Once one of the hottest divisions in all of MMA, especially in the UFC, the welterweight division is quickly becoming stale. It’s surprising as the 170lbs division has some of the best talent on the roster, with logical fights and competitive match-ups up and down the rankings, however, as things stand, only one man ranked inside the top 15 of the division is scheduled for a fight (Joaquin Buckley at UFC St Louis).
We explain why no one seems to be fighting at 170lbs, suggest possible match-ups and hopefully save the UFC’s welterweight division.
Avoidance is Killing the UFC Welterweight Division
It seems abundantly clear that the reason for only one ranked welterweight being matched is simply avoidance. Granted not through any fault of certain individuals. As we know, the champion, Leon Edwards was offered three fights for UFC 300 and accepted them all.
It was clear, however, that the three men he was offered all had legitimate reasons for rejecting the fight. With that being said, it’s disappointing that Dana White and the UFC left it so late to offer those men the fight. If there was more time to prepare, there’s a potential they could have adjusted their training schedules to accommodate the title fight.
Similarly, it appears that former title challenger, Colby Covington is avoiding a fight with up and coming undefeated prospect, Ian Garry. Although there is supposedly an injury on the American’s side, there isn’t a logical reason to reject the fight.
Possible Match-Ups
The logical title fight to make is the champion, Leon Edwards to meet his former foe, Belal Muhammad in a rematch of their disappointing 2021 affair. On that occasion, the fight was deemed a no-contest due to an eye poke by Rocky. The two men have history, don’t like each other and are both enjoying prolonged undefeated streaks. Book it for UFC 304 in Manchester.
A really fun, #1 contenders fight would feature Shavkat Rakhmonov and Jack Della Maddalena. These two men are two of the most exciting fighters in the entire UFC and happen to feature in the same division, which is great for fans. Rakhmonov is undefeated at 18-0 with 18 finishes and Della Maddalena is coming off a huge comeback victory over Gilbert Burns. Book this one for either a Fight Night Main Event (in front of fans) or a five round co-main event on a PPV.
Ian Garry vs. Colby Covington. This one makes sense from a ‘new guard vs old guard’ perspective. Has Covington still got it? Can Garry mix with the division’s best? All questions will be answered if these two meet in the octagon.
Gilbert Burns likely has one last run in the tank to get himself into a title position. Unfortunately for the Brazilian, he’s suffered back to back losses. Sean Brady is an up and comer and similar to the potential Garry and Covington fight, this one will either eliminate a potential title contender or prove that the new guard is ready to take over the division and relegate a divisional veteran.
Michael Venom Page vs. Stephen Thompson would be a great, tactical chess match, however, has the potential to be quite underwhelming when the actual fight comes around. Both men are risk-adverse counter strikers and there’s a chance that they will stand across from each other and spend 15 minutes trying to figure one another out. Let’s still book it, but be cautious, it could be a disappointment.
The Boogeyman at 170lbs
Let’s not forget, there is one man who could easily jump to the front of any queue in the UFC welterweight division. The former champion, the man who went on a 19 fight winning run, has headlined seven PPVs and has a style that will cause anyone in the division problems. Kamaru Usman. Can The Nigerian Nightmare have one last title run at 170lbs? Granted, he’s dropped his last three, two to the champion and one at middleweight on short notice to Khamzat Chimaev.
Usman will happily step in there with anyone at anytime, anywhere. However, at 36 years old with a string of injuries, Usman has to get back in action soon if he’s to make one last, legendary title run.
