Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Welterweight

1. Robbie Lawler (27-10, 1 NC)

Lawler at UFC 195 proved once again why he should never be counted out of a fight. Seemingly on his way to losing a decision against high-volume challenger Carlos Condit, Lawler went out blazing in the final round with an audacious display of striking that earned him a split decision and allowed him to keep the UFC welterweight belt. The past year has seen “Ruthless” emerge victorious from protracted battles with Condit and Rory MacDonald in two bruising title defenses. Next, Lawler will defend his belt against Tyron Woodley at UFC 201 on July 30 in Atlanta.

2. Stephen Thompson (13-1)

“Wonderboy” dominated former UFC title challenger Rory MacDonald from bell-to-bell on June 18, cementing himself as the man in line to face the winner of Robbie Lawler-Tyron Woodley at UFC 201. Seven straight wins in the ultra-deep welterweight division have unquestionably put Thompson amongst the elite in one of MMA’s best divisions; that streak includes lopsided wins over MacDonald, former champion Johny Hendricks, Jake Ellenberger and Patrick Cote.

3. Rory MacDonald (18-4)

MacDonald spent 11 months away from the cage following his 2015 “Fight of the Year” with Robbie Lawler and took enough damage in his brutal title challenge that many wondered if the 26-year-old would be the same fighter upon his return. On June 18 in Ottawa, Ontario, MacDonald was far from vintage form, as Stephen Thompson befuddled the “Red King” for 25 minutes, earning a unanimous decision and severely hampering the bargaining power of MacDonald as the Canadian enters free agency.

4. Tyron Woodley (14-3)

Woodley fought off his back foot for most of his three-round encounter with Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 183, but a steady diet of big right hands helped “The Chosen One” earn a split decision against his overweight opponent. The win was Woodley’s second straight since having his title hopes derailed in a unanimous decision loss to Rory MacDonald. The former University of Missouri wrestler missed his bout at UFC 192 due to a failed Johny Hendricks weight cut, but it came with a silver lining: Woodley will face Robbie Lawler for the welterweight title at UFC 201 on July 30 in Atlanta.

5. Demian Maia (23-6)

Over his last five wins in the welterweight division, Maia has been essentially flawless, dominating the likes of Neil Magny, Gunnar Nelson and Matt Brown in his last three outings alone. If Maia wants a UFC title crack in a second weight class, the 38-year-old Brazilian will need to deal with the always-dangerous Carlos Condit when the two meet in a high stakes welterweight bout at UFC 202 on Aug. 20.

6. Carlos Condit (30-9)

Condit has already been the UFC interim welterweight champion, and in January, he came incredibly close to unseating undisputed 170-pound king Robbie Lawler in the frontrunner for “Fight of the Year.” That effort notwithstanding, Condit is 2-2 in his last four fights, and in order to keep pace in the always-dynamic welterweight division, he will need to deal with surging jiu-jitsu ace Demian Maia at UFC 202 on Aug. 20.

7. Matt Brown (20-14)

Brown admitted before his UFC 198 bout with Demian Maia in Curitiba, Brazil, that it was a nightmare matchup, both stylistically and environmentally. Not only did Brown prove correct, as Maia dominated him and choked him out in the third round, but his trip to Brazil proved even more nightmarish. He got into a pre-fight altercation with a fan who grabbed his sweater hood, then was allegedly attacked by former coach Rodrigo Botti at his hotel. Brown will draw his next assignment at UFC 201 on July 30, when he confronts Jake Ellenberger in Atlanta.

8. Neil Magny (18-4)

Over his last 11 fights, Magny has gotten his hand raised 10 times. In spite of his one-sided loss to Demian Maia in August, Magny is firmly in UFC welterweight title contention. However, if he wants to take a substantial leap ahead in that jam-packed race, he will need to overcome physically powerful South Korean Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 202 on Aug. 20 in Las Vegas.

9. Ben Askren (15-0, 1 NC)

Askren once again used his powerful wrestling base to dominate and grind out an opponent, as the One Championship welterweight titleholder bested challenger Nikolay Aleksakhin across five rounds on April 15. Unbeaten in 16 professional outings, the Roufusport fighter continues to toil against unknown competition outside of the major North American organizations.

10. Kelvin Gastelum (12-2)

Gastelum chewed through overweight former champion Johny Hendricks at UFC 200, as he rebounded from his split decision loss to Neil Magny in November and showed why many view him as a future title contender at 170 pounds. Having thrown out his anchor at the star-studded Kings MMA camp, “The Ultimate Fighter 17” winner has gone 7-2 since arriving in the UFC in 2013.

Other Contenders: Johny Hendricks, Dong Hyun Kim, Andrey Koreshkov, Gunnar Nelson, Rick Story

Continue Reading » Lightweight