MMA Fighter Rankings: Welterweight
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On the first Wednesday of every month, theScore's MMA editors compile a list of the top 10 fighters in each of the major weight classes.
Rankings
Heavyweight | Light Heavyweight
Middleweight | Welterweight
Lightweight | Featherweight
Bantamweight | Flyweight
Women: Bantamweight | Strawweight
Welterweight
| Ranking | Fighter |
|---|---|
| 1 | Robbie Lawler |
| 2 | Johny Hendricks |
| 3 | Rory MacDonald |
| 4 | Tyron Woodley |
| 5 | Carlos Condit |
| 6 | Hector Lombard |
| 7 | Matt Brown |
| 8 | Ben Askren |
| 9 | Demian Maia |
| 10 | Jake Shields |
- Two of the division's foremost purveyors of violence, Robbie Lawler and Carlos Condit, will exchange bombs and pleasantries at UFC 195 in January. Condit is coming off a thrilling TKO victory over Thiago Alves, while Lawler successfully defended his title against Rory MacDonald in one of the greatest championship bouts in promotion history.
- MacDonald will likely restart his quest for a trilogy bout against Lawler in early 2016, and his first opponent may be Hector Lombard. Suspended for a failed drug test in early 2015, Lombard is eligible to return in January.
- Former WSOF champion Rousimar Palhares drops out of the top 10 completely after receiving a two-year suspension from the NSAC for his reckless actions against Jake Shields in August. Palhares' drop allows Shields to sneak onto the bottom of the list.
- Originally scheduled to chuck knucks with Kelvin Gastelum on Nov. 21, the impossibly rugged Matt Brown was forced to pull out of the bout with an ankle injury. A replacement opponent for Gastelum has not been named at this point.