The welterweight division in mixed martial arts contains different weight classes:
- The UFC’s welterweight division, which groups competitors within 156 to 170 lb (71 to 77 kg)
- The ONE Championship’s welterweight division, with upper limit at 84 kg (185.2 lb)
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 (67 kg). 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 and the Association of Boxing Commissions is 170 lb (77 kg).
Professional Champions
Current champions
This table is not always up to date. Last updated August 24, 2020.
| Organization | Reign began | Champion | Record | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UFC | March 3, 2019 |  Kamaru Usman |
17–1 (6KO 2SUB) | 3 |
| Bellator MMA | October 26, 2019 |  Douglas Lima |
32–7 (14KO 12SUB) | 0 |
| ONE Championship | October 25, 2019 |  Kiamrian Abbasov |
23–4 (8KO 4SUB) | 1 |
| Fight Nights Global | April 6, 2019 |  Dmitry Bikrev |
12–3 (8KO 1SUB) | 1 |
| KSW | October 6, 2018 |  Roberto Soldić |
17–3 (14KO 1SUB) | 1 |
| Titan FC | March 15, 2019 |  Michael Graves |
9–1 (4KO 2SUB) | 1 |
| ACA | September 5, 2020 | Murad Abdulaev |
19–4 (10KO 1SUB) | 0 |
| Legacy Fighting Alliance | August 21, 2020 | Jaleel Willis |
13–2 (5KO) | 0 |
| Cage Warriors | TBA | vacant | TBA | 0 |
Most wins in Welterweight title bouts
- Note: the list includes wins in bouts for welterweight titles of major promotions (UFC, Strikeforce, WEC, Bellator)
- Note: the list includes both undisputed and interim champions
- Active title reign
| Name | Promotion | Title bout wins | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Georges St-Pierre |
UFC | 12 |
| 2. | Matt Hughes |
UFC | 9 |
| 3. | Pat Miletich |
UFC | 5 |
| Ben Askren |
Bellator | 5 | |
| Nick Diaz |
WEC, Strikeforce | 5 (1 WEC, 4 Strikeforce) | |
| Carlos Condit |
WEC, UFC | 5 (4 WEC, 1 UFC) | |
| 4. | Tyron Woodley |
UFC | 4(+1a) |
| 5. | Douglas Lima |
Bellator | 3 |
| Kamaru Usman |
UFC | ||
| Robbie Lawler |
UFC |