Power Ranking the UFC's 25 Best Welterweights

Scott HarrisJun 7, 2018

August 6 marks the beginning of a frenetic few months for the UFC’s welterweight division.

Between now and Halloween, the UFC has 11 fights--all of them meaningful--on the docket for the 170 pounders. The gauntlet kicks off in less than three weeks, when four highly regarded welterweights will see action on the UFC 133 main card. Dan Hardy and Chris Lytle are scheduled to slug it out in the UFC on Versus 5 headliner. Top contenders Jake Shields and Jake Ellenberger main event the UFC Fight Night event in New Orleans this September.

It all builds up, of course, to the welterweight title match between Nick Diaz and Georges St-Pierre this October at UFC 137, an event, by the way, that also features a clash between welterweight juggernauts B.J. Penn and Carlos Condit.

Chances are the UFC welterweight rankings will look quite a bit different after all this action is sifted through the hopper. So, at the outset of this busy season, it makes sense to establish the top 25 as they stand today.

First Four Out

1 of 26

Ricardo Almeida
Dennis Hallman
Matt Serra
Brian Foster

25. Mike Pierce

2 of 26

Record: 12-3
Last fight: Kenny Robertson (W, TKO)
Next fight: Johnny Hendricks, UFC 133

The unheralded Oregonian is 4-1 in the Octagon, and on August 6, will face his highest-profile opponent since losing to Jon Fitch in 2009.

24. Johny Hendricks

3 of 26

Record: 10-1
Last fight: T.J. Waldburger (W, TKO)
Next fight: Mike Pierce, UFC 133

Hendricks lost some of his mojo after being outgrappled by Rick Story last December in his only professional loss. A win over Pierce would mean another step on the road back to Main Card Land.

23. Chris Lytle

4 of 26

Record: 30-18-5
Last fight: Brian Ebersole (L, Unanimous Decision)
Next fight: Dan Hardy, UFC on Versus 5

Lytle lost serious steam when he dropped the decision to then-lightly regarded Ebersole, who replaced an injured Carlos Condit. It was a bit of a no-win situation for Lytle, who had won four straight before the loss. He’ll have his hands full when he tries to get back on track August 14 against a desperate Dan Hardy.

22. Rory MacDonald

5 of 26

Record: 11-1
Last fight: Nate Diaz (W, Unanimous Decision)
Next fight: Mike Pyle, UFC 133

Hardcore fans are chomping at the bit to see the 21-year-old phenom capture a breakthrough win in the UFC. He’ll get another crack at a consensus top opponent when he tangles with Pyle in August.

21. Dan Hardy

6 of 26

Record: 23-9-1
Last fight: Anthony Johnson (L, Unanimous Decision)
Next fight: Chris Lytle, UFC on Versus 5

You know what they say about cornered animals. Chris Lytle should be wary next month, as Hardy, who has lost three straight, is likely fighting for his UFC life.

20. Brian Ebersole

7 of 26

Record: 47-14-1-1
Last fight: Chris Lytle (W, Unanimous Decision)
Next fight: Dennis Hallman, UFC 133

Ebersole looks to build on an impressive UFC debut against another longtime MMA veteran next month.

19. John Hathaway

8 of 26

Record: 15-1
Last fight: Kris McCray (W, Split Decision)
Next fight: Not scheduled

In surviving McCray, Hathaway avoided his second consecutive UFC loss. He remains 5-1 in the Octagon, with his only loss coming to Mike Pyle.

18. Paulo Thiago

9 of 26

Record: 13-3
Last fight: Diego Sanchez (L, Unanimous Decision)
Next fight: David Mitchell, UFC 134

Talk about a nice welcome-home party. After sitting for nearly a year following an elbow injury, the Brazilian will return to the cage in front of a presumably pro-Paulo crowd in Rio de Janeiro.

17. Mike Pyle

10 of 26

Record: 21-7-1
Last fight: Ricardo Almeida (W, Unanimous Decision)
Next fight: Rory MacDonald, UFC 133

Pyle cooled off the red-hot hype train of one phenom when he defeated John Hathaway last October. He’ll try to do it again against MacDonald in about three weeks.

16. Dong Hyun Kim

11 of 26

Record: 14-1-1
Last fight: Carlos Condit (L, KO)
Next fight: Not scheduled

Condit handed Kim the only loss of his career, and it was a doozy. Though it sent Kim plummeting to the mat and then down the rankings, the Korean grappler shouldn’t have to wait long to rack up another W; he signed a four-fight extension with the UFC in January.

15. Anthony Johnson

12 of 26

Record: 9-3
Last fight: Dan Hardy (W, Unanimous Decision)
Next fight: Charlie Brenneman, UFC on Versus 6

The highly regarded but oft-injured Johnson will try to sandwich two wins around a seven-month layoff when he faces upstart Brenneman this October.

14. Charlie Brenneman

13 of 26

Record: 14-2
Last fight: Rick Story (W, Unanimous Decision)
Next fight: Anthony Johnson, UFC on Versus 6

Brenneman is No. 14 with a bullet. But he’s more than just a one-fight wonder. Brenneman is 3-1 in the UFC, though the Story victory was undoubtedly the biggest of his career. He will have a monstrous test this October against a monstrous welterweight in Johnson.

13. Jake Ellenberger

14 of 26

Record: 25-5
Last fight: Sean Pierson (W, KO)
Next fight: Jake Shields, UFC Fight Night 25

It is time to give Jake Ellenberger his due. All he has done since joining the UFC is go 4-1, with his only loss coming to Carlos Condit. He has won eight of his last nine, and is apparently gunning for a Twitter bonus in the run-up to the Battle of the Jakes this fall.

12. Matt Hughes

15 of 26

Record: 45-8
Last fight: B.J. Penn (L, KO)
Next fight: Diego Sanchez, UFC 135

To the extent that it’s possible to say this of a professional fighter, Matt Hughes is taking life easy these days.

His fight with Sanchez this September will be his only fight of 2011. It’s a well-earned slowdown for the great welterweight champion, though he faces a frenetic opponent in his presumed only bout this year.

11. Martin Kampmann

16 of 26

Record: 17-5
Last fight: Diego Sanchez (L, Unanimous Decision)
Next fight: Not scheduled

Kampmann is still at an elite level, but after losing two straight, he could really use a win in his next bout.

10. Rick Story

17 of 26

Record: 13-4
Last fight: Charlie Brenneman (L, Unanimous Decision)
Next fight: Not scheduled

A bit of an awkward ranking, as Story drops a peg or two but still clocks in above the man he just lost to in Brenneman. He earns this distinction thanks to a more proven track record of accomplishment in the cage.

Brenneman has nothing to be upset about, however, as he finds his name on welterweight rankings around the nation for the first time in his career.

9. Thiago Alves

18 of 26

Record: 18-8
Last fight: Rick Story (L, Unanimous Decision)
Next fight: Not scheduled

Another somewhat awkward positioning, as Alves remains in the top 10 despite losing to Rick Story, who slots in below him. But Alves' spot here could be the most precarious on this ranking.

Alves’ larger body of work and wins over fighters like Josh Koscheck, Matt Hughes and others keep him anchored in the division’s upper reaches. For now.

But after losing three of his last four, he is unquestionably skating on thin ice.

8. Diego Sanchez

19 of 26

Record: 23-4
Last fight: Martin Kampmann (W, Unanimous Decision)
Next fight: Matt Hughes

The up-again, down-again (literally and figuratively) Sanchez is up at welterweight again and moving back up the charts after winning two in a row, most recently a gutty decision over Kampmann.

7. Carlos Condit

20 of 26

Record: 27-5
Last fight: Dong Hyun Kim (W, KO)
Next fight: B.J. Penn, UFC 137

After winning four straight versus a who’s who of the division, Condit is closer than ever to a UFC title shot. A win over B.J. Penn could help him close the deal.

6. B.J. Penn

21 of 26

Record: 16-7-2
Last fight: Jon Fitch (Draw)
Next fight: Carlos Condit, UFC 137

Not content to wait for Jon Fitch to heal, Penn took a dangerous fight with The Natural Born Killer at UFC 137.

5. Josh Koscheck

22 of 26

Record: 15-5
Last fight: Georges St. Pierre (L, Unanimous Decision)
Next fight: Not scheduled

May not be long for this list, if rumors of a move up to middleweight prove correct, and it ends up being more permanent than just the one fight currently under discussion.

4. Nick Diaz

23 of 26

Record: 25-7-1
Last fight: Paul Daley (W, TKO)
Next fight: Georges St. Pierre, UFC 137

Diaz inked a UFC deal not long ago, and will make his return to the Octagon in somewhat high-profile fashion when he gets a title shot with GSP.

3. Jake Shields

24 of 26

Record: 26-5-1
Last fight: Georges St. Pierre (L, Unanimous Decision)
Next fight: Jake Ellenberger, UFC Fight Night 25

Ellenberger has been taking a page from the Book of Chael and freely hurling insults at Shields on Twitter in advance of their fight this September. Shields responded with the I-don’t-know-Jake-Ellenberger-is treatment, but rest assured he does. This should be an electrifying battle of wills between consummate grappler Shields and the hard-hitting Ellenberger.

2. Jon Fitch

25 of 26

Record: 23-3-1-1
Last fight: B.J. Penn (Draw)
Next fight: Not scheduled (though possibly UFC 138)

Sidelined since a shoulder operation after his fight with Penn, Fitch has tweeted that he would be ready to fight this November, which would line up perfectly with UFC 138. The fight could be a title eliminator with Shields, a rematch with Penn or another high-profile scrap.