Who's next for the welterweight title?
Champion: Islam Makhachev. Most likely next title challenger: Carlos Prates (70%, model estimate), Jan 2027 target. No date or venue announced..
Updated (UAE time) · Percentages are NextSmash model estimates, not facts or betting advice.
Welterweight rankings and next fights
Media Panel board on ufc.com, checked 1 Oct 2026. The Meta (algorithmic) rank is shown alongside. Champion plus Media top 15, plus unbeaten riser Jacobe Smith. Next re-check: after UFC 332 (3 Oct). Ranks 16–30 are unofficial: a NextSmash formula, not a UFC ranking (see About).
| UFC official rankings · champion + Media panel top 15, from UFC.com | |
| C | Islam Makhachev 29-1-0 · Russia · next: Carlos Prates 70% |
| 1 | Ian Machado Garry 17-2-0 · Ireland · next: Michael Morales 45% |
| 2 | Carlos Prates 24-7-0 · Brazil · next: Islam Makhachev 70% |
| 3 | Michael Morales 19-0-0 · Ecuador · next: Ian Machado Garry 45% |
| 4 | Jack Della Maddalena 18-4-0 · Australia · next: Leon Edwards 25% |
| 5 | Gabriel Bonfim 20-1-0 · Brazil · next: Sean Brady 92% |
| 6 | Sean Brady 19-2-0 · United States · next: Gabriel Bonfim 92% |
| 7 | Belal Muhammad 24-6-0 · Palestine · next: Kamaru Usman 20% |
| 8 | Leon Edwards 22-6-0 · England · next: Jack Della Maddalena 25% |
| 9 | Kamaru Usman 21-5-0 · Nigeria · next: Belal Muhammad 20% |
| 10 | Joaquin Buckley 21-8-0 · United States · next: Mike Malott 92% |
| 11 | Yaroslav Amosov 30-1-0 · Ukraine · next: Buckley–Malott winner 15% |
| 12 | Uroš Medić Riser 14-3-0 · Serbia · next: Kevin Holland 92% |
| 13 | Mike Malott Riser 14-2-1 · Canada · next: Joaquin Buckley 92% |
| 14 | Daniel Rodriguez 20-6-0 · United States · next: Daniil Donchenko 25% |
| 15 | Neil Magny 32-14-0 · United States · next: Daniel Rodriguez 10% |
| NextSmash unofficial ranks 16–30 · our formula, not a UFC ranking · how it works | |
| 16 | Jacobe Smith Riser Unofficial rank 12-0-0 · United States · next: Bruce Whitehead 92% |
| 17 | Jonathan Micallef Riser Unofficial rank 10-1-0 · Australia · next: Ty Miller 15% |
| 18 | Daniil Donchenko Riser Unofficial rank 16-2-0 · Ukraine · next: Daniel Rodriguez 25% |
| 19 | Ty Miller Riser Unofficial rank 8-0-0 · United States · next: Jonathan Micallef 15% |
| 20 | Farman Hasanov Riser Unofficial rank 6-0-0 · Azerbaijan · next: Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani 92% |
| 21 | Michael Oliveira Riser Unofficial rank 10-0-0 · Brazil · next: Ty Miller 10% |
| 22 | Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani Riser Unofficial rank 11-2-0 · United States · next: Farman Hasanov 92% |
| 23 | José Souza Riser Unofficial rank 9-1-0 · Brazil · next: Jonny Parsons 92% |
| 24 | Cam Nelson Riser Unofficial rank 8-1-0 · Canada · next: Jeremiah Wells 15% |
| 25 | Jeremiah Wells Unofficial rank 14-4-1 · United States · next: Cam Nelson 15% |
| 26 | Tahir Abdullayev Riser Unofficial rank 20-3-0 · Azerbaijan · next: Jake Matthews 92% |
| 27 | Abubakar Vagaev Unofficial rank 25-4-0 · Russia · next: Myktybek Orolbai 8% |
| 28 | Myktybek Orolbai Unofficial rank 16-3-1 · Kyrgyzstan · next: Levan Chokheli 9% |
| 29 | Sam Patterson Unofficial rank 15-3-1 · England · next: Levan Chokheli 13% |
| 30 | Levan Chokheli Unofficial rank 15-3-0 · Georgia · next: Sam Patterson 13% |
Ranked in the Meta top 15 only:
- Kevin Holland Meta #14 · Booked vs Uroš Medić, UFC 334, MSG, 14 Nov (official)
Booked welterweight fights
- UFC 332: Silva vs Wang · Sat 3 Oct 2026 · Roberto Soldić vs Khaos Williams, Jacobe Smith vs Bruce Whitehead, Court McGee vs Eric Nolan
- UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Duncan · Sat 10 Oct 2026 · Niko Price vs Leon Shahbazyan
- UFC Fight Night Edmonton: Buckley vs Malott · Sat 17 Oct 2026 · Joaquin Buckley vs Mike Malott
- UFC Vegas 123: Moicano vs Nolan · Sat 31 Oct 2026 · Randy Brown vs Carlos Leal, Rodrigo Sezinando vs Theodor Berggren, Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani vs Farman Hasanov
- UFC Fight Night: Bonfim vs Brady · Sat 7 Nov 2026 · Gabriel Bonfim vs Sean Brady, Seokhyeon Ko vs Wellington Turman, Jonny Parsons vs José Souza
- UFC 334: Gane vs Hokit · Sat 14 Nov 2026 · Uroš Medić vs Kevin Holland, Stephen Thompson vs Charles Radtke
- UFC Fight Night Qatar: Procházka vs Stirling · Sat 21 Nov 2026 · Jake Matthews vs Tahir Abdullayev
Other divisions
Flyweight · Bantamweight · Featherweight · Lightweight · Middleweight · Light Heavyweight · Heavyweight · Women's Strawweight · Women's Flyweight · Women's Bantamweight