Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Middleweight

1. Michael Bisping (30-7)

Bisping's improbable UFC middleweight title run was wild enough on its own, but after almost 14 years in the game and over a decade in the UFC, you had to know “The Count” was going to look for his big payday. Well, he has it. At the expense of creating a logjam for the UFC's middleweight division and whatever anarchy comes after, Bisping will defend his 185-pound throne against the returning Georges St. Pierre at UFC 217 inside New York's Madison Square Garden. The fight might be Bisping's chance to make millions and ride off into the sunset.

2. Robert Whittaker (19-4)

Every rose has its thorn. Part of what made Whittaker's UFC interim title win over Yoel Romero in July so incredible is part of what makes it so rankling. The Australia-based Kiwi pulled off a sensational 25-minute performance on one leg courtesy of an MCL injury suffered early in the contest. If there is any solace to be had in the Michael Bisping-Georges St. Pierre saga and how it has held up the 185-pound division, it is that Whittaker is opting for surgery and will not be ready to fight until 2018 anyhow. Whether Whittaker returns to the Octagon and actually gets to face either Bisping or St. Pierre remains to be seen.

3. Luke Rockhold (16-3)

Rockhold spent 15 months on the shelf following his shocking UFC middleweight title loss to Michael Bisping in June 2016, largely due to a knee injury sustained late last year. In his Sept. 16 comeback bout against former two-division World Series of Fighting champion David Branch, it took him a round to get going. Rockhold took over in the second frame, smashing Branch and forcing him to tap to strikes. Rockhold has continued to call out Bisping but has also hinted that a bump up to 205 pounds could be in his future.

4. Yoel Romero (12-2)

Romero's 8-0 Octagon record made him long overdue for a rightful crack at UFC gold. However, when the Olympic silver medalist finally got his shot, it was not quite what he imagined. Instead of undisputed champ Michael Bisping in the cage, he faced fast-rising prospect Robert Whittaker for an interim strap at UFC 213, faded over the final 15 minutes and dropped a unanimous decision to “Bobby Knuckles.” The 40-year-old Cuban certainly remains one of the best 185-pounders in MMA, but his longevity in the sport and road to a second title shot are highly uncertain.

5. Ronaldo Souza (24-5, 1 NC)

“Jacare” had been outspoken in recent months about how the UFC has conducted the middleweight division, from Michael Bisping's championship win and "The Count" defending against an aged Dan Henderson to a returning Georges St. Pierre being granted a title shot. Unfortunately for Souza, after repeatedly stating his case for crack at UFC gold, he met red-hot contender at Robert Whittaker at UFC on Fox 24 and was knocked out in the second round.

6. Gegard Mousasi (42-6-2)

After rejecting what he deemed a low-ball offer from the UFC, Mousasi has reunited with promoter Scott Coker with designs on being a two-division Bellator MMA champion. Coming off of five straight UFC wins, Mousasi makes his Bellator debut at Oct. 20 at Bellator 185, where he takes on former middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko.

7. Chris Weidman (14-3)

Weidman broke his nightmarish three-fight losing streak at UFC on Fox 25, overcoming a few scares from Kelvin Gastelum to prevail by third-round arm-triangle choke. Better for the Baldwin, New York, native, he got to do it in front of a Nassau Coliseum crowd in the UFC's Long Island debut, making for a truly memorable moment in the cage.

8. David Branch (21-4)

World Series of Fighting titles in two weight classes and an 11-fight winning streak did not help Branch in his first UFC headliner on Sept. 16 in Pittsburgh. Branch had a solid opening round against former UFC and Strikeforce 185-pound kingpin Luke Rockhold, but in the second frame, Rockhold hammered Branch from full mount, leading him to tap to strikes. It was Branch's first loss since dropping a unanimous decision to Anthony Johnson in May 2012.

9. Anderson Silva (34-8, 1 NC)

Following his surprising -- and questionable -- unanimous decision win over Derek Brunson in February, the all-time greatest middleweight was lined up to meet Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 212 in June, only to have the fight fall apart when Gastelum tested positive for cannabis metabolites. It is back on: Silva-Gastelum has been rebooted to headline UFC Fight Night 122 on Nov. 25 in Shanghai, the UFC's debut in mainland China.

10. Derek Brunson (17-5)

Brunson got what most saw as a raw deal on the scorecards against the legendary Anderson Silva in February, but the North Carolina native bounced back in a big way in June, destroying Olympic judoka Daniel Kelly in 76 seconds. Despite the recent losses to Silva and current interim champ Robert Whittaker, Brunson will draw a headlining assignment on Oct. 28, when he meets another former Brazilian UFC champion, Lyoto Machida, in the UFC Fight Night 119 main event in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Other Contenders: Rafael Carvalho, Kelvin Gastelum, Daniel Kelly, Mamed Khalidov, Thales Leites.

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