The welterweight division is stacked with elite fighters in their primes, but there’s no single fighter who looks like he could dominate the division like Georges St. Pierre. It adds up to an extremely volatile situation, making it one of the promotion’s most exciting weight classes.
The tier system is more than just another rankings list. It is an analysis of the quality of fighters and the overall depth of the division. And of course, if any of these fighters have upcoming fights, their odds are listed accordingly.
TIER 1: GENERATIONAL TALENTS
Members: None
Upcoming Odds: N/A
To be fair, it’s tough for anyone to be this good. In the UFC’s history, only one welterweight, Georges St. Pierre, is a surefire Tier 1 talent. You could make an argument for the retired Matt Hughes as well, but he’s probably somewhere between this tier and the next.
TIER 2: ELITE STATUS
Members: Robbie Lawler, Johny Hendricks, Rory MacDonald, Tyron Woodley
Upcoming Fight Odds:
UFC 193: Robbie Lawler -145 vs. Carlos Condit +115
If this were the NBA, these would be the guys that make the All-Star team every year. Lawler is an unlikely champ, but he’s absolutely proven himself as one of the best in the division. Hendricks is the former champ, and at 31 years old has time to reclaim the belt. Woodley appears to have fulfilled his considerable potential, as is the best all-around athlete in this tier.
But the highest ceiling belongs to MacDonald, who is just 26 years old and came within one round of dethroning Lawler in a fight for the ages.
TIER 3: BORDERLINE ALL-STARS
Members: Carlos Condit, Demian Maia, Matt Brown
Upcoming Fight Odds:
UFC 193: Robbie Lawler -145 vs. Carlos Condit +115
Carlos Condit might be ranked No. 3 overall by the UFC, but he’s just 2-3 in his last five, with losses to Hendricks and Woodley among them. That knocks him down a peg, although he’s only a slight underdog against Lawler. Maia, at 37, is probably too old to be considered a real contender at this point, although he can beat 90% of the welterweights on any day. Brown’s career resurgence is inspiring, but he failed in both his bouts against elite guys in Lawler and Hendricks.
TIER 4: THE STARTERS
Members: Dong Hyun Kim, Stephen Thompson, Kelvin Gastelum, Gunnar Nelson, Thiago Alves, Neil Magny
Each of these guys are very good fighters at 170 pounds, showing how deep this division is. Kim has been a stalwart in the top-15 for years, as has Alves. There are two young studs to keep an eye on here, Neil Magny and Kelvin Gastelum, who could quickly move into the next tier if they keep progressing. While Nelson has been impressive, he lack of size caps his ceiling.
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