The UFC welterweight division is one of the most decorated divisions in MMA history. It has produced some of the best fighters of all time. The UFC’s welterweight division, which groups competitors within 156 to 170 lb (71 to 77 kg) The ONE Championship’s welterweight division, with the upper limit at 84 kg (185.2 lb).

TOP 10 UFC WELTERWEIGHTS

10 NICK DIAZ

Diaz is a former Strikeforce, WEC, and IFC welterweight champion and a title challenger. He also notably competed in PRIDE, EliteXC, DREAM, and Shooto. UFC signed Diaz over the summer and he made his debut at UFC 44, completing the trilogy against Jackson and submitting him with an armbar in the last round of a back-and-forth fight that Diaz appeared to be winning on the scorecards.

9 STEPHEN THOMPSON

Thompson was targeted to fight Justin Edwards on February 4, 2012, at UFC 143, as he was replacing the injured Mike Stumpf. But, Edwards was forced out with an injury and replaced by Dan Stittgen. Thompson won the fight via KO in the first round after landing a flush head kick.

8 CARLOS CONDIT

formerly competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was the former Interim Welterweight Champion. Condit formerly fought in the UFC’s sister promotion, WEC, where he was the final Welterweight Champion. He made his promotional debut on April 1, 2009, at Fight Night 18 facing Martin Kampmann. Condit lost the back and forth fight via split decision. The fight was close enough that FightMetric ruled the bout a draw.

7 RORY MACDONALD

Before signing with the PFL, MacDonald competed for Bellator MMA, where he is a former Bellator Welterweight World Champion. Having been a professional competitor since 2005, he is a former top contender as well. He also obtained an overall UFC record of 9–4 and has been challenged for the Welterweight Championship at UFC 189. A rematch with then-champion Robbie Lawler took place on July 11, 2015, at UFC 189. MacDonald lost the fight via TKO in the fifth round.

6 ROBBIE LAWLER

He is the former UFC Welterweight Champion, former EliteXC Middleweight Champion, and has formerly competed in Strikeforce, PRIDE, and the IFL. Lawler made his debut at UFC 37 against veteran Aaron Riley. Robbie won the bout via unanimous decision. Lawler fought a rematch with Johny Hendricks for the Welterweight Championship at UFC 181 on December 6, 2014. He won the fight, and the title, via split decision.

5 COLBY COVINGTON

Colby is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Colby is also the former Interim UFC Welterweight Champion. Covington made his promotional debut against Anying Wang on August 23, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 48. He won the fight by TKO via punches in the closing seconds of the first round.

4 TYRON WOODLEY

He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion and went on to defend his title four times. Woodley faced Jay Hieron on February 2, 2013, at UFC 156 in his promotional debut, replacing an injured Erick Silva. Woodley won the fight via KO at just 36 seconds of the opening round.

3 KAMARU USMAN

He currently competes in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he is the reigning Welterweight Champion. Usman was also The Ultimate Fighter 21 tournament winner. As of September 27, 2021, he is #1 in the men’s pound-for-pound rankings. In his official debut as an athlete, Usman faced future contender Leon Edwards on December 19, 2015, at Fox 17. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Usman faced Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley on March 2, 2019, in the co-main event at UFC 235. He won the one-sided fight via unanimous decision.

2 MATT HUGHES

Matthew Hughes is one of the greatest fighters in the history of MMA, he is a two-time Welterweight Champion. He is also a Hall of Fame inductee and NJCAA Hall of Fame inductee. During his reign in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Hughes put together two separate six-fight winning streaks, defeated all the available opposition in the welterweight division, and defended the belt a then-record seven times. Hughes made his promotional debut at UFC 22 and he defeated Bulgarian Valeri Ignatov via unanimous decision after three rounds. Hughes won his first World Welterweight title at UFC 34.

1 GEORGES ST. PIERRE

Georges St-Pierre is a Canadian former professional mixed martial artist and actor. He is often termed as one of the greatest fighters in mixed martial arts (MMA) history. St-Pierre was a two-division champion in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, having won titles in the welterweight and middleweight divisions. St-Pierre made his debut at UFC 46, where he defeated highly ranked Karo Parisyan by unanimous decision.