Middleweight
1. Michael Bisping (29-7)
It was an improbable, shocking moment when Bisping slid into the UFC 199 main event on short notice and knocked out Luke Rockhold for the middleweight title. It is an even more unforeseeable outcome that Bisping’s first title defense will not come against Rockhold, former champ Chris Weidman, Yoel Romero or Ronaldo Souza. Instead, Bisping will have a Manchester homecoming at UFC 204 on Oct. 8, defending his title against the man who turned out his lights at UFC 100 seven years ago: Dan Henderson. The 46-year-old “Hendo” is 4-6 over his last 10 fights.2. Luke Rockhold (15-3)
Rockhold thought he would have a walk in the park in his UFC 199 rematch with Michael Bisping, a man he ran over just 19 months ago on his way to the UFC middleweight title. Instead, the American Kickboxing Academy rep came out on the wrong end of an “Upset of the Year” candidate when he was punched cold by “The Count” inside four minutes. The table is set for a rubber match between the two, though Rockhold will first fight for his No. 1 contender’s spot in the crowded upper echelon at 185 pounds. He will be back in action on Nov. 26 in Melbourne, Australia, where he will rematch Ronaldo Souza in a UFC Fight Night headliner Down Under.3. Chris Weidman (13-1)
Since he became UFC middleweight champion, Long Island’s Weidman has been adamant that he should be a part of the promotion’s first show in New York City. “All-American” may have lost his title to Luke Rockhold at UFC 194, but he still got his wish: Weidman is expected to take on Olympic silver medalist Yoel Romero on Nov. 12, when the UFC finally strolls into Madison Square Garden.4. Yoel Romero (11-1)
Romero spoiled the surprise and let the cat out of the bag when he posted a picture of himself on Instagram signing a bout agreement to face Chris Weidman, then quickly deleted it. No matter the social media silliness, Romero is now legitimately penciled in to face the former middleweight champ at UFC 205 on Nov. 12 inside Madison Square Garden.5. Ronaldo Souza (23-4, 1 NC)
He was a healthy favorite heading into his UFC 198 bout with Vitor Belfort in Curitiba, Brazil, and “Jacare” looked every part the alpha dog. He took down Belfort, smashed his face bloody and then assumed full mount to pound “The Phenom” to the finish. Despite his razor-thin UFC 194 loss to Yoel Romero, it is not crazy to imagine the former Strikeforce middleweight champion challenging for the UFC gold in the near future. However, his next assignment will come in a rematch against Luke Rockhold on Nov. 26 in Melbourne, Australia.6. Derek Brunson (16-3)
Brunson’s quick stoppage over Uriah Hall at the UFC Fight Night card on Sept. 17 in Hidalgo, Texas, left something to be desired in the eyes of fans. Maybe it did for Brunson, as well, as the North Carolina native is now set for Nov. 27 duty against up-and-coming prospect Robert Whittaker in “The Reaper’s” backyard. Brunson will meet the Kiwi in Melbourne, Australia.7. Vitor Belfort (25-12)
At 39 years old and after nearly 20 years in the sport, Belfort is in the twilight of his career. However, Belfort has always found a way to stick around in the spotlight, and if he wants one last run, he will need to rebound from his one-sided first-round TKO loss to Ronaldo Souza when he faces Gegard Mousasi at UFC 204 on Oct. 8 in Manchester, England.8. David Branch (18-3)
World Series of Fighting’s two-division champion made a dominant defense of his 185-pound title on April 2 with a five-round rout of Clifford Starks. Since exiting the UFC in 2011, Branch has won 10 of his 11 outings, including his current eight-fight winning streak in the WSOF cage. He has been penciled in for a light heavyweight title defense against Vinny Magalhaes at WSOF 33 on Oct. 7.9. Robert Whittaker (16-4)
Since moving up to the UFC’s 185-pound division, New Zealand’s Whittaker is 4-0, with quality wins over Rafael Natal, Uriah Hall and Brad Tavares. Though the middleweight division now has a logjam of contenders at the very top, “The Reaper” can take a huge leap forward in title contention if he can defeat Derek Brunson on Nov. 27 in Melbourne, Australia.10. Gegard Mousasi (39-6-2)
After slipping up in September 2015 and falling prey to a breathtaking knockout from Uriah Hall, Mousasi responded with two dominant performances. He hammered out a 15-minute decision over Thales Leites in February and then knocked out Thiago Santos in the first round five months later. If Mousasi is going to push his winning streak to three, he will need to notch a victory over 20-year veteran Vitor Belfort at UFC 204 in Manchester, England.Other Contenders: Uriah Hall, Dan Henderson, Thales Leites, Rafael Natal, Mamed Khalidov
Continue Reading » Welterweight