Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Welterweight

1. Belal Muhammad (24-3, 1 NC) | UFC [1]

Muhammad’s patience paid off, as his 10-fight, four-and-a-half-year unbeaten streak culminated in a chance to challenge Leon Edwards for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 304. Whereas their first meeting had been trending in favor of Edwards before ending due to an untimely eye poke, in the rematch Muhammad was the superior fighter in the cage from start to finish. Muhammad was slated to make his first title defense against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310, but a foot infection forced him to withdraw from that booking.

2. Leon Edwards (22-4, 1 NC) | UFC [2]

Given the chance to defend his UFC welterweight title in front of an arena packed with his countrymen, Edwards came up short, as he was soundly outwrestled and outstruck by Belal Muhammad over five rounds in the main event of UFC 304 in Manchester, England. With the unanimous decision loss, Edwards sees his division-leading 13-fight unbeaten streak come to an end. While there may not be much clamor for an immediate rematch, the 32-year-old does not figure to fall far from the title picture, and with undefeated young guns such as Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Garry scaling the ladder behind him, there should be no shortage of chances to prove he is still among the top fighters in the sport.

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 title shot against reigning UFC champ Belal Muhammad at a future event.

4. 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 on June 22. 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.

5. Jason Jackson (18-5) | Bellator [5]

It was a case of too little, too late for Jackson at Bellator Champions Series Dublin. After struggling through the first three rounds against Ramazan Kuramagomedov, “The Ass Kicking Machine” resorted to his wrestling over the final 10 minutes. While that allowed him to make the fight much close, his repeated choke attempts were unsuccessful against a defensively sound opponent. In addition to relinquishing the Bellator welterweight strap, Jackson sees an eight-bout winning streak snapped in defeat.

6. Jack Della Maddalena (17-2) | UFC [6]

Down two rounds on the scorecards, Della Maddalena showed the appropriate sense of urgency in the third round of his fight against Gilbert Burns at UFC 299, as he rallied for a late technical knockout victory. Maddalena has won seven straight in UFC competition — and 17 in a row overall.

7. Sean Brady (17-1) UFC [7]

Brady took another significant step toward welterweight contention with a five-round verdict over former title challenger Gilbert Burns in the UFC Fight Night 242 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Sept. 7. The former Cage Fury Fighting Championships title holder is 7-1 in UFC competition, with his lone loss coming at the hands of current champ Belal Muhammad in October 2022.

8. Yaroslav Amosov (27-1) | Bellator [8]

Heading into the Bellator 301 main event, Amosov looked like one of the California-based promotion’s most dominant champions. That all changed against Jason Jackson, as the Ukraine native struggled to implement his wrestling and was outgunned on the feet in a third-round TKO defeat. At just 30 years old, “Dynamo” should have plenty of time to bounce back from what was one of the more surprising results of 2023.

9. Ian Garry (15-1) UFC [9]

Garry certainly wasn’t out of his depth against former training partner Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310, but he was ultimately unable to do enough to sway the scorecards in his favor in a unanimous decision defeat at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 7. Garry actually landed more significant strikes than his opponent and had him in danger with a rear-naked choke in the final stanza, so there is plenty to build upon for the 27-year-old Irishman. Garry figures to have plenty of time to work toward a future title shot at 170 pounds.

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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