MMA Fighter Rankings: Welterweight

On the first Wednesday of every month, theScore's MMA editors compile a list of the top 10 fighters in each of the major weight classes.

Rankings
Heavyweight | Light Heavyweight
Middleweight | Welterweight
Lightweight | Featherweight
Bantamweight | Flyweight
Women: Bantamweight | Strawweight

Welterweight

• In a matchup of two of the division's foremost purveyors of ultraviolence, Robbie Lawler defends his welterweight title against the impossibly rugged Carlos Condit at UFC 195 on Jan. 2.
• Rory MacDonald - the last challenger to Lawler's crown - doesn't have his next dance partner booked, but he and Hector Lombard have been circling each other for months. Lombard's PED suspension ends in January, so it wouldn't be too surprising to see "The Red King" and "Showeather" sling heavy leather at some point in the first quarter of 2016.
• There's gonna be a grapplers delight on the undercard of UFC 194 when Demian Maia squares off with Gunnar Nelson. Maia used his venomous BJJ to vanquish Neil Magny at UFC 190, while Nelson's submission prowess was on full display at UFC 189 when he choked out Brandon Thatch.
• Speaking of Magny, the UFC's most active welterweight vaulted himself into the top 10 with a contentious split-decision victory over Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Fight Night 78 in November.