Written by Lucas Themelis
The welterweight division is one of the deepest divisions in the UFC. Kamaru Usman has been a dominant champion taking on every challenge, and the top five in the division are arguably the strongest pound-for-pound in the UFC as well. How does the elite at welterweight stack up, and where do they go from here?
It is important to distinguish who sits at the top and where. The rankings go as follows: Colby Covington in the number one contender spot, Gilbert Burns second, Leon Edwards third, Jorge Masvidal fourth, and Stephen Thompson fifth to round out the top five.
It has recently been announced the Jorge Masvidal will be challenging Kamaru Usman in a rematch for the title at UFC 261, headlining the first UFC event since COVID-19 to allow fans back at full capacity. Many fans believe Masvidal does not deserve the title shot, considering how he was beaten in their first contest, which was also Masvidal’s last appearance in the octagon.
On the contrary, Masvidal took the fight on short notice, six days to be exact. The UFC had originally targetted Masvidal for Usman’s second title defense after Colby, but a contract dispute caused the UFC to go a different direction in Gilbert Burns. For those unaware, Burns pulled out with COVID, hence the short-notice replacement in Masvidal last July.
Although Masvidal may not deserve the title shot in some people's eyes, everyone is excited to see the UFC back in action with the intensity of the crowd present, and the draw of Masvidal is likely why he got the nod. With such a stacked division, how should the rest of the top five be booked?
With Masvidal getting the rematch with Usman with a full camp this time around, it leaves the door open for the rest of the top five to be paired up to solidify their case for a title shot, in most of their cases, another shot. I believe matching these remaining four competitors with each other is the perfect scenario, due to the magnitude of it, the storylines that develop, the high-level of competition that will transpire, and the overall excitement of the fans.
With the championship fight already made, who deserves to fight for the top contender spot? In my opinion, the fight to make is Colby Covington vs. Leon Edwards.
Colby is coming off of a dominant win over former champion Tyron Woodley last September. Before that, he nearly went to a decision with the champion Usman before being rocked and knocked down with 50 seconds remaining, prompting referee Marc Goddard to step in and call it. Some had him winning the fight if it were left in the hands of the judges.
Leon was on an eight-fight win streak until his recent bout with Belal Muhammad, which was stopped early in the second round due to an unintentional eye poke that resulted in a no-contest finish.
While some believe Leon and Belal should run it back due to the controversial finish, I believe Leon is already long overdue for a title opportunity. If it was not for his extended delay of 18 months before making the walk two weeks ago, there was a good chance that Leon would be the one stepping into the octagon to face Kamaru at UFC 261.
Let us not forget that Dana White had guaranteed a title shot for Leon had he impressed against Muhammad, which failed to be the case.
Covington vs. Edwards will also be an exciting fight as both men are incredibly versatile. Colby predominantly employs his strong wrestling prowess and cardio to wear his opponents down and pepper them with his improved striking.
Leon is primarily a striker, utilizing a broad repertoire of skills that include nasty elbows and clinch work to break his opponents down.
The storylines with both men and the champion is another reason this fight makes so much sense. If Kamaru makes a fourth successful title defense, then a rematch with Colby would mean a rekindling of one of the most entertaining rivalries in recent memory.
If Leon wins, he has the opportunity to avenge his loss to Kamaru that dates all the way back to the champion’s UFC debut, minus The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale, in 2015. Edwards had his moments, but Usman would win the fight via unanimous decision.
Both men have grown tremendously since then, so a rematch would be enticing and could produce a different outcome.
Similarly, If Masvidal can become the new champion at UFC 261, we would have the opportunity to see one of two fights that everybody has wanted for some time. We could get the friends turned enemies fight with Colby, or we could finally get the "three-piece and a soda" fight that has been on everyone's mind since Leon and Masvidal had their infamous 2019 backstage scuffle. Both fights offer the perfect recipe of styles, storylines, and draw power, making huge waves in the welterweight division.
The two men left are Gilbert Burns and Stephen Thompson.
Burns was the last to fall victim to the champion, getting knocked out in the third round. Thompson has been a mainstay at the top of the welterweight division for years, earning himself two unsuccessful cracks at the title against Tyron Woodley a few years back, the first fight ending in a draw and the rematch a majority decision defeat.
In his last two bouts, Thompson has fought competitors ranked lower than him, and although neither of those fights should be considered accessible, I believe it is time to give Thompson a more challenging task in Gilbert Burns. Gilbert's mastery of Jiu-Jitsu could give Thompson many problems if the fight reaches the ground, and his above-par ability to box could factor in as well.
However, the length and quickness of Thompson, who has a two-inch height and four-inch reach advantage, could be the perfect equalizer. If Thompson can effectively keep distance and use his superior kickboxing skills to control the fight, we could see the vintage “Wonderboy” that landed just short of 200 total strikes in his Performance of the Night victory over Geoff Neal in December.
This should be a great fight on paper and allows the winner to be right back into title contention.
Before any of these contemplated matchups could go ahead and materialize, it all comes down to whoever walks away with the belt on Saturday, April 24th between “The Nigerian Nightmare” and “Gamebred”. Be sure to tune in.
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