman now, that defense could very well come in a trilogy against “The Nigerian Nightmare.”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. The 35-year-old Usman didn’t show any signs of decline as he controlled most of the fight with Edwards, and his 1-1 record against the Englishman suggest that a trilogy could be in store.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. 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.4. Khamzat Chimaev (12-0) | UFC [4]
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.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. Sean Brady (15-0) | UFC [9]
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.10. Shavkat Rakhmonov (16-0) UFC [10]
Rakhmonov dominated Neil Magny in a way that few have at UFC on ESPN 38, grounding his foe and unleashing ground-and-pound before securing a tapout late in Round 2. The Kazakhstan native’s resume includes four finishes within the Las Vegas-based promotion and 16 victories inside the distance overall. “Nomad” already has the look of an opponent nobody in the welterweight division will be eager to face.Other Contenders: Geoff Neal, Vicente Luque, Michael Chiesa, Logan Storley, Jorge Masvidal.
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