Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

---

Middleweight

1. Chris Weidman (10-0)

The “All-American” shocked the world when he knocked out Anderson Silva in the second round of the UFC 162 headliner. The New Yorker brushed aside Silva’s taunts to drop the future hall of famer with a left hook before finishing the contest with follow-up punches on the ground. Now the newly minted champion must prove he can pull off the improbable twice, as a rematch with “The Spider” has been booked for UFC 168 on Dec. 28.

2. Anderson Silva (33-5)

While Silva’s place as one of the sport’s pound-for-pound greats is already secure, his curious performance in losing the middleweight crown to Chris Weidman at UFC 162 left many feeling unsatisfied. How would “The Spider” have fared had he taken a more serious, respectful approach against the challenger? That answer could come by year’s end, when Silva rematches Weidman at UFC 168 in a bout UFC President Dana White is touting as the biggest of all-time.

3. Vitor Belfort (24-10)

When he is on his game, there may be no one more frightening fighter than Belfort, who has garnered a trio of highlight-reel head kick knockouts in 2013. Even with the controversy regarding his use of testosterone replacement therapy swirling around him, dominant wins over Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold and Dan Henderson have all but assured “The Phenom” a shot at the Anderson Silva-Chris Weidman winner.

4. Ronaldo Souza (19-3, 1 NC)

Souza was expected to face one of the most difficult tests of his career against Yushin Okami at UFC Fight Night 28, but in stopping “Thunder” with a massive overhand right and follow-up strikes inside of a round, the Brazilian made things look remarkably easy. Already recognized as one the premier grapplers in the sport, the burgeoning knockout power of “Jacare” should make him even more of a force to be reckoned with in the division.

5. Yushin Okami (29-8)

Known for his grinding style, Okami was never able to get on track against Ronaldo Souza at UFC Fight Night 28. While Souza’s first-round stoppage of the former No. 1 contender was certainly surprising, few expected that it would prompt Okami’s release from the UFC. “Thunder” was not a free agent for long, however, as he inked a deal with the Las Vegas-based World Series of Fighting shortly thereafter. Okami’s WSOF debut is likely to come early next year, perhaps when the promotion heads to Japan.

6. Michael Bisping (24-5)

After having his title hopes dashed by Vitor Belfort in January, “The Count” got right back on track with a victory over Alan Belcher at UFC 159. The bout came to an unfortunate and early end when Bisping caught Belcher with an eye poke in round three, but by then, the Brit had outworked “The Talent” enough to earn a unanimous technical decision. In an unfortunate turn of events, a detached retina forced Bisping out of proposed showdown with Mark Munoz in Manchester. Bisping is targeting a March return, though nothing is set in stone.

7. Lyoto Machida (20-4)

In his middleweight debut, Machida did his best to erase the memory of a disappointing and controversial loss to Phil Davis at UFC 163. “The Dragon” was brutally efficient in dispatching Mark Munoz with a head kick 3:10 into the opening frame of their UFC Fight Night 30 headliner. The rejuvenated Brazilian will next square off with former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi on Feb. 8.

8. Mark Munoz (13-4)

After a year away from the cage, Munoz made a triumphant return to action in July with a dominant victory over Tim Boetsch at UFC 162. That momentum was abruptly halted by divisional newcomer Lyoto Machida at UFC Fight Night 30, as “The Dragon” knocked out “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” with a devastating head kick a little more than three minutes into their matchup.

9. Luke Rockhold (10-2)

The injury woes continue for the former Strikeforce 185-pound champion, as a knee injury forced Rockhold to withdraw from a UFC 166 encounter with Tim Boetsch. The American Kickboxing Academy standout has been booked for a Jan. 15 return in Atlanta, where he will face Costas Philippou in a UFC Fight Night headliner.

10. Mamed Khalidov (27-4-2)

In the last three years, Khalidov has added a slew of notable names to his resume: Matt Lindland, Melvin Manhoef, Kendall Grove and Jesse Taylor all have been submitted by the versatile Chechen. Rumors of negotiations with the UFC and Bellator MMA surface intermittently, but for now, the 33-year-old continues to compete against former big-show fighters in his home promotion, KSW. His next appearance will come on Dec. 7 against Ryuta Sakurai at KSW 25.

Other contenders:

Tim Boetsch, Francis Carmont, Tim Kennedy, Costas Philippou, Alexander Shlemenko.

Continue Reading » MMA Welterweight Rankings