The welterweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:
- The UFC's & Strikeforce's welterweight division, which groups competitors within 156 to 170 lb (71 to 77 kg)
- DREAM's & Sengoku's welterweight division, which limits competitors to 168 lb (76 kg)
- Shooto's welterweight class, which refers to competitors between 144 and 154 lb (66 and 70 kg)
- Pancrase's welterweight division, which formerly limited competitors to 165 lb (75 kg) now revised to 170 lb (77 kg)
- PRIDE FC's (defunct) welterweight division, which limits competitors to 183 lb (83 kg)
Ambiguity and clarification[]
Many other sports that use the welterweight class, such as boxing, kickboxing, and Muay Thai, define it as below about 147 lbs. The MMA welterweight class is therefore significantly heavier than the welterweight class of these other sports. For the sake of uniformity, many American mixed martial arts websites refer to competitors between 156 and 170 lb (71 and 77 kg) as welterweights. This encompasses the Shooto middleweight division (167 lb / 76 kg).
The welterweight limit, as defined by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, is 170 lb (77 kg).
Notable welterweights in MMA[]
The listed fighters below fight between 165 and 175 lb (75 and 79.5 kg):
- Georges St. Pierre, UFC welterweight champion
- Nick Diaz, Strikeforce welterweight MMA champion, former WEC & IFC welterweight champion
- Marius Zaromskis, DREAM welterweight champion, 2009 welterweight Grand Prix winner
- Matt Hughes, former UFC welterweight champion
- Carlos Condit, final WEC welterweight champion, UFC contender
- Akira Kikuchi, former Shooto middleweight champion, GCM Cage Force semi-finalist
- Nick Thompson, former MFC welterweight champion
- Takashi Nakakura, former Shooto welterweight champion
- Jake Shields, final EXC welterweight champion, Rumble on the Rock welterweight champion, former Shooto middleweight world champion
- Yuki Nakai, former Shooto welterweight champion
- Matt Serra, former UFC welterweight champion, welterweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter 4
- Shinya Aoki, Shooto 167-pound champion
- Akira Kikuchi, former Shooto 167-pound champion
- Yoshiyuki Yoshida, GCM Cage Force welterweight tournament winner
- Pat Miletich, first UFC welterweight champion
- Hayato Sakurai, Shooto champion and PRIDE FC Grand Prix finalist
- Amir Sadollah, winner of The Ultimate Fighter 7
- James Wilks, welterweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter 9
- Diego Sanchez, middleweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter 1
- Paul Daley, former Cage Rage British Welterweight Champion, final Cage Rage World Welterweight Champion
- Aleksandar Pavlović
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