Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Middleweight

1. Anderson Silva (24-4)
Seldom does a one-sided domination of a top-10 opponent serve as a blow to a fighter’s reputation, but that’s the case with Silva’s April 18 victory over Thales Leites. Silva has been castigated for nearly every aspect of his performance against Leites, and although his next bout will likely come against outstanding opposition, it does not quite offer the solace the public seeks.

2. Yushin Okami (23-4)
Getting a title shot in the UFC certainly has not come easy for Okami. The next hurdle for the Japanese stalwart to clear is former International Fight League titleholder Dan Miller, whom Okami will meet at UFC 98 on May 23.

3. Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1)
He may be done with the middleweight division, but the 23-year-old standout will probably be in action come early summer. Affliction, should it stage a summer outing, would provide the most likely venue for the Dutch-bred Armenian.

4. Nate Marquardt (28-8-2)
In a must-win bout against Wilson Gouveia at UFC 95, Marquardt came through with an explosive third-round stoppage. The victory was yet another step closer to a rematch with Anderson Silva.

5. Robbie Lawler (16-4, 1 NC)
EliteXC’s one-time middleweight champion will look to pick up where he left off when his former employer closed up shop. “Ruthless” takes on fellow former EliteXC champion Jake Shields in the headliner of Strikeforce’s June 6 bill on Showtime.

6. Dan Henderson (24-7)
It was not without a bit of a brouhaha, but Henderson earned a split decision over Rich Franklin at UFC 93 in Dublin, Ireland, on Jan. 17. Now, the former two-division Pride Fighting Championships titleholder has earned a lengthy promotional vehicle coaching against Michael Bisping on the ninth season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” as well as the season’s larger payoff -- a marquee bout against “The Count” at UFC 100 in July.

7. Demian Maia (10-0)
Another fight, another victory and another “Submission of the Night” bonus for Maia. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu king easily polished off Chael Sonnen in the first round of their Feb. 21 encounter. Now, Maia may be waiting in the wings for a crack at divisional king Anderson Silva.

8. Jorge Santiago (21-7)
Flunking out of the UFC is now a distant memory for Santiago. The American Top Team product has ripped off nine straight victories, all stoppages, including two tournament victories. With his Jan. 4 come-from-behind choke-out of Kazuo Misaki, he captured Sengoku’s middleweight title.

9. Thales Leites (14-2)
Leites was viewed as fortunate to get the opportunity to square off with the sport’s middleweight king, Anderson Silva, at UFC 97. Now, he may find it hard to shake the stigma of that fight due to the inert performance he turned in over 25 minutes.

10. Vitor Belfort (18-8)
While the MMA world has grown skeptical of the multiple “returns” of Belfort, “The Phenom” has been sensational as a middleweight thus far. He polished off Terry Martin in July before brutally dispatching the well-regarded Matt Lindland in a mere 37 seconds on Jan. 24 to stake his claim in the division.

Other contenders: Yoshihiro Akiyama, Patrick Cote, Dan Miller, Frank Trigg, Chael Sonnen.