Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Welterweight

1. Tyron Woodley (16-3-1)

Tyron Woodley dominated the first and fourth rounds in his first title defense against Stephen Thompson, but the UFC welterweight champ ultimately had to settle for a majority draw to retain his strap. Given the close and contentious nature of the bout, the UFC seems content to run the 170-pound clash back, meaning that Woodley's second title defense will likely come in early 2017 in a rematch against “Wonderboy.”

2. Robbie Lawler (27-11, 1 NC)

The minute it was announced for UFC 205 in November, MMA folks were in a tizzy over the slated Lawler-Donald Cerrone showdown at Madison Square Garden. Just as soon as the ink dried, however, Lawler was forced to bow out of the bout due to injury, leaving a hole in the hearts of hardcore MMA fans everywhere.

3. Stephen Thompson (13-1-1)

For long stretches of his UFC title challenge against Tyron Woodley, Stephen Thompson was sensational. However, “Wonderboy” took an early beating on the mat in round one and was nearly submitted by a Woodley guillotine in round four, leading to a majority draw. Fortunately for the karate expert, the razor-thin nature of the bout means Thompson is likely to rematch Woodley for the welterweight crown in 2017.

4. Demian Maia (24-6)

At 38 years old, Maia is not just beating competitors in a great weight class; he is blowing them out. With his sub-two-minute submission of Carlos Condit at UFC on Fox 21, Maia has now won six in a row, but more importantly, he is hardly getting hit while dominating the likes of Neil Magny, Gunnar Nelson, Matt Brown and now Condit from back control. Maia’s third rear-naked choke finish in his last four fights had many calling for the Brazilian to challenge for the UFC welterweight title instead of Stephen Thompson, before “Wonderboy” fought Tyron Woodley to a draw at UFC 205.

5. 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. The Canadian hit free agency after the loss and has since agreed to terms with the Bellator MMA promotion.

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

Askren may be on his way out of these 170-pound rankings through no fault of his own. The two-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion may be one of the very best welterweights in the world, but with One Championship realigning its weight classes, Askren figures to defend his title next at 185 pounds when his home promotion heads to Bangkok, Thailand, on Dec. 17. Askren’s bout figures to be a rematch with Brazilian rival Luis “Sapo” Santos, but again, One Championship re-designating the Roufusport star as its 185-pound champion will end his run in these rankings within a matter of weeks.

7. Carlos Condit (30-10)

Less than eight months after turning in the frontrunner for 2016 “Fight of the Year” over five brutal rounds with Robbie Lawler, Condit could not last two minutes with 38-year-old Demian Maia and his grappling prowess before being tapped with a rear-naked choke. Condit is now 2-5 in his last seven fights, and his quick, one-sided loss to Maia has “The Natural Born Killer” publicly questioning whether he will continue fighting, with the 32-year-old teasing retirement once more.

8. Kelvin Gastelum (12-2)

After blowing weight twice and a brief excursion to 185 pounds, Kelvin Gastelum returned to the welterweight division and with a win over former UFC champ Johny Hendricks at UFC 200, earned himself a big opportunity. Blessed with a highly anticipated bout against “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone at UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden, the former “Ultimate Fighter” Season 17 winner again badly missed weight, not even taking the scales because he couldn't get within five pounds of their contracted weight and rekindling questions about whether Gastelum has a future as a welterweight at all.

9. Lorenz Larkin (18-5, 1 NC)

A former 205-pounder in Strikeforce, Larkin began his UFC career as a middleweight and went 1-4 in those five fights. Since dropping to 170 pounds, he is 4-1. He put on an absolute master class at UFC 202 against Neil Magny, who had won nine of his last 10 fights in the Octagon. Larkin is one of the UFC’s biggest wild cards at this point, and if “The Monsoon” has truly turned a corner as a welterweight, he may emerge as a viable title contender in the near future if he re-signs with the UFC.

10. Douglas Lima (28-6)

In July 2015, Douglas Lima's Bellator MMA welterweight championship run was ended by Andrey Koreshkov in a one-sided, 25-minute decision. After rebounding in July with a decision over veteran Paul Daley, Lima rolled into his title rematch with Koreshkov at Bellator 164 in Tel Aviv, blasting the Russian with a counter hook in the third round and reclaiming the Bellator crown.

Other Contenders: Donald Cerrone, Jake Ellenberger, Andrey Koreshkov, Neil Magny, Gunnar Nelson

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