Welterweight
1. Tyron Woodley (16-3-1)
Woodley continues to lobby for a money fight with the likes of Georges St. Pierre or Nick Diaz and claims to be the most disrespected UFC champ ever. However, owing to his contentious UFC 205 draw with Stephen Thompson in November, the UFC welterweight ace will be running it back with his developing rival. Woodley-Thompson 2 will headline UFC 209 in Las Vegas on March 4.2. Robbie Lawler (27-11, 1 NC)
In truth, we are not that far removed from Lawler's welterweight title reign of excitement ending. In fact, it happened at UFC 201 in July. Nonetheless, Lawler's brutal knockout loss at the hands of Tyron Woodley has knocked him to the sidelines. The “Ruthless” one has since announced his departure from American Top Team and continues to field fight offers. However, with Lawler pulling out of a November bout with Donald Cerrone over needing more time to recoup and former tormentor Nick Diaz allegedly declining a rematch, according to UFC President Dana White, Lawler waits for that ideal dance partner. Naturally, we mean an opponent that is not afraid to mix it up with the man who has authored an unprecedented three consecutive “Fight of the Year” winners.3. Stephen Thompson (13-1-1)
Thompson nearly took the UFC welterweight championship from Tyron Woodley at UFC 205 in November, but the beatings he took in the first and fourth rounds turned the bout into a majority draw. “Wonderboy” will get another crack at UFC gold on March 4, when he rematches Woodley in the main event of UFC 209 in Las Vegas.4. Demian Maia (24-6)
Maia, at 39 years old, is on the best run of his MMA career, and remember, this is a man that already fought Anderson Silva for a title at 185 pounds. Still, the sagacious grappler has found his groove as a welterweight, with six straight wins, four of them total humiliations of Neil Magny, Gunnar Nelson, Matt Brown and Carlos Condit. We are talking serious opposition here. With the Tyron Woodley-Stephen Thompson rematch more or less necessitated by their November draw, Maia now has to keep himself warm and take whatever the UFC can offer him. Whether that is a Nick Diaz, Jorge Masvidal or someone else remains to be seen.5. Rory MacDonald (18-4)
MacDonald spent 11 months away from the cage following his “Fight of the Year” with Robbie Lawler in 2015 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. 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 previous 10 fights in the Octagon. The real question surrounding Larkin centers on who wants him more. Is it former promoter Scott Coker, now with Bellator MMA, or does the UFC view him as a future title contender at 170 pounds? Only time can tell.7. Kelvin Gastelum (13-2)
In his nearly four-year UFC tenure, Gastelum has failed to make the 170-pound limit on three occasions. When “The Ultimate Fighter 17” winner went up to 185 pounds and blew the doors off of veteran Tim Kennedy at UFC 206 in December, it seemed sensible for Gastelum to remain a middleweight, but the Arizona native insisted he would return to welterweight. For now, his promoter disagrees: Gastelum will stay at 185 pounds and face Vitor Belfort on March 11 in Fortaleza, Brazil.8. Jorge Masvidal (32-11)
At 32 years old and after nearly 14 years of pro MMA, Masvidal finally got his breakthrough win at the UFC on Fox 23, where he humiliated a surging Donald Cerrone in front of his hometown Denver crowd, essentially knocking out “Cowboy” twice in six minutes. Following his close and controversial split decision losses to Al Iaquinta, Benson Henderson and Lorenz Larkin, Masvidal has now won three in a row in sterling fashion and has announced his arrival among the 170-pound elite.9. Neil Magny (19-5)
Magny's wins over Kelvin Gastelum and Hector Lombard put him on the 170-pound map, but his lopsided TKO loss to Lorenz Larkin in August was a serious stumbling block for his status as a welterweight contender. Nonetheless, Magny is 11-2 in his last 13 bouts in the Octagon and figures to continue tangling with the division's emerging elite.10. Donald Cerrone (32-8, 1 NC)
Cerrone's four-fight tear after his jump to welterweight in 2016 was thrilling and awe-inspiring, but ultimately, his hot streak came to a crashing halt in front of his partisan Denver crowd on Jan. 28. In six minutes, Cerrone was basically knocked out twice by Jorge Masvidal, who used “Cowboy” as a steppingstone and sent the Jackson-Wink MMA product back to the drawing board.Other Contenders: Dong Hyun Kim, Andrey Koreshkov, Douglas Lima, Gunnar Nelson, Kamaru Usman
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