MMA Fighter Rankings, January Edition: New year, same king
Joe Camporeale / USA TODAY
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 | Demian Maia |
| 8 | Matt Brown |
| 9 | Ben Askren |
| 10 | Neil Magny |
- Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss. Robbie Lawler waded through the pits of hell for five rounds against Carlos Condit at UFC 195, and somehow emerged on the other side with the welterweight strap still resting around his waist.
- Of course, it wasn't without controversy. The majority of media members and UFC president Dana White himself thought Condit deserved a better fate, and "The Natural Born Killer," after two failed title bids, is considering retirement.
- Should Condit decide against hanging up his four-ounce gloves, he'll more than likely get an immediate rematch. This could throw a wrench into Tyron Woodley's plans, as "The Chosen One" was promised a title shot after Johny Hendricks missed weight prior to their planned bout at UFC 192.
- That disastrous weight cut temporarily derailed Hendricks' title aspirations, and he'll look to get back on track against Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson at UFC 196 in February.
- Demian Maia continues to make his case for an eventual title shot. MMA's foremost grappling wizard completely embarrassed fellow BJJ black belt Gunnar Nelson at UFC 194 to run his winning streak to four.