John Brannigan/Sherdog.com illustration
Welterweight
1. Belal Muhammad (24-3, 1 NC) | UFC [1]
Muhammad’s patience paid off, as his 10-fight, four-and-a-half-year unbeaten streak culminated in a chance to challenge Leon Edwards for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 304. Whereas their first meeting had been trending in favor of Edwards before ending due to an untimely eye poke, in the rematch Muhammad was the superior fighter in the cage from start to finish. Despite his long and meandering road to the top, the 36-year-old newly crowned champ has no shortage of suitable contenders on the horizon, including undefeated prospects Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Garry, or Edwards himself.2. Leon Edwards (22-4, 1 NC) | UFC [2]
Given the chance to defend his UFC welterweight title in front of an arena packed with his countrymen, Edwards came up short, as he was soundly outwrestled and outstruck by Belal Muhammad over five rounds in the main event of UFC 304 in Manchester, England. With the unanimous decision loss, Edwards sees his division-leading 13-fight unbeaten streak come to an end. While there may not be much clamor for an immediate rematch, the 32-year-old does not figure to fall far from the title picture, and with undefeated young guns such as Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Garry scaling the ladder behind him, there should be no shortage of chances to prove he is still among the top fighters in the sport.3. Kamaru Usman (20-4) | UFC [3]
Despite taking the fight on less than two weeks’ notice, Usman had a strong showing in his middleweight debut against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294, ultimately falling via majority decision in the evening’s co-main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Despite his best efforts, “The Nigerian Nightmare” couldn’t overcome a strong start from his opponent, and he lost his third consecutive Octagon appearance. Usman’s next move figures to be intriguing: Will he remain at 185 pounds or return to welterweight, where he enjoyed a lengthy reign as champion.4. Shavkat Rakhmonov (18-0) | UFC [4]
Rakhmonov put on yet another dominant performance at UFC 296, smothering and suffocating Stephen Thompson for most of two rounds before closing things out with a rear-naked choke late in the second. The throttling of “Wonderboy” marks the 18th finish in as many outings for the man from Kazakhstan, and while the soft-spoken killer has been slow to demand a title shot, he pointed out his résumé in the wake of his most recent win, and UFC matchmakers may end up granting his wish in 2024.5. Ramazan Kuramagomedov (13-0) Bellator [5]
Kuramagomedov made a statement at Bellator Champions Series Dublin, banking three rounds on the scorecards and then holding on for a unanimous decision triumph over Jason Jackson in the evening’s main event at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland on June 22. By ending Jackson’s eight-fight winning streak, the Dagestani captured welterweight gold at the age of 27. The American Top Team product was able to blend striking and wrestling well enough to keep his opponent off balance for 15 minutes, though his late fade could be a concern in future title defenses.6. Jason Jackson (18-5) | Bellator [6]
It was a case of too little, too late for Jackson at Bellator Champions Series Dublin. After struggling through the first three rounds against Ramazan Kuramagomedov, “The Ass Kicking Machine” resorted to his wrestling over the final 10 minutes. While that allowed him to make the fight much close, his repeated choke attempts were unsuccessful against a defensively sound opponent. In addition to relinquishing the Bellator welterweight stap, Jackson sees an eight-bout winning streak snapped in defeat.7. Jack Della Maddalena (17-2) | UFC [7]
Down two rounds on the scorecards, Della Maddalena showed the appropriate sense of urgency in the third round of his fight against Gilbert Burns at UFC 299, as he rallied for a late technical knockout victory. Maddalena has won seven straight in UFC competition — and 17 in a row overall. After his latest triumph, the Aussie striker called out the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmanov for a title eliminator at 170 pounds.8. Yaroslav Amosov (27-1) | Bellator [8]
Heading into the Bellator 301 main event, Amosov looked like one of the California-based promotion’s most dominant champions. That all changed against Jason Jackson, as the Ukraine native struggled to implement his wrestling and was outgunned on the feet in a third-round TKO defeat. At just 30 years old, “Dynamo” should have plenty of time to bounce back from what was one of the more surprising results of 2023.9. Gilbert Burns (22-7) | UFC [9]
Burns appeared to be on his way to a decision triumph against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 299, but that all changed when “Durinho” ate a knee from his opponent in the third frame. From there, Burns succumbed to ground-and-pound from his Aussie opponent for a technical knockout loss at the 3:43 mark of Round 3. The 37-year-old Brazilian has lost two straight fights for the first time in his professional career. He’ll attempt to return to the win column against Sean Brady on Sept. 7.10. Ian Garry (15-0) UFC [10]
While it wasn’t a thrilling performance, Garry displayed a high fight IQ by using his grappling to outpoint Michael Page at UFC 303 on June 29 in Las Vegas. The Irishman known as “The Future” has racked up eight consecutive triumphs within the promotion, though recent outings have done little to raise his profile. Still, if he continues to win, it will be hard to deny Garry his place among the division’s elite.Other Contenders: Colby Covington, Stephen Thompson, Sean Brady, Geoff Neal, Magomed Magomedkerimov.
Jump To »
HEAVYWEIGHT
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
MIDDLEWEIGHT
WELTERWEIGHT
LIGHTWEIGHT
FEATHERWEIGHT
BANTAMWEIGHT
FLYWEIGHT
WOMEN'S FEATHERWEIGHT
WOMEN'S BANTAMWEIGHT
WOMEN'S FLYWEIGHT
WOMEN'S STRAWWEIGHT
WOMEN'S ATOMWEIGHT