Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Middleweight

1. Anderson Silva (25-4)
Pending the status of an enigmatic elbow injury, MMA's middleweight king will be back in action in the headliner of UFC 108 on Jan. 2. If all goes according to plan, "The Spider" will meet fellow Brazilian Vitor Belfort, who is unbeaten as a middleweight.

2. Nate Marquardt (29-8-2)
It was anticipated that Marquardt would wind up in a title eliminator against Dan Henderson as soon as the former Pride champ re-signed with the UFC. With those negotiations in limbo, though, Marquardt is left without a defined place in the UFC's middleweight division despite his recent standout performances.

3. Dan Henderson (25-7)
Drama continues to encircle "Dangerous Dan." After expressing confidence that he would come to terms with the UFC on a new contact, Dana White announced to the media that Henderson wanted a deal that would make him the UFC's highest paid fighter. Henderson's camp has denied the claim, and thus the dance continues.

4. Demian Maia (11-1)
After his deflating loss to Nate Marquardt in August, Maia will return to action at UFC 109 on Feb. 6. In opposition, the BJJ world champion will find himself against another savvy grappler in former IFL champion Dan Miller.

5. Jorge Santiago (21-7)
The demise of Affliction as a fight promotion left Santiago in limbo. Fortunately, the American Top Team product has finally found himself a quality bout, as he'll meet top Polish prospect Mamed Khalidov at Sengoku's "11th Battle" on Nov. 7. Santiago's promotional middleweight title will not be at stake.

6. Vitor Belfort (19-8)
It isn't 100 percent yet, but unless Anderson Silva's elbow recovery gets erratic, Belfort will have a chance to win his second UFC title in a second weight class when he takes on "The Spider" at UFC 108 on Jan. 2.

7. Chael Sonnen (24-10-1)
Just as he was in his rematch with Paulo Filho and his May bout with Dan Miller, Sonnen was an underdog to Yushin Okami at UFC 104. Just as he did in both of those bouts, the Team Quest product outworked his foe to a unanimous points victory to stake his claim in the middleweight division.

8. Yushin Okami (23-5)
The fervor for Okami to be granted a UFC middleweight title shot has likely died following the Japanese export's unanimous decision loss to Chael Sonnen at UFC 104. It'll be a long road back to acclaim for the polarizing Okami.

9. Robbie Lawler (16-5, 1 NC)
Lawler will likely return to action Dec. 19 when Strikeforce returns to the HP Pavilion in San Jose. No opponent has been firmed up for the former EliteXC middleweight champion, though the promotion is keen to match him against grappling all-star Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza or Nick Diaz, who knocked him out in April 2004.

10. Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-1, 2 NC)
In just his second bout in the UFC, Akiyama will be getting marquee treatment on a major card for the promotion. When the Octagon heads to Sydney, Australia, on Feb. 21, the former standout judoka will meet up with longtime light heavyweight star Wanderlei Silva in his first bout at 185 pounds.

Other contenders: Michael Bisping, Patrick Cote, Paulo Filho, Dan Miller, Kazuo Misaki.