Usman is a peculiar case. “The Nigerian Nightmare” dominated the division as its champion from 2019 to 2022 before Edwards hit him with the fifth-round kick heard ‘round the world, thus sending Usman on a three-year odyssey until he got his hand raised again against Joaquin Buckley. The 38-year-old showed flashes of his best form, and he serves as a fascinating stylistic matchup for Makhachev, albeit one with plenty of mileage on the proverbial odometer. A shot for Usman would have more to do with pedigree than form, but considering he is one of the two or three best to ever compete at 170 pounds in the Octagon, it’d be an understandable move.
Fighters on the outside of the title picture at the start of the year include Brady and former champions Muhammad and Della Maddalena. Each man would probably need two or three wins before wiggling into the conversation for a crack at the title, and they could find themselves lined up against men further down the Top 15 such as Buckley or Yaroslav Amosov.
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Buckley was a breakout athlete in 2024, collecting four wins (three via knockout) in nine months, including victories over Vicente Luque, Stephen Thompson and former interim champion Colby Covington. He parlayed that success into a main event against Usman, against whom he ultimately lost his first fight at 170 pounds in seven appearances. The 31-year-old took a step back from his ultra-active schedule, but he remains a dynamic threat to anyone in the division.
Amosov lurks outside the rankings for the time being, but the former Bellator champion ingratiated himself to the promotion with a first-round submission over Neil Magny in the last event of 2025. The Ukrainian boasts a 29-1 record with 21 finishes and is in his prime at 32 years old. Who he makes his next move against will provide even more context as to where he fits into the division, but his quality speaks to the riches of the division.