Ranking Shake Up: Kamalusman is back, but is he back in the top five welterweight welterweight?

Kamal Usman picked up where he left off in a vintage performance at UFC Atlanta. So, where does that leave him in the rankings of the crowded welterweights?

Usman knocked out top 10 contender Joaquin Buckley, but it’s not as easy as bumping out former UFC champion Buckley from his place. When Usman left the rankings due to inactivity (by Saturday, it had been more than two years since Usman made his welterweight appearance), he was No. 4 on the charts. There has been a lot of activity in the division since then, and Buckley is part of a fresh candidate that includes Shabkat Rakmonov, Sean Brady, Ian Machado Garry and Michael Morales.

Is it fair to jump over these fighters who have won big wins in his absence? Needless to say, Leon Edwards is the man who won USMAN in a UFC Championship match.

Long answer, short: Yes, Usman is back in the top five behind Rakmonov and Brady, but ahead of Garry and the undefeated Morales. Ultimately, it was hard for our panel to ignore how good he was on Saturday, not to mention his celebratory history at 170 pounds, even if he fell into three fights, not to mention how well he worked in his losses. Usman is 38 years old, but his version he saw in Atlanta seems to be able to make money for anyone in the division, including current champion Jack Della Madarena.

Usman claims he is waiting for the winner against Della Maddalena’s still scheduled MMA Fighting pound king Islam Makachev, but he should seriously consider booking a grim match against Beral Muhammad. Few people argue that if he can do what he did to Muhammad, then the greatest of all time deserves another shot in gold.

Check out the updated £170 ranking for MMA Fighting below.

Recent results of ranked fighter jets (previous rankings are shown): Kamal Usmandef. No. 7 Joaquin Buckley, Thad Jean Def. No. 10 Jason Jackson

Fighters are also receiving votes (number of votes shown): Carlos Prates (5), Stephen Thompson (3), Kevin Holland (2), Jason Jackson (2), Shamil Musaev (2), Rinat Fakhretdinov (1)