Where We Stand: Welterweight Division | March 2023
Leon Edwards Cemented His Claim On The Welterweight Throne In London. Now, "Rocky" Turns His Focus To A Rich Pool Of Contenders
Leon Edwards needed a Hail Mary to wrest the belt from Kamaru Usman in 2022, but with a partisan London crowd backing him at UFC 286, “Rocky” cemented his status as champion in the rubber match. That leaves Edwards with a slew of options for his next title defense while the former welterweight king finds himself in a tough spot unless one of the eager contenders can shift the power once again.
This is where we stand in the welterweight division:
Champion: Leon Edwards
Last Fight: Majority Decision Win vs Kamaru Usman (3/18/2023)
Next fight: N/A
Leon Edwards of Jamaica reacts after defeating Kamaru Usman of Nigeria in the UFC welterweight championship fight during the UFC 286 event at The O2 Arena on March 18, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Outlook: After a long and arduous journey to the top, Edwards is now well on his way to creating his own championship legacy after vanquishing Usman for a second time. UFC President Dana White mentioned Colby Covington as Edwards’ next opponent at the UFC 286 post-fight press conference, but there is no shortage of potential challengers waiting for their crack at the crown, with Edwards pointing toward the impending matchup between Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal at UFC 287: Pereira vs Adesanya 2, particularly if Masvidal wins because of their altercation in London in March 2019. Belal Muhammad, who is on a nine-fight unbeaten streak, is also someone Edwards could see down the line. The two have unfinished business after their March 2021 bout was cut short due to an inadvertent eye poke.
1) Kamaru Usman
Last Fight: Majority Decision Loss vs Leon Edwards (3/18/2023)
Next fight: N/A
Kamaru Usman of Nigeria punches Leon Edwards of Jamaica in the UFC welterweight championship fight during the UFC 286 event at The O2 Arena on March 18, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Braydon Jackson/Zuffa LLC)
Outlook: “The Nigerian Nightmare” is in a tough spot. After failing to recapture his belt, he likely needs to string together a couple wins at minimum before getting another shot as long as Edwards is champ. That said, he also has a fast track to the belt if any of his previous rivals takes the belt off him because Usman did such a job running through the division during his title tenure. Who that next fight comes against is a bit blurry. He already holds a pair of wins over Covington and Masvidal, as well as a knockout of Gilbert Burns, so he could either sit and wait things out or chase a fight against Muhammad or someone outside of the Top 5 to remain active.
2) Colby Covington
Last Fight: Unanimous Decision Win vs Jorge Masvidal (3/5/2022)
Next fight: N/A
Colby Covington Backstage Interview | UFC 286
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Colby Covington Backstage Interview | UFC 286
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Outlook: After serving as the backup fighter at UFC 286, Covington appears to be in line for his third shot at undisputed gold. Although Covington hasn’t been the most active fighter in the Top 5, he remains one of the best 170-pound fighters in the world and proves as much each time he steps into the Octagon. He pushed Usman in their two duels and has dominated pretty much everyone else he has fought. If a title fight is next for Covington, he presents another well-rounded challenge for Edwards.
3) Khamzat Chimaev
Last Fight: Submission Win vs Kevin Holland (9/10/2023)
Next fight: N/A
Khamzat Chimaev of Russia prepares to fight Kevin Holland in a 180-pound catchweight fight during the UFC 279 event at T-Mobile Arena on September 10, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Outlook: Following the weight-miss fiasco at UFC 279, it seems like Khamzat Chimaev is headed to the middleweight division. That said, fights against Covington, Muhammad and Shavkat Rakhmonov are incredibly intriguing if “Borz” figures out his weight cut. If he does, he’s a major factor at 170, but if not, he still remains a wrench in the middleweight order of operations, as well.
4) Belal Muhammad
Last Fight: TKO Win vs Sean Brady (10/22/2022)
Next fight: N/A
The Rise Of Belal Muhammad
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The Rise Of Belal Muhammad
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Outlook: Somewhat similar to Edwards, Muhammad’s biggest fight these days is getting momentum and steam behind his case for a title shot. His nine-fight unbeaten streak is a selling point in itself, and he presents quite a stylistic conundrum for Edwards. The two fought for a round in March 2021 before an eye poke ended the bout prematurely, and Edwards has said Muhammad is more deserving of a shot than other contenders. If Muhammad doesn’t fight for the belt next, he could either get the winner of Burns and Masvidal or maybe even a main event against Usman.
5) Gilbert Burns
Last Fight: Submission Win vs Neil Magny (1/21/2023)
Next fight: vs Jorge Masvidal (4/8/2023)
Gilbert Burns of Brazil battles Neil Magny in a welterweight fight during the UFC 283 event at Jeunesse Arena on January 21, 2023 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Zuffa LLC)
Outlook:Burns bounced back from his Fight of the Year loss to Chimaev in 2023 with a decisive and dominant victory over Neil Magny at UFC 283. With a heavily hyped fight with Masvidal next, Burns could launch himself back into title contention with a win over “Gamebred” in Miami.
In the Mix: Shavkat Rakhmonov, Jorge Masvidal, Geoff Neal, Jack Della Maddalena
Outlook:Rakhmonov is as touted a prospect as there is in the sport at present, and he solidified his spot in the Top 10 with a win in a banger against Geoff Neal, who needs to regain some momentum. Whether that fight was enough to get Rakhmonov a shot at the Top 5 is up in the air and dependent on a few different results.
Edwards thwarting Usman again was a best-case scenario for Masvidal, who could find himself in a title fight if he gets past Burns. He and Edwards have real beef, and the storyline there is dripping with intrigue.
The shiniest new toy in the Top 15 is Australian knockout artist Jack Della Maddalena, who has aced all four of his tests in the Octagon thus far. Most recently, his impressive win over Randy Brown in his hometown of Perth caught people’s attention. He likely gets his first Top 15 test the next time he makes the walk to the Octagon.
