College basketball has taken center stage in the sports world this week, and it's a fun time even for those who didn't closely follow the months-long conference schedules. The NCAA tournament is a time to jump into the office pool, take your best guess on those puzzling No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed matchups and sit back and enjoy a flurry of games.
But why should only hoops fans enjoy all the Madness?
Other sports also can be sorted into brackets matching up athletes from different leagues and different regions, allowing fans to think outside the box -- or, in the case of MMA, think outside the cage. Of course, creating fantasy brackets in a combat sport could be cumbersome because there are so many weight classes. So let's just choose one of them -- welterweight, the division of this Saturday's UFC Fight Night main event between former champion Leon Edwards and Sean Brady (ESPN+, main card at 4 p.m. ET, prelims at 1 p.m.).
We have assembled our MMA bracketologists to sort through the top 10 welterweights in the UFC, according to Brett Okamoto's ESPN divisional rankings, plus additions from PFL and Bellator. Fighters were pitted against each other in a head-to-head tournament to determine who we believe would hypothetically earn the right to cut down the net as our 170-pound winner.
Sweet 16
Joaquin Buckley grabs a huge knockout win in Round 3 over Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson at UFC 307.
(1) Belal Muhammad vs. (16) Michael "Venom" Page
Winner: Muhammad by unanimous decision
How Muhammad wins: This is a nightmare matchup for Page. As crafty as he is in the striking department, striking is Page's whole game, and Muhammad has proven adept at neutralizing one-dimensional strikers with his suffocating grappling attack. Fifteen minutes of pressure would leave an exhausted Page having to look at Muhammad with his hand raised in victory after a unanimous decision. -- Andreas Hale
(8) Gilbert Burns vs. (9) Geoff Neal
Winner: Neal by KO/TKO
How Neal wins: Neal is one of those fighters who flies under the radar but is easily one of the toughest tests in the welterweight division. Against Burns, Neal would have to defend early takedown attempts and keep this fight standing, where he would have the advantage. As the fight goes on, I'd expect Burns' gas tank to deplete with each failed takedown attempt, which would lead to Neal picking apart Burns on the feet. -- Ian Parker
(4) Jack Della Maddalena vs. (13) Michael Morales
Winner: Morales by majority decision
How Morales wins: Upset alert in the first round. Della Maddalena has been perfect in the UFC thus far, but his recent wins haven't been as convincing as his earlier ones. After starting his UFC career with four first-round finishes, Della Maddalena has relied on two split decisions and a last-minute comeback against Gilbert Burns at UFC 299 last March to remain undefeated inside the Octagon. Morales is 25 years old and flying high on confidence. It's a tough test -- far tougher than any he's faced so far -- but Morales would edge out Della Maddalena in a competitive matchup. -- Brett Okamoto
(5) Sean Brady vs. (12) Carlos Prates
Winner: Prates by first-round KO/TKO
How Prates wins: This is a classic striker versus grappler matchup in which both fighters are surging. Brady is more established in the UFC, with a 7-1 record, while Prates is the relative newcomer who boasts a 4-0 record after breaking through on "Dana White's Contender Series" in 2023. The seeding makes this a trap fight for Brady since his lower-ranked opponent is arguably the hottest commodity in the division. There may not be a purer striker in the welterweight division with a knack for ending fights inside the distance than Prates. He's knocked out his past 10 opponents dating back to 2019, and Brady would be his next hypothetical victim. Prates' 4-inch height and 6-inch reach advantage would be put to use against Brady. Brady would attempt to utilize his grappling to ground the Brazilian, but Fighting Nerd Prates would pick off his opponent's advances with pinpoint striking. Eventually, Brady would be broken down and finished as Prates definitively pulled off the first-round upset. -- Hale
(2) Leon Edwards vs. (15) Jason Jackson
Winner: Edwards by decision
How Edwards wins: In this matchup, Edwards would need to get off to an aggressive start with his striking and avoid Jackson's wrestling. I'd expect a lot of clinching and counter-striking from Edwards in Round 1 after fending off takedown attempts from Jackson. On the feet, the fight would be competitive, but Edwards has a higher level of competition experience on his side and would get better as the fight went on. -- Parker
(7) Ian Machado Garry vs. (10) Colby Covington
Winner: Machado Garry by unanimous decision
How Machado Garry wins: Love him or hate him, you can't deny that Covington has been one of the best welterweights in the world over the last decade. But that time seems to be ending. He's become one of the least active fighters in the division and is 2-3 in his last five bouts. Machado Garry, meanwhile, feels like a contender whose best days are still very much ahead of him. The seeding works out beautifully here, as this matchup would offer plenty of commercial appeal, considering the animosity Machado Garry feels toward Covington. Inside the Octagon, the younger fighter would cruise over the older one to advance to the next round. -- Okamoto
(3) Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. (14) Ramazan Kuramagomedov
Winner: Rakhmonov by second-round submission
How Rakhmonov wins: Although Rakhmonov's stock took a slight hit after going the distance for the first time against Machado Garry at UFC 310 last December, the reveal that he was fighting with a torn MCL should not go unnoticed. The Uzbekistan fighter would have little trouble dispatching the former Bellator champion. It wouldn't take long for Kuramagomedov to realize there are levels in MMA and Rakhmonov exists on another plane entirely with exceptional striking and grappling. Kuramagomedov would do his best to make this an ugly wrestling match, but Rakhmonov would outwork his Dagestani opponent with his striking before collecting a rear-naked choke finish in Round 2. -- Hale
(6) Joaquin Buckley vs. (11) Stephen Thompson
Winner: Buckley by KO/TKO
How Buckley wins: We saw Buckley put on quite the performance against "Wonderboy" in real life last October, and it's hard to imagine it going any differently in this hypothetical rematch. As good as Thompson is at staying out of danger with his lateral movement, Buckley's athleticism and power would counter that enough for a repeat KO win over Thompson. -- Parker
Elite Eight
Leon Edwards insists he should get the next title shot at welterweight if he beats Sean Brady.
(1) Muhammad vs. (9) Neal
Winner: Muhammad by unanimous decision
How Muhammad wins: A signature, standout win has eluded Neal so far, but if there's one thing he's shown, it's that he's not an easy out. He offered a stiff challenge for the undefeated Rakhmonov when they fought in 2023, and then he fought the rising Machado Garry to a split decision loss in 2024. This wouldn't be an easy win for the No. 1-seeded Muhammad, but ultimately, he would get it done here. The pace, volume and diversity of Muhammad's game make him a clear favorite, even against the power and gameness of Neal. -- Okamoto
(12) Prates vs. (13) Morales
Winner: Prates by third-round KO/TKO
How Prates wins: A battle of two lower seeds with extraordinarily high ceilings would end inside the distance. Prates' patience and silky-smooth striking would frustrate the hard-charging, 25-year-old Ecuadorian, who would show his inexperience once he realized he was outmatched. Morales would become overly cautious, as he wouldn't trust his ground game, and remain on the outside, getting broken down by strikes from Prates. As always, Prates wouldn't press for the finish, opting to set traps that Morales would eventually fall into. Morales is a tough cookie but would be crumbled by Round 3. -- Hale
(2) Edwards vs. (7) Machado Garry
Winner: Machado Garry by decision
How Machado Garry wins: In what would be a strikers' delight of a fight, the range and movement of Garry Machado would pose a problem for Edwards. Edwards, who is known for slow starts, would be slowed even more than usual by Garry's leg kicks and resort to striking from the outside. We saw against Rakhmonov that Garry has good durability and is able to get himself out of any dangerous situation. As long as he didn't get caught by Edwards in Round 1, Garry would get the win here by decision. -- Parker
(3) Rakhmonov vs. (6) Buckley
Winner: Rakhmonov by unanimous decision
How Rakhmonov wins: Buckley figures to be a popular sleeper pick in this tournament, as he's got the power to knock anyone out in an instant and is blossoming as of late. It feels like he's entering his prime, from a sense of composure, decision-making and all-around technique. Rakhmonov is just simply too much, though. He's as qualified and dangerous of a title contender as the UFC has, and his undefeated record speaks for itself. There is no such thing as a confident pick against Buckley right now, but it's also nearly impossible to pick any other contender over Rakhmonov until we see it. -- Okamoto
Final Four
(1) Muhammad vs. (12) Prates
Winner: Muhammad by majority decision
How Muhammad wins: Unlike Prates' first-round matchup against Brady, Muhammad is a better pressure fighter with enough striking defense to avoid walking into a knockout punch. It would be up to Muhammad to control the pace and prevent Prates from operating on the outside, where he would gladly pick the UFC welterweight champion apart. Muhammad would make this fight ugly by pushing Prates against the fence and working in takedowns -- with some dirty boxing for good measure. The champion's clinch game would keep Prates in check, similar to how Magomed Ankalaev neutralized Alex Pereira with pressure and clinch work earlier this month. It wouldn't be pretty -- and fans would certainly jeer the lack of fireworks -- but Muhammad would get the job done his way. -- Hale
(3) Rakhmonov vs. (7) Machado Garry
Winner: Rakhmonov by majority decision
How Rakhmonov wins: After seeing these two compete against each other recently, I believe the rematch would see Rakhmonov win again -- maybe even more convincingly. Rakhmonov reportedly had an injury that lessened his wrestling ability in the December fight, and to be honest, it did look that way (not to take away anything Garry did). The rematch would be another chess match, but a healthy Rakhmonov would use his wrestling to produce a dominant victory. -- Parker
Championship
(1) Muhammad vs. (3) Rakhmonov
Winner: Rakhmonov by majority decision
How Rakhmonov wins: Single-elimination tournaments are supposed to produce competitive championships, and we've got one here. This matchup essentially split our voters in half, and it wouldn't be surprising to see it split the judges as well. Muhammad's skill set cannot be denied. His game lacks finishing prowess but also lacks holes -- which is what carried him to a UFC title. Rakhmonov, on the other hand, has an abundance of finishing power but is not as battle-tested as Muhammad. Ultimately, our votes aligned with Rakhmonov's bogeyman aura over the champion, but it's as close as it gets. -- Okamoto