Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Middleweight

1. Michael Bisping (30-7)

Surprise, surprise: Bisping’s first UFC title defense was dramatic and controversial. In front a partisan Manchester crowd, Bisping overcame a first-round knockdown and a shaky start to earn a five-round unanimous decision against 46-year-old rival Dan Henderson, giving “The Count” his fifth straight win and sending the legendary Henderson into retirement. At 37 years old and with a broadcasting career already blossoming, Bisping may lay down his gloves sooner rather than later; until then, his incredible run continues.

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. Gegard Mousasi (40-6-2)

Mousasi’s jaw-dropping knockout loss to Uriah Hall in September 2015 was perhaps one of the most resonant and shocking upset losses we have ever seen in this sport, and it continues to weigh down “The Dreamcatcher” in these rankings. With that being said, Mousasi has looked sterling in his three subsequent outings against Thales Leites, Thiago Silva and Vitor Belfort, easily racking up three impressive wins that have him climbing the list and slowly overcoming the Hall defeat.

8. David Branch (19-3)

MMA’s quiet two-division champion, Branch defended his World Series of Fighting middleweight title against UFC veteran Clifford Starks in April and then returned on Oct. 7 to successfully retain his 205-pound crown against another UFC vet: Vinny Magalhaes. While Branch remains a legitimate stalwart in two divisions, the lack of elite competition the WSOF has to offer the Renzo Gracie product hurts his chances to climb the rankings in either division.

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. Vitor Belfort (25-13)

Belfort since 2013 has put up knockout wins against current champion Michael Bisping and former champion Luke Rockhold, along with two others over recently retired legend Dan Henderson. Unfortunately for Belfort, he is 39 years old and has fought for 20 years; and the post-TRT era has not been kind to him. Belfort has now lost three of his last four, including a pair of lopsided beatdowns against Ronald Souza and Gegard Mousasi.

Other Contenders: Uriah Hall, Thales Leites, Rafael Natal, Mamed Khalidov, Michal Materla

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