Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Middleweight

1. Anderson Silva (26-4)
At UFC 112, Silva turned in another performance that drew the ire of the MMA public, as he danced and sporadically fought his way to a unanimous decision over Demian Maia. More will be expected of “The Spider” at UFC 117 on Aug. 7, when he takes on brash-talking wrestler Chael Sonnen in his seventh title defense.

2. Chael Sonnen (24-10-1)
Sonnen’s combination of stirring trash talk and surprising performances has finally paid off. The Republican politician-cum-prizefighter will be the next man to challenge Anderson Silva for the UFC middleweight title when the Octagon hits Oakland, Calif., on Aug. 7 for UFC 117.

3. Jake Shields (25-4-1)
After the expiration of his Strikeforce contract, the Octagon was the obvious next step for Shields. The two-division stalwart will make his UFC debut at 170 pounds, as Shields drops back to welterweight to challenge tough Dane Martin Kampmann at UFC 121 on Oct. 23.

4. Nate Marquardt (29-9-2)
In February, Marquardt was upset by an opportunistic Chael Sonnen. In order to get back into the UFC middleweight title race, Marquardt will have to deal with potent Brazilian grappler Rousimar “Toquinho” Palhares at UFC 118 on Aug. 28 in Boston.

5. Dan Henderson (25-8)
Henderson looked every bit the heavy favorite in round one of his Strikeforce title fight with Jake Shields. However, for the next four rounds, the former two-division Pride champion was dominated on the ground and lost a unanimous decision in his promotional debut.

6. Demian Maia (12-2)
Though Anderson Silva did his best to embarrass Maia in their April encounter, the challenger’s never-say-die attitude in the bout earned him many more supporters. Maia will look to get back in the middleweight title race on Sept. 15, when he takes on surging 185-pounder Alan Belcher at UFC Fight Night 22.

7. Vitor Belfort (19-8)
A shoulder injury and subsequent surgery did not allow Belfort to fight Anderson Silva for the UFC middleweight crown earlier this year. Now, “The Phenom” and his management are expecting to meet the winner of August’s Silva-Chael Sonnen bout in November.

8. Yushin Okami (24-5)
In his March pasting of Lucio Linhares, Okami turned in perhaps his finest Octagon performance to date. Japan’s top middleweight will look to keep that momentum going into August, when he meets former NCAA national champion Mark Munoz at the second installment of UFC on Versus.

9. Jorge Santiago (22-8)
Santiago was one of MMA’s hottest fighters heading into November, when he was embarrassed in his non-title bout with Mamed Khalidov. However, Santiago put on a champion’s performance in the rematch, winning a well-appointed unanimous decision over five rounds to avenge his humbling defeat to the Chechen. The American Top Team ace will next face Kazuo Misaki at Sengoku Raiden Championships 14 on Aug. 22.

10. Ronaldo Souza (12-2, 1 NC)
With a plethora of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and no-gi grappling laurels, Souza will have the chance to add his first significant piece of MMA hardware to his trophy case on Aug. 21. “Jacare” will meet Tim Kennedy in Houston to vie for the vacant Strikeforce middleweight crown.

Other contenders: Alan Belcher, Michael Bisping, Robbie Lawler, Chris Leben, Wanderlei Silva.

* With his July 3 loss to Chris Leben, formerly 10th-ranked Yoshihiro Akiyama falls outside of the top 10.