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The welterweight division is arguably the most stacked in the UFC in 2025, especially now that Islam Makhachev vacated his Lightweight Championship to move up to 170 pounds. Jack Della Maddalena is the current champion, and Belal Muhammad, Leon Edwards, and Kamaru Usman preceded him as champions with lengthy win streaks. Shavkat Rakhmonov and Michael Morales are still undefeated, and both of them, as well as Sean Brady, Ian Machado Garry, and Carlos Prates, all have championship potential. Even Colby Covington, Gilbert Burns, Stephen Thompson, Michael Page, and Geoff Neal are still around, and Kevin Holland fights in the division every couple of months.
The depth at welterweight hasn't always been as great as it is now, but there have been some great fighters at 170 pounds throughout the UFC's history. So, check out the gallery to see the five best welterweights ever.
5. Robbie Lawler
Robbie Lawler was nicknamed ‘Ruthless' for a reason. He brought on a bloody battle every time he stepped in the octagon, and this savage fighting style made him a fan favorite. Lawler has three title fight wins under the UFC umbrella in total, all of which came during a stretch of eight wins out of nine fights after Lawler returned to the UFC after fighting elsewhere for nine years.
Had Lawler not competed elsewhere during those prime years, and had he avoided losing in five of his last seven bouts, he could have ranked even higher among the best UFC welterweights ever. Lawler's reckless style led to his opponents often falling face-first onto the canvas, but it also resulted in a number of losses in his own right. Lawler's 30-16 (1 NC) record was good enough to get him into the Hall of Fame this year, though.
4. Leon Edwards
Edwards has lost both of his last two fights, including a title-losing defeat to Muhammad at UFC 304. Before that, though, Rocky was on a roll. Edwards was undergoing a 13-fight unbeaten streak before losing his Welterweight Championship. That included two iconic wins against Usman, one of which has a case as the greatest knockout kick ever, the best comeback ever, and the biggest underdog upset victory of all time.
Other icons, such as Covington, Donald Cerrone, Nate Diaz, Rafael Dos Anjos, and Vicente Luque have fallen victim to the fighter who was born in Jamaica and fights out of England.
3. Matt Hughes
Matt Hughes combined longevity and dominance like few other fighters. He had a 45-9 record and two separate title reigns that led to nine total champion bout victories. Hughes fought everybody of note at 170 pounds until his retirement, and he beat them all at some point, including the welterweight ranked first on this list.
2. Kamaru Usman
Dana White has pinned Usman as the greatest welterweight ever. While those comments may have been more about throwing shade on the next athlete on this list, the Nigerian Nightmare is still an all-time legend. Usman has six title fight wins, and his 15 consecutive welterweight wins are tied for the second-most in all of the UFC.
Usman could stand up and bang or take fights down to the ground, evidenced by his 1,375 significant strikes landed and 2:26:49 of control time. He has also been nearly impossible to take down. Usman has a 97.4 percent takedown defense rate, and even Khamzat Chimaev struggled to bring him to the canvas.
Usman lost three fights in a row as his title defense ended, two against Edwards and one against Chimaev. Before that, though, contenders didn't stand a chance. Usman may have gotten back on track with a June 14, 2025, win over Joaquin Buckley, too.
1. Georges St-Pierre
Georges St-Pierre is not only the greatest welterweight ever, but he has a legitimate claim as the best UFC fighter ever, regardless of weight class. Jon Jones is his main competition in that regard, but some fans refuse to place Jones at the top of the pedestal because of PED and out-of-the-octagon issues.
St-Pierre ended his career with a 26-2 record. His losses came against Hughes and Matt Serra, both of whom he'd go on to beat after the fact. St-Pierre is arguably the most dominant wrestler in UFC history. He had 87 takedowns and top position for 2:18:53 in welterweight alone. St-Pierre is the UFC record holder in the latter category, and the former statistic is only bested by Merab Dvalishvili. St-Pierre put in the hard work to become great. His gas tank was always full, and it resulted in nine Welterweight Championship wins.
