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It's crowded at the top.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has quite the log-jam atop its Welterweight division heading into 2015. That's because Robbie Lawler is the new 170-pound champion, taking a close decision over Johny Hendricks in their rematch at UFC 181 earlier this month (watch video highlights here).
The result left company president Dana White in a quandary because he all but guaranteed the next title shot to Rory MacDonald (read more on that here) after he knocked out Tarec Saffiedine in the main event of UFC Fight Night 54. But, an immediate trilogy match between "Ruthless" and "Bigg Rigg" might be too good to pass up.
Lawler likes that idea better, too.
We'll find out sooner than later. Meanwhile, it will give the rest of UFC's division time to sort itself out with the return of Carlos Condit and the rise of Kelvin Gastelum, among other notables. Of course, UFC is not the only game in town, with Bellator MMA and World Series of Fighting (WSOF) talent also represented.
Your friends at MMAmania.com, MMA Fighting and Bloody Elbow have gone global to compile a list of the 10 best fighters at 145 pounds, no matter where they compete, and this is what they came up with to close out the month of November.
Check it out:
1. Robbie Lawler
2. Johny Hendricks
2. Rory MacDonald
4. Tyron Woodley
5. Carlos Condit
6. Hector Lombard
7. Ben Askren
7. Matt Brown
9. Jake Shields
10. Kelvin Gastelum
Seems about right, right? To see how this list compares to the "official" UFC rankings click here.
Thoughts?
You've heard from us, Maniacs, now let's hear from you. Top 10 Welterweight fighters are...
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