5 of the best welterweights outside of the UFC
![Michael Page (left), Yaroslav Amosov (central), Rory MacDonald (right) [Images Courtesy: @michaelvenompage @s_amoskin @romac_gorilla on Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/08/2ffa2-16280148244407-800.jpg?w=500)
Such is the depth of the UFC's welterweight division that the smaller promotion's 170-pound rosters often get overlooked.
Bellator and the PFL's welterweight divisions contain a multitude of extremely talented athletes, many of whom would likely be incredibly competitive inside the UFC.
The UFC has already signed Cage Warriors welterweight champion Ian Garry and may follow suit with several of the fighters on this list.
Honorable mentions go to ONE Championship welterweight champion Kiamrian Abbasov, as well as Bellator's Paul Daley, Jason Jackson and Neiman Gracie.
With that said, here are the five best welterweights outside of the UFC.
#5. Rory MacDonald - PFL welterweight
Former Bellator welterweight champion and UFC welterweight title challenger Rory MacDonald is a name most fight fans will be very familiar with. 'The Red King' has competed in some all-time great fights, with his legendary five-round war with Robbie Lawler considered by many to be one of the greatest UFC fights of all time.
MacDonald has also competed against, and defeated, many of the welterweight elite such as Douglas Lima, Tyron Woodley and Nate Diaz. After leaving the UFC in 2016, MacDonald signed for Bellator where he won the welterweight title.
He has now moved on to the PFL, where he has qualified for the playoff stage of the organization's 2021 170-pound season. He already holds a win over Curtis Millender under the PFL banner and had a dominant performance over Gleison Tibau. However, in a bizarre moment of madness, the judges gave the fight to Tibau, earning a huge amount of public scorn across social media.