5 blockbuster fights to book in the UFC welterweight division

#4. Stephen Thompson vs. Jorge Masvidal 2

Stephen Thompson, a former two-time UFC title challenger, is a fan favorite and for good reason. The perennial UFC welterweight contender's karate style is a sight to behold and he's a tricky matchup for any fighter he faces.

Thompson's opponents often struggle to close the distance against him and tend to get picked apart if they're overzealous. To top it all off, he has serious fight-ending power, as is evident in his incredible highlight reel.

Thompson has struggled against fighters who have adopted a wrestling-heavy approach of late and the blueprint to defeat him has been laid out. The majority of fans would rather see him get matched up with fellow stand-up fighters, allowing 'Wonderboy' the freedom to be himself and truly show off his world-class striking.

A potential fight against Jorge Masvidal certainly offers a lot. For what it's worth, Thompson has called for a bout against 'Gamebred' on numerous occasions.

Both Stephen Thompson and Jorge Masvidal are currently riding losing streaks. Masvidal hasn't won a fight since his scintillating 3-0 run in 2019 that saw him claim the 'Fighter of the Year' award. Thompson's last win came back in 2020 and he's picked up back-to-back losses to Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad since then.

Notably, they have fought once before, back at UFC 217. On that occasion, 'Wonderboy' picked apart 'Gamebred' en route to a unanimous decision victory. However, this was before Masvidal's "resurrection" and a fight between the two veteran welterweights would now certainly attract a ton of attention.

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#3. Vicente Luque vs. Sean Brady

Vicente Luque was riding a scorching four-fight win streak until recently. The Brazilian suffered his first loss in over two years at UFC Vegas 51, where he came out on the short end of a unanimous decision in his rematch with Belal Muhammad.

Luque is a handful for any fighter he faces. He is among the most entertaining and lethal fighters on the UFC roster and his finish rate is a testament to this. Out of his 21 career wins, eleven have come via KO/TKO and eight via submission.

Luque has been in the UFC since 2015 and has only lost to high-level opposition. A win over Muhammad would've further solidified his place in the top five of the 170-pound rankings. Now, 'The Silent Assassin' will likely have to take on a lower-ranked contender in his next outing. The ideal opponent for him would be Sean Brady.

Brady has slowly but surely built a name for himself in the UFC's 170-pound division. He made his promotional debut against Court McGee in 2019, winning via unanimous decision. In his next three appearances in the octagon, the undefeated prospect secured submission victories over Ismail Naurdiev, Christian Aguilera and Jake Matthews.

The aforementioned wins saw him quickly gain a reputation for being an extremely dangerous submission specialist. In his most recent outing, he took on Michael Chiesa. Given Chiesa’s grappling prowess, this matchup was a real threat to Brady’s unblemished professional record.

Nevertheless, he secured a comfortable unanimous decision win over the then-No.6-ranked welterweight to make a huge leap up the rankings. The fact that he outgrappled one of the best grapplers in the division effortlessly showed that Brady is a force to be reckoned with at 170 pounds.