Divisional rankings: Welterweight
— -- Check out my rankings within each division by clicking on the links below.
Who is the best fighter regardless of weight class? See ESPN's pound-for-pound rankings. Plus, check out our women's pound-for-pound rankings.
Note: Results through Aug. 1.
Divisional Rankings
Heavyweight | Light heavyweight
Middleweight | Welterweight | Lightweight
Featherweight | Bantamweight | Flyweight
Women's bantamweight | Women's strawweight
WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION (UP TO 170 POUNDS)
1. Stephen Thompson (13-1)
Thompson followed up his first-round knockout of Johny Hendricks in February with a tactical, five-round win over Rory MacDonald in June. Once just a "fun" player at 170 pounds, Thompson has a very real shot at winning a UFC championship this year.
Next: TBD
2. Tyron Woodley (16-3)
Woodley enjoyed the finest moment of his career at UFC 201, knocking out Robbie Lawler in the first round of a championship fight. Despite the belt, he remains ranked just behind Thompson, who has been more active recently against the top of the division.
Next: TBD
3. Robbie Lawler (27-11)
It wasn't Lawler's night at UFC 201. Whether that was the result of one mistake against Tyron Woodley or the first evidence of his previous wars coming back to haunt him is up for debate. For what it's worth, Lawler says it's the former.
Next: TBD
4. Rory MacDonald (18-4)
In his first appearance since a taxing TKO loss to Robbie Lawler in 2015, MacDonald couldn't get much going against the tricky Stephen Thompson. He's still well shy of 30, but the damage he's taken in his last two fights is a bit worrisome.
Next: TBD
5. Demian Maia (23-6)
It sounds crazy, but Maia is stringing together the best performances of his career in his late 30s. It's easy to underestimate him due to the awkwardness of his striking, but as long as he's getting opponents to the floor, he's close to unbeatable. And lately, he has been getting every single one of his opponents to the floor.
Next: UFC on Fox on Aug. 27, vs. Carlos Condit
6. Carlos Condit (30-9)
Condit loses no ground in the rankings following his split-decision loss to UFC champion Lawler. If anything, he proved his high rank beyond any doubt in defeat. He is 2-4 in his last six fights, however. He'll look to get back in the win column in August.
Next: UFC on Fox on Aug. 27, vs. Demian Maia
7. Ben Askren (15-0)
Askren rolled (and grappled) to a five-round unanimous decision over Nikolay Aleksakhin in April. The ONE Championship welterweight title sure appears to belong to him as long as he wants to hold it.
Next: TBD
8. Neil Magny (18-4)
Despite one win after another, Magny has mostly flown under the radar during his UFC career. Not anymore. Winner of 10 of his last 11, including victories over Kelvin Gastelum and Hector Lombard, makes Magny a clear top-10 welterweight.
Next: UFC 202 on Aug. 20, vs. Dong Hyun Kim
9. Andrey Koreshkov (19-1)
Bellator MMA's 170-pound champion is coming off the biggest win of his career, an absolutely dominant five-round performance against Benson Henderson. Koreshkov won't face the same level of consistently high competition as the UFC champ will, but his 19-1 overall record is obviously outstanding -- and he appears to be improving between every fight.
Next: TBD
10. Kelvin Gastelum (12-2)
Gastelum is fresh off a win over former champion Hendricks, and the only losses of his career each came via split decisions to incredible opposition (Woodley, Neil Magny). And he's still not even 25.
Next: TBD
