The UFC welterweight rankings often include some of the most talented fighters of all time. From the legendary days of Georges St-Pierre reigning supreme as the king of Canada to the era of “The Nigerian Nightmare” Kamura Usman, the division is always filled with some of the promotion’s most important athletes.
With that in mind, here are the official Sportsnaut rankings for the top 10 170-pound fighters right now in the UFC.
1. Islam Makhachev (28-1)
Islam Makhachev has stamped his place as one of the greatest UFC lightweights ever with his wins over Dustin Poirier, Alexander Volkanovski (twice), and Charles Oliveira. Not only is he a dominant grappler, but he has one of the most underrated standup games in the sport.
At UFC 322, he etched his place in UFC history when he moved up in weight to become the latest fighter to win titles in two divisions as he became the new welterweight king with a dominant win over Jack Della Maddalena.
2. Shavkat Rakhmonov (19-0)
Shavkat Rakhmonov has proven over and over again that he is a future title contender at welterweight. And he solidified that fact at UFC 310 with a hard-fought win over fellow rising star Ian Garry. While he wasn’t his best version, he battled through a serious knee injury to stay unbeaten at 18-0.
Now, he moves on to a title fight with Belal Muhammad in 2025 and a chance to become the greatest athlete in Kazakhstan’s history.
3. Jack Della Maddalena (18-3)
Australia’s Jack Della Maddalena has become Australia’s second greatest MMA export. The Dana White’s Contender Series contract winner went 7-0 inside the Octagon and earned a surprise title shot at UFC 315 when Shavkat Rakhmonov was injured despite many doubters. Maddalena proved he is the total package, and he ended Belal Muhammad’s title reign after one fight.
However, it is extremely hard to stay at the top, and the Aussie’s title run was just as long as Muhammad’s. At UFC 322, lightweight great Islam Makhachev moved up in weight and utterly dominated the champ. Della Maddalena will need to win a couple of fights to get back into the title picture after that loss.
4. Michael Morales (19-0)
Ecuador’s Michael Morales is quickly becoming one of the division’s scariest fighters. After a dominant run on the regional scene, he reeled off five straight inside the Octagon, including three finishes. However, in his last two bouts, he has crushed two of the division’s best of the last five years. The most recent came at UFC 322 when he may have locked up a title opportunity with a dominant knockout win over Sean Brady.
5. Ian Machado Garry (17-1)
Ian Machado Garry is a notable part of the new wave of rising stars at 170 pounds. He is a very technical striker who is arguably the best self-promoter in the division. He has already scored several big wins inside the Octagon. However, his biggest yet came in November when he was able to defeat former division king Belal Muhammad.
The Irishman showed he is more well-rounded than he gets credit for by completely shutting down Muhammad’s grappling game in Qatar.
6. Belal Muhammad (24-4)
Belal Muhammad has long gotten a lot of flak for his fight style, but there is no denying the impressive results, and it carried him all the way to the top to become the welterweight king in 2024. However, staying there is extremely difficult, and what makes legends.
Unfortunately, after becoming champ, Muhammad has suffered a pair of disappointing losses. The most recent one came in November against Ian Machado Garry. There is no serious doubt that he will ever fight for the title again.
7. Kamaru Usman (21-4)
For six straight years, Kamaru Usman set a legendary standard of excellence as he created a resume that will guarantee him a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame. He will go down as one of the greatest welterweight fighters of all time and one of the best pound-for-pound competitors of his era. However, all good things come to an end.
Yet, despite a three-fight losing skid, the 38-year-old showed at UFC Atlanta that he is far from done. Scoring a very dominant decision win over one of the fastest rising stars in the division. While he may not fight for gold again, Usman remains an elite talent at 170 pounds.
8. Carlos Prates (23-7)
Carlos Prates has been outstanding inside the Octagon. While he lost to fellow rising star Ian Machado Garry in April, he fought well and impressed fans. At UFC 319, he was able to bounce back from the setback with a devastating KO win over veteran Geoff Neal. Then he followed that up with a career-defining moment by flattening former division king Leon Edwards. It moves his record inside the Octagon to an impressive 6-1.
9. Sean Brady (18-2)
Sean Brady has been very impressive during his 10-fight run in the UFC. After a loss against former champion Belal Muhammad three years ago, he reeled off three big wins, including against another former champ, Leon Edwards. However, he ran into serious trouble at UFC 322 against heavy-hitter Michael Morales. The knockout loss he suffered likely cost him a title shot in 2026.
10. Joaquin Buckley (21-7)
Joaquin Buckley has hit several bumps in the road during his UFC career. However, much of that was at middleweight. But since he made the move to 170 pounds last year, “New Mansa” went on a tear and won six straight. Three of those victories came against greats of this era, Vicente Luque, Stephen Thompson, and Colby Covington.
He got his biggest test yet when he faced division legend Kamaru Usman at UFC Atlanta. However, while he is one of the most dangerous strikers in the weight class, the former champ exposed his major grappling deficiencies in a one-sided decision loss.
