Some fans would agree that UFC rankings does not make sense, and sometimes they are right. The rankings are usually based on if A fighter beats a B fighter he overtakes his ranking. Rankings are made to become aware who deserve to fight for the title, and the matchmaking is easier and makes more sense.
During the George St Pierre era, the welterweight division was known to be the most difficult division due to how many talented fighters in that specific division. There were big names like Carlos Condit, Josh Koscheck, Nick Diaz, Johnny Hendricks, Matt Hughes, and many other greats. What made GSP great was he dominated most of them and started his long reign only losing twice but avenged them as well.
Now we look at the current rankings of the current top five welterweights in the UFC. Only two fighters faced each other in that rankings which is kind of crazy if you think about it. Jorge Masvidal and Stephen Thompson are the only ones that have faced each other and it was so long ago that Masvidal was not considered to be in title contention during that time.
Current Rankings
Champion: Kamaru Usman
- Colby Covington
- Gilbert Burns
- Leon Edwards
- Jorge Masvidal
- Stephen Thompson
Colby Covington is number one because he went to a close fight with Usman but lost and beat Tyron Woodley as well, he also demolished Robbie Lawler. Although he deserves it compared to other rankings below him since he went on a winning streak beating RDA to become the interim welterweight champion. He wants his next opponent to be either Usman or former teammate Jorge Masvidal.
Gilbert Burns is now number two, because he knocked out an old Demian Maia and Tyron Woodley on short notice. He is now scheduled to fight his former teammate Kamaru Usman for the title. What a year he had for 2020.
Leon Edwards is coming off a win against RDA but has not beat a better name than RDA, or even a top contender. Edwards was supposed to face Tyron Woodley but the fight was scrapped due to the pandemic and country lockdown. He is scheduled to face Khamzat Chimaev.
Jorge Masvidal may be the most famous fighter in this list but he has not beaten a clear welterweight contender in a while. Although there is no question that Masvidal has what it takes to become a champion. Masvidal became famous for knocking out Darren Till and Ben Askren, and the UFC even made a BMF event for him and Nate Diaz.
Stephen Thompson has fought for the title twice but fell short against Tyron Woodley. He looks to not have slowed and just beat a tough and powerful Geoff Neal. He has win over Jorge Masvidal who is ranked above him but that was before Masvidal’s great run.
Now the rankings are fair the way they are right now, what is wrong with it is the match making by the UFC. Among those five fighters they have not fought each other, except Masvidal/Thompson.
The UFC needs to book the top five contenders to face each other. The current welterweights have big names but they don’t make the best fight best in their current situation. In order to make the fans excited, they should book the dream fights to see who is the best. Ironically, Kamaru Usman has beaten Woodley, Covington, and Masvidal which is really impressive.
The dream match-up would be Covington vs Masvidal because of their history and bad blood obviously sells. This is the most exciting fight to make right now for the welterweight division. If Leon Edwards beats Khamzat dominantly, he could fight for the title or fight Stephen Thompson to showcase if he is really the real deal. Bottom line is that, the UFC welterweight is stacked but lacks great matchmaking.
