Every UFC Welterweight Champion Ever, Ranked By Skill

Highlights

• Welterweight division pioneers like Miletich and Penn laid the foundation for legends like St-Pierre and Usman to dominate the UFC.
• Covington, Lawler, Hendricks, and Woodley all made significant impacts as welterweight champions, each leaving behind their own legacy.
• Usman’s rise and St-Pierre’s sustained dominance showcase the evolution of talent and skill in the prestigious 170-pound division of the UFC.

The UFC’s welterweight division was one of the earliest ones introduced into the company. Pat Miletich won the inaugural welterweight title at UFC Brazil in October 1998, and the weight class quickly became one of the premier divisions in the company. Over the next few decades, legends such as Georges St-Pierre, Matt Hughes, Kamaru Usman, and more got to hold the gold.

With that in mind, let’s take a look back at the history of the 170-pound division. While some incredible fighters have held welterweight gold, they’re not all ranked equally. While there are many ways to rank these champions, we’re taking a look at their pure fighting skills above all else.

10 Former UFC Interim Welterweight Champion Colby Covington

‘Chaos’ Has Fought The Elite Of The Elite Of The Welterweight Division

Colby Covington technically never held the undisputed welterweight title, but he was the interim champion. ‘Chaos’ won the gold with a unanimous decision victory over Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 225 in 2018, but never got to fight for the undisputed title against Tyron Woodley.

However, Covington later came up short in fights for the undisputed gold against Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman twice. Still, with his wrestling and his resume, he falls inside the top ten of greatest men to hold a portion of the welterweight title.

9 Former UFC Welterweight Champion Pat Miletich

‘The Croatian Sensation’ Was The First To Hold The Title

Pat Miletich is somewhat of a forgotten pioneer of the sport these days. He was the first ever man to hold the UFC welterweight title, winning it back in 1998 with a victory over Mikey Burnett. Miletich held the title until being submitted by Carlos Newton in 2001.

Miletich was one of the most well-rounded fighters of his era and is one of the few who would probably do alright today. In his career, he captured signature wins over names such as Shonie Carter, Jorge Patino, Andre Pederneiras, and more.

8 Former UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler

‘Ruthless’ More Than Lived Up To His Nickname

Robbie Lawler’s run from 2013 to 2017 was absolutely legendary. While he was good outside those years, he really locked in for that four-year period. He ascended from a fun fighter to one of the best welterweights ever.

He captured the gold in 2014 with a win over Johny Hendricks and proceeded to turn in two of the greatest fights of all time, back-to-back with Rory MacDonald and Carlos Condit. Lawler lost the gold soon thereafter, but his impact on welterweight is immeasurable.

7 Former UFC Welterweight Champion Johny Hendricks

‘Big Rigg’ Arguably Defeated Georges St-Pierre In 2013

Johny Hendricks is somewhat forgotten today, and it’s understandable why. ‘Big Rigg’ had an absolutely brutal end to his UFC career. After he lost the title to Robbie Lawler in 2014, he went 2-5 to end his run.

However, Hendricks is still one of the best 170-pound fighters ever. His war with Georges St-Pierre is one of the most controversial fights ever, and that showed his greatness. Beyond that, he defeated names such as Carlos Condit, Josh Koscheck, Matt Brown, and more.

6 Former UFC Lightweight And Welterweight Champion BJ Penn

‘The Prodigy’ Was Exactly That

Look, nobody had a worse end to their career than BJ Penn. However, it’s understandable why he declined as badly as he did. During his prime, the Hawaiian took insane amounts of punishment, jumping back and forth from featherweight, all the way up to heavyweight.

Along the way, however, Penn captured gold in not one but two weight classes. Despite not being a welterweight normally, he nearly defeated Georges St-Pierre and did capture wins over Matt Hughes and others.

5 Former UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley

Woodley’s Title Reign Is Incredibly Underrated Today

Sure, Tyron Woodley might’ve been knocked out by Jake Paul in a freakshow fight, but his MMA career was still stellar. ‘The Chosen One’ was a guy who flew under the radar, and many didn’t think he deserved to fight for the title when he finally did in 2016.

However, Woodley showed his greatness by finishing Robbie Lawler inside one round. He went on to make defenses against Stephen Thompson, Demian Maia, and Darren Till. While he was quickly forgotten after Kamaru Usman became champion, he’s still a great one.

4 Current UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards

‘Rocky’ Became Champion After Years Of Waiting In 2022

For whatever reason, it took a very, very long time for UFC fans to take Leon Edwards seriously. It took a ten-fight unbeaten streak, for him to finally get a crack at Kamaru Usman in August 2022. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ previously defeated Edwards in 2015, and was expected to do so again.

Instead, Edwards earned one of the greatest knockout wins ever, knocking out the Nigerian in round five. The Brit later defeated Usman in the trilogy and dominated Colby Covington last December. He’s currently expected to face Belal Muhammad later this year.

3 Former Two-Time UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes

Hughes Doesn’t Get Nearly Enough Respect Today

When it comes to the welterweight GOAT discussion, Matt Hughes just isn’t mentioned enough. While it’s true that he fought in an era that isn’t as strong as today, he still had insane talent, solid striking, a great gas tank, and a chin. Hughes would’ve been an issue in any era.

He had not one, but two title welterweight title reigns. His resume is stellar as well, with wins over Georges St-Pierre, BJ Penn, Matt Serra, Sean Sherk, Carlos Newton, and more.

2 Former UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman

‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ Dominated The Division For Years

Kamaru Usman is regularly put in the welterweight GOAT discussion and for good reason. There are few fighters who leveled up more than the Nigerian when he won the title. That’s not to say that Usman wasn’t good as a contender.

But once he got that title, he somehow improved massively. Usman dominated Tyron Woodley to win the gold and then captured title defenses over Colby Covington, Gilbert Burns, and Jorge Masvidal. He lost the title to Leon Edwards in 2022, but if there’s anyone who could re-capture it and move up the list it would be him.

1 Former UFC Welterweight And Middleweight Champion Georges St-Pierre

The Canadian Legend Is One Of One

Georges St-Pierre is still the welterweight GOAT today and might be the greatest fighter of all-time period. The Canadian captured the gold for the first time in 2006 but was quickly upset by Matt Serra. Few learned better than St-Pierre, and he learned a lot from that defeat.

After being upset, St-Pierre never lost again. He avenged the loss to Serra, and would then capture title defense, after title defense. He outstruck the strikers and outwrestled the wrestlers, showing his talent as the greatest 170-pound fighter ever.