Matchmaking the UFC's Welterweight Division.
- Preston Palm
- Aug 5
- 4 min read
The Welterweight division has a strong case for the best division in all of the UFC right now, with talent coming from all around the globe and a bunch of different styles throughout the top ten. The problem is that there are fights that need to be made and a ton of fighters that aren’t booked yet, fights that will put clarity on who’s who at 170.
We already know who’s fighting for the title next. Former Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev vacated his title and is moving up to face the newly crowned champion, Jack Della Maddalena. The Welterweight title fight will likely take place at Madison Square Garden in November.
Outside of the title fight, there’s not too much certainty on how the rest of the division will play out. Here are the matchups that we need to close out 2025.
A grudge match of sorts between two former champions who both feel they’re one win away from another crack at the title.
In June of this year, Belal Muhammad made an appearance on Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo’s podcast “Pound for Pound.” The episode remains unreleased because of a physical altercation during the podcast.
So what better way to settle the beef than to fight each other in what could be a main card slot on a pay-per-view? Both of them would build the fight with their animosity towards each other, and while stylistically it may not seem like the biggest barn burner on paper, both Usman and Muhammad are wrestlers, so that could cancel out and end up primarily playing out on the feet.
If Usman wins, then it puts him on a short list of guys who are in line for a title shot, and if Muhammad wins, then at worst, he fights one more time before fighting for the title again.
If Islam Makhachev wasn’t moving up from 155lbs to fight for the Welterweight title, then it would be Sean Brady fighting for the title later this year against Jack Della Maddalena. Since he knows he won't fight for the title next, Sean Brady has said he wants to remain active.
Brady is coming off a win against former champion Leon Edwards in the UFC London main event. It was Edwards’ first fight since his title loss to Belal Muhammad last July, and Brady came into enemy territory on short notice and dominated Edwards even worse than Muhammad did. Brady controlled Edwards on the ground throughout the whole fight until he got the fourth-round submission.
Meanwhile, Ian Machado Garry is coming off a decision win against Carlos Prates back in late April. Machado Garry is a viable option to fight any of the top five at this point, but the Brady matchup is the most fascinating stylistically, the grappling and ability to control positions on the ground from Brady vs the slick striking of Machado Garry would be intriguing to say the least and it’s a fresh matchup between two of the welterweights new class of title contenders.
The winner of this fight will be on a win streak and would be the most deserving for a shot against the winner of Machachev vs Della Madelena.
Prates is booked at present as he’s set to fight #11 Geoff Neal next weekend in Chicago. Win or lose next weekend, a fight against Covington could be in play. A win over Geoff Neal is solid but not too moving as far as name value at 170. Prates likely will need to fight multiple times before he finds himself in real contention at welterweight, and a fight against a veteran like Covington would be the perfect stepping stone for him.
For Covington, it’d be the perfect bounce-back opportunity, against one of the bigger names in the division in Prates, and a chance to make a statement that he’s still looking to contend at 170.
The buildup would be really fun with Prates and the rest of the fighting nerds going back and forth with Covington, who’s notorious for talking trash. This is just fun that could main event on a fight night card or a main card on a pay-per-view.
Morales is 18-0 and 6-0 in the UFC and has to fight someone in the top five of the division cause he’s earned it. Morales has 13 knockouts, with four in the UFC.
He’s a dangerous striker who always seeks a finish. It seems like the perfect time to book him for a five-round fight night main event in the UFC to test him against a veteran who’s gone five rounds multiple times.
Enter Leon Edwards. The former champion is coming off two losses in a row against Belal Muhammad and Sean Brady. Now it’s time for Leon to fight someone slightly further down the rankings, but can still lead him back towards contention. Edwards is well-rounded but is known for his pinpoint striking, so the opportunity to go against another striker instead of a grappling-heavy style should be welcoming for Edwards since he's had some trouble with heavy grappling styles as of late.
The winner of this fight would most likely be one more win away from a title shot, and for Morales, a win and staying undefeated would build him up as one of the scariest contenders in the division.
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