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Welterweight
1. LeonEdwards (20-3, 1 NC) | UFC [1]
Edwards is living proof that a fight is never over until the finalbell sounds. “Rocky” was well behind on the scorecards againstKamaru Usman with time winding down in the fifth round of theirheadlining bout at UFC 278 when he unleashed a head kick knockoutthat will go down in history. Edwards, who endured some hard luckat the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, will carry an 11-fightunbeaten streak into his first 170-pound title defense. Edwardswill attempt to prove that his most recent victory was no fluke ina trilogy bout against “The Nigerian Nightmare” at UFC 286 inLondon.
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2. KamaruUsman (20-2) | UFC [2]
In MMA, all good things must come to an end, and that includesUsman’s 15-fight UFC winning streak. “The Nigerian Nightmare” waswell on his way to a clear-cut unanimous decision triumph over LeonEdwards in the UFC 278 main event when his opponent shocked theworld with a head-kick knockout late in the fifth round. Usman willget a chance for redemption when he faces Edwards in a championshiptrilogy bout at UFC 286 in London.
3. ColbyCovington (17-3) | UFC [3]
Covington’s grudge match against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272 wentexactly as one might expect, as “Chaos” relied on his relentlessgrappling to cruise to a unanimous verdict over his former AmericanTop Team stablemate. Shortly thereafter, Covington’s rivalry withMasvidal spilled outside of the Octagon following an allegedassault in Miami in which “Gamebred” is accused of attacking hisrival for talking about his kids. Covington did not fight again in2022, and his next move could be quite interesting indeed.
4. BelalMuhammad (22-3, 1 NC) | UFC [4]
Muhammad kept the pressure on Sean Brady throughout their UFC 280encounter, and that ultimately led to a technical knockout victoryat the 4:47 mark of the second round of their clash in Abu Dhabi.By removing Brady from the ranks of the undefeated, “Remember theName” extends his unbeaten streak to nine. With a resume that alsoincludes wins over the likes of Vicente Luque, Stephen Thompson andDemian Maia, Muhammad continues to move closer to a title shot at170 pounds.
5. KhamzatChimaev (12-0) | UFC [5]
Chimaev missed weight so badly ahead of UFC 279 that his headliningmatchup with Nate Diaz was scrapped in favor of a 180-poundcatchweight bout against Kevin Holland, which he dominated in theform of a first-round submission victory. In the aftermath, theAllstars Training Center representative showed no remorse for histroubles on the scales, but he’ll need to be more professional ifhe is to receive a welterweight title shot. Chimaev says he planson competing at both 170 and 185 pounds going forward, and nomatter where he fights, “Borz” figures to be a force with which tobe reckoned as his career progresses.
6. GilbertBurns (21-5) | UFC [6]
Burns made short work of Neil Magny at UFC 283, as he grounded hisopponent and locked in an arm-triangle choke for a submissionvictory 4:15 into the opening stanza of their clash in Rio deJaneiro. In addition to enjoying a happy homecoming in Brazil,“Durinho” rebounded from a hard-fought decision loss to KhamzatChimaev at UFC 273. After his latest victory, Burns called outformer interim champion Colby Covington.
7. YaroslavAmosov (26-0) | Bellator [7]
Amosov gave Ukraine its first major MMA champion with an impressiveperformance against Douglas Lima in the Bellator 260 main event.The combat sambo champion held his own with Lima on the feet andgrounded the Brazilian in every round to win a unanimous decisionand claim the 170-pound throne. Amosov was supposed to make hisnext title defense against Michael Page at Bellator 281, but theconflict between Russia and the champ’s native Ukraine forced himto pull out of the fight as he helped to defend his home countryagainst invasion. Amosov will return to defend his title againstinterim king Logan Storley in a rematch at Bellator 291.
8. StephenThompson (17-6-1) | UFC [8]
Thompson put on a striking masterclass in the UFC on ESPN 42 mainevent, outdueling Kevin Holland over four rounds to force a cornerstoppage at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla., on Dec. 3. Afterstruggling against the grappling of Belal Muhammad and GilbertBurns in his last two outings, “Wonderboy” excelled against anopponent who was willing to engage on the karateka’s terms. Even at39 years old, Thompson is capable of putting on high-qualityperformances in the Octagon — provided he receives the right typeof matchup.
9. Sean Brady(15-1) | UFC [9]
Brady’s undefeated run came to an end at UFC 280 in a second-roundtechnical knockout loss to Belal Muhammad in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 22.The Philadelphia native was unable to ground his opponent, and as aresult, he was eventually overwhelmed by Muhammad’s pressure andvolume striking. Brady, who is still 5-1 in UFC competition, willattempt to get back on track when he meets Michel Pereira at UFC onESPN 43.
10. ShavkatRakhmonov (16-0) UFC [10]
Rakhmonov dominated Neil Magny in a way that few have at UFC onESPN 38, grounding his foe and unleashing ground-and-pound beforesecuring a tapout late in Round 2. The Kazakhstan native’s resumeincludes four finishes within the Las Vegas-based promotion and 16victories inside the distance overall. “Nomad” was supposed to facefellow ranked welterweight Geoff Neal at UFC Fight Night 217 beforean injury forced his opponent to exit the event. The bout vs. Nealhas been rescheduled for UFC 285.
Other Contenders: Geoff Neal,VicenteLuque, MichaelChiesa, LoganStorley, JorgeMasvidal. Jump To »
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