Apr 8, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Gilbert Burns (red gloves) reacts after defeating Jorge Masvidal (blue gloves) during UFC 287 at Miami-Dade Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports

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The Former Welterweight Top 5 Haven’t Been Able To Get a Win Lately

Get To Know All About the Former Top 5 Welterweights in the UFC and Why They Haven’t Been Able To Win Lately.

Apr 8, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Gilbert Burns (red gloves) reacts after defeating Jorge Masvidal (blue gloves) during UFC 287 at Miami-Dade Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports

The UFC Welterweight division has changed over the last few years. This is due to the fight results in the numbered as well as UFC Fight Night events. New winners have sprung up and champions crowned while the older ones have slipped down the ladder.

The UFC Welterweight division has seen the most change in its top 5 as almost all of its members have slipped down the ladder. They have not been able to give their best performances inside the Octagon. This has allowed new fighters to claim their places. So who were the former top 5 in the UFC Welterweight division and why have they dropped down the ladder? Read all about it.

Who were The Former Top 5 Welterweight Division Fighters in the UFC?

Kamaru Usman, Leon Edwards, Colby Covington, Gilbert Burns and Stephen Thompson were known as the former top 5 Welterweight fighters in the UFC. However, only Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman have managed to stay in the top 5 position presently as per the UFC official site. Meanwhile the other three have slipped down the ladder. That being said, neither of these fighters have managed to put up their best performance recently. They have a combined losing streak of 0-13 as per Full Violence on Instagram.

Gilbert Burns has been on a five fight losing streak including his last fight on May 17, 2025. This has sent him down to #8. Colby Covington is on a two-fight losing streak, landing him at #9. Stephen Thompson is also on a two-fight losing streak, which landed him at #11. Meanwhile Leon Edwards have dropped from #3 to #4 due to his last two losses. Kamaru Usman have dropped from #4 to #5 due to his last three losses as per the UFC official site. All of these makes the 0-13 combined losing streak for these fighters.

Who Are The Present Top 5 in the UFC Welterweight Division?

The UFC Welterweight division presently have Belal Muhammad as the #1 fighter. He is followed by Sean Brady (#2), Shavkat Rakhmonov (#3), Leon Edwards (#4) and Kamaru Usman (#5) as per the UFC official site. The latter two are the only former top 5 Welterweights who have stayed in the present top 5. However, all of them have dropped down one spot each. Belal Muhammad was notably the UFC Welterweight Champion. However, Jack Della Maddalena became the new champion at UFC 315 by defeating him.

The UFC fans will have just wait and see if any of the three former top 5 Welterweight fighters manage to come back up to the top 5 or not. However, the division can also see more newcomers join the top 5 in the future.

Belal Muhammad

Colby Covington

Gilbert Burns

Jack Della Maddalena

Kamaru Usman

Leon Edwards

MMA

Sean Brady

Shavkat Rakhmonov

Stephen Thompson

UFC

UFC Welterweight Division

Arka Mukherjee

mlb

mma

wrestling

I’m a sports content writer focusing on MMA, WWE and MLB writer at The Playoffs. I have a Master’s degree in Media Science (M.Sc) from my college The Heritage Academy. I got into the sports industry through my previous company where I worked from 2023 to March 2025. I’m a fan of combat sports like pro wrestling and MMA. My favorite part about working at The Playoffs is speculating what can be happening in WWE, especially face-heel turns and results of matches.