Power Ranking Each UFC Weight Division by Depth

The UFC currently employs nine weight divisions: heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight, flyweight and women's bantamweight.

Some divisions have more talent than others. Some are aging more than others. All in all, a few weight classes are on a different level than the rest.

Here is a power ranking of the depth in each UFC division.

9. Flyweight

Champion: Demetrious Johnson

The bottom ranking was a tossup between two divisions, but flyweight has been around longer than the other one and has yet to grow to fruition.

The champion is Demetrious Johnson, and the top contenders include Joseph Benavidez, John Moraga, Jussier da Silva and Ian McCall. After these five men, there are 10 other fighters who aren't in the title picture.

Until the UFC commits to signing more 125ers, flyweight will be the division with the least talent.

8. Women's Bantamweight

Champion: Ronda Rousey

The women's bantamweight division is in the embryonic stages, so it will get a pass for being low on the list. With women's MMA just picking up steam, it's no wonder that it ranks eighth on this list.

Ronda Rousey rules the division with an iron fist, but the 135-pound class has some exciting talent. Miesha Tate is a former champion, Cat Zingano is the "true" top contender, Sara McMann is getting on the map and several others are in line to get a potential title shot.

The UFC could add more ladies soon, especially since Invicta is showcasing all sorts of female talent.

7. Bantamweight

Champion: Dominick Cruz

Interim Champion: Renan Barao

Bantamweight is one of the most exciting divisions, but it lacks the deep talent pool of lightweight and welterweight. 

Champion Dominick Cruz has been on the shelf for a while, which has put the undisputed championship in limbo. Renan Barao is the interim king and is threatened by the likes of Urijah Faber, Eddie Wineland, Brad Pickett, Michael McDonald and Scott Jorgensen.

Outside of the top seven or eight guys, the division doesn't have many threats to crack the glass ceiling. However, if the UFC keeps scouting and splurging on talent, the division could jump up the rankings.

6. Light Heavyweight

Champion: Jon Jones

Remember when the light heavyweight division was the gold standard of UFC weight classes? It boasted fighters such as Rampage Jackson, Chuck Liddell, Mauricio Rua, Forrest Griffin, Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans, just to name a few.

Well, the mighty have fallen—somewhat. The division still has Evans and Rua, but they are past their primes.

Jon Jones is the unstoppable champion destroying competition left and right. The other top guys at 205 are Lyoto Machida, Alexander Gustafsson, Glover Teixeira and Ryan Bader.

All things considered, the 205-pound division is solid but not nearly as great as it once was.

5. Heavyweight

Champion: Cain Velasquez

The UFC has finally started to reload the heavyweight division with depth after a period of little talent in the weight class. While Josh Barnett may be the only high-profile signing, inking guys like Derrick Lewis, Soa Palelei and Nikita Krylov shows that the UFC is looking toward the future.

Cain Velasquez is the current champion after reclaiming his belt from Junior dos Santos. Apart from those two warriors, the division boasts Fabricio Werdum, Barnett, Daniel Cormier, Alistair Overeem, Mark Hunt and Frank Mir.

The big boys of the UFC are at last being tested with more talent in the division. They will continue to see their stock rise if the UFC continues signing potential top talent.

4. Featherweight

Champion: Jose Aldo

The featherweight division is on the rise. The drops from lightweight, in addition to new faces making waves, have turned the weight class into one of the best in the UFC.

Jose Aldo has been untouchable as the champion but faced a solid test in the form of Frankie Edgar. With Chan Sung Jung, Chad Mendes, Ricardo Lamas, Clay Guida and Anthony Pettis, 145 has become the division to watch.

3. Middleweight

Champion: Anderson Silva

One man has ruled the middleweight division for many years with little-to-no resistance: Anderson Silva.

Silva has defended his title against all comers. Whether it was his dual victories over rival Chael Sonnen, his thrashing of Yushin Okami or his double displays of devastation against Rich Franklin, Silva has proved to be not only the best middleweight of all time but the best MMA fighter, period.

The division is talented too. Chris Weidman, Vitor Belfort, Michael Bisping, Okami, Ronaldo Souza, Costa Philippou, Tim Boetsch and Cung Le populate the division with esteemed opponents. 

It also may be the most underrated division. 

2. Lightweight

Champion: Benson Henderson

Lightweight has been a top division in the UFC for a long time, and it stays that way in being the second-ranked weight class.

Benson Henderson is the head honcho in a division of sharks. He faces competition in the form of Gilbert Melendez, T.J. Grant, Gray Maynard, Josh Thomson and Khabib Nurmagomedov, to name a few.

A ton of up-and-comers are working their way up the ranks. Of course, in a division with nearly 70 fighters, you are going to find a lot of talent.

1. Welterweight

Champion: Georges St-Pierre

Like middleweight, the welterweight division has long been ruled by a man simply known as GSP: Georges St-Pierre.

That is impressive, considering it houses the deepest talent pool in the UFC. Just take a look at the names: Johny Hendricks, Carlos Condit, Jake Ellenberger, Rory MacDonald, Demian Maia, Martin Kampmann, Tarec Saffiedine and Dong Hyun Kim.

People wonder why the UFC continues to do seasons of The Ultimate Fighter featuring welterweights. It's because there is so much talent, which makes it the best division in the UFC.