Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Welterweight

1. Jack Della Maddalena (18-2) | UFC [1]

Della Maddalena made the most of his golden opportunity at UFC 315, as he outdueled Belal Muhammad for five rounds to capture the welterweight crown at the Bell Centre in Montreal on May 10. The Australian has won 18 straight professional outings — including eight in the UFC — and earned his spot atop the division with precise boxing, stout takedown defense and timely scrambling. It now appears that he’ll get an even bigger stage for his first title defense: a showdown with former lightweight king Islam Makhachev.

2. Belal Muhammad (24-4, 1 NC) | UFC [2]

It was a long climb to the top of the division for Muhammad, but his reign proved to be painfully brief. After No. 1 contender Shavkat Rakhmonov was unable to compete at UFC 315, “Remember the Name” agreed to defend his title against Jack Della Maddalena instead, and the end result was a unanimous decision loss where he was unable to implement his trademark grinding style. The Chicago native sees an 11-fight UFC unbeaten streak come to an end in defeat and with his 37th birthday on the horizon, it’s fair to wonder if Muhammad will be able to return to the heights he reached in the summer of 2024.

3. Shavkat Rakhmonov (19-0) | UFC [3]

Rakhmonov went the distance for the first time in his professional tenure, but he kept his unblemished record intact with a unanimous decision triumph over the previously unbeaten Ian Garry in the UFC 310 co-main event. In a closely-contested fight, Rakhmonov was able to author a few more significant moments than his opponent — while also surviving a couple too-close-for-comfort rear-naked choke attempts in Round 5 — to presumably secure a future title shot. However, an injury prevented Rakhmonov from facing Belal Muhammad at UFC 315, so that opportunity instead went to Jack Della Maddalena.

4. Sean Brady (18-1) UFC [4]

Brady authored the best performance of his career to date, dominating former champ Leon Edwards before securing a fourth-round submission victory in the UFC London headliner on March 22. The Philadelphia native has bested Kelvin Gastelum, Gilbert Burns and Edwards since suffering his lone career defeat to current 170-pound king Belal Muhammad in October 2022. It may be difficult to deny Brady another crack at Muhammad — this time with a title on the line — in the very near future.

5. Ramazan Kuramagomedov (13-0) PFL [5]

Kuramagomedov made a statement at Bellator Champions Series Dublin, banking three rounds on the scorecards and then holding on for a unanimous decision triumph over Jason Jackson in the evening’s main event at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland in June 2024. By ending Jackson’s eight-fight winning streak, the Dagestani captured welterweight gold at the age of 27. The American Top Team product was able to blend striking and wrestling well enough to keep his opponent off balance for 15 minutes, though his late fade could be a concern in future title defenses.

6. Leon Edwards (22-5, 1 NC) | UFC [6]

One fight removed from losing the welterweight crown to Belal Muhammad, Edwards never got going against Sean Brady in the UFC London headliner. The Brit was dominated by his opponent’s grappling before succumbing to a rear-naked choke at the 1:39 mark of Round 4. After going unbeaten in 13 straight bouts from 2015 to 2023, “Rocky” will have to rebound from the first two-fight skid of his professional tenure.

7. Kamaru Usman (21-4) UFC [NR]

In his first Octagon appearance since October 2023, Usman appeared to have plenty left in the tank, as he grounded Joaquin Buckley repeatedly en route to a unanimous decision triumph in the UFC Atlanta headliner. After earning his first 170-pound triumph since November 2021, “The Nigerian Nightmare” set his sights on another championship run. Even if a title shot doesn’t materialize immediately, the former title holder should have no shortage of interested suitors for his next Octagon appearance.

8. Ian Garry (16-1) UFC [8]

Garry rebounded from his first career defeat in the UFC Kansas City headliner, as he captured a unanimous decision triumph over Brazilian knockout artist Carlos Prates on April 26. The Irish standout built up on early lead on the scorecards behind technical striking and timely wrestling, then survived a late push from his opponent. While the optics of the final round weren’t great for “The Future,” he did more than enough over the first 20 minutes to deserve victory. Despite the recent loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov, the 27-year-old isn’t far removed from the welterweight title picture.

9. Shamil Musaev (18-0-1) PFL [10]

Musaev earned arguably his most impressive victory to date at the PFL Championships, where he stopped fellow unbeaten Magomed Umalatov via technical knockout in the third round of their welterweight final in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Nov. 29. The 30-year-old completes a 2024 year that included victories over Umalatov, Murad Ramazanov (twice) and Logan Storley to solidify himself as one of the top welterweight talents in the world.

10. Thad Jean (10-0) | PFL [NR]

It wasn’t easy, but Jean passed the most difficult test of his mixed martial arts career to date in the PFL welterweight semifinals, where he edged ex-Bellator champion Jason Jackson via split decision on June 12 in Nashville. The 26-year-old “Silverback” advances to the 170-pound finals against Logan Storley on Aug. 1 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he will look to complete his rise to stardom with a championship triumph.

Other Contenders: Michael Morales, Jason Jackson, Yaroslav Amosov, Joaquin BuckleyMagomed Umalatov.

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