Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Welterweight

1. Jack Della Maddalena (18-2) | UFC [7]

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 lightweight king Islam Makhachev.

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

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 [2]

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 [3]

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) Bellator [4]

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 [5]

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. Jason Jackson (19-5) | PFL [6]

Jackson began his bid to become a Professional Fighters League Tournament champion in style, as he submitted fellow former Bellator title holder Andrey Koreshkov in the second round of their bout on April 3. For “The Ass Kicking Machine,” it was a welcome return to the win column following a five-round defeat to Ramazan Kuramagomedov in a Bellator title bout in June 2024. It also sets up a PFL semifinal showdown with undefeated prospect Thad Jean.

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. Yaroslav Amosov (28-1) | CFFC [9]

After sitting on the sidelines for well over a year, Amosov rebounded from his first career defeat with a first-round submission of UFC veteran Curtis Millender at Cage Fury Fighting Championships 140. After the victory, the former Bellator titleholder revealed a UFC mouthguard, perhaps foreshadowing his next destination.

10. 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.

Other Contenders: Joaquin Buckley, Gilbert Burns, Magomed Umalatov, Magomed Magomedkerimov, Michael Morales.

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