Anderson Silva (left) is arguably MMA's most dangerous fighter ever. | Sherdog.com
Middleweight
It was Silva at his finest. In one of his most anticipated bouts to date, the UFC middleweight champion ducked, dodged and weaved around Vitor Belfort’s punches before slamming a front kick into his face that struck him down. The sensational first-round stoppage could potentially lead to the much-anticipated clash between Silva and welterweight king Georges St. Pierre, should GSP best Jake Shields in April.
2. Chael Sonnen (25-11-1)
Sonnen was expected to face Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 128 in March. However, the embattled middleweight took yet another hit after pleading guilty to federal charges of money laundering, forcing the UFC to put the freeze on Sonnen’s contract. It leaves the former middleweight title challenger out of competition for the near future.
3. Yushin Okami (26-5)
Such is life for Okami. After earning the most significant win of his career against Nate Marquardt in November, “Thunder” was seemingly next on deck for the winner of the UFC 126 match between Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort. However, Silva’s remarkable performance has quickly accelerated talks of a super fight with Georges St. Pierre, putting Okami on the backburner again.
4. Nate Marquardt (31-10-2)
Following a setback against Yushin Okami in November, Marquardt was slated to reenter the Octagon against Japanese star Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 128. However, Akiyama was forced to withdraw from the bout due to the March 11 disaster in his home country, and Marquardt instead took on late replacement Dan Miller. The former King of Pancrase avoided Miller’s dangerous guillotine and grinded from top position for the better part of three rounds to earn a unanimous decision.
5. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (14-2, 1 NC)
In a great fight, Souza successfully defended his Strikeforce middleweight crown for the first time on Jan. 29, submitting Robbie Lawler in the third round. “Jacare” dominated on the ground but was badly hurt in the first round, battling back from the brink of defeat to notch the rear-naked choke win in the third stanza.
6. Demian Maia (14-2)
Just as he had done against Mario Miranda in August, Maia controlled Kendall Grove on the floor on Dec. 4 en route to earning a unanimous decision. Another thorough if not thrilling win for Maia continues to help erase the bitter memories of his April debacle with middleweight champion Anderson Silva in the United Arab Emirates.
7. Jorge Santiago (23-8)
Sengoku’s middleweight champion has signed on for a second tour of duty with the UFC. Santiago expects to make his return to the Octagon at UFC 130 in May, when he will take the place of Wanderlei Silva and challenge Brian Stann in a fantastic middleweight affair.
8. Vitor Belfort (19-9)
Though many tabbed Belfort a live underdog heading into his Feb. 6 title challenge against Anderson Silva, it seems hard to imagine “The Phenom” not becoming synonymous with his brutal knockout loss to “The Spider” at UFC 126. The Brazilian fight community has already immortalized the knockout as “bicuda na fuca,” and it is sure to be a highlight reel staple for years to come.
9. Michael Bisping (21-3)
Bisping got the last laugh against antagonist Jorge Rivera on Feb. 27 when he stopped “El Conquistador” on second-round punches in their UFC 127 co-headliner. While the Brit’s postfight actions may not have won him scads of new fans, “The Count” proved himself definitively to be a better and more versatile fighter than Rivera. Where Bisping goes from here remains to be seen, but regardless, he remains a valuable commodity for the UFC’s international outings.
10. Hector Lombard (27-2-1, 1 NC)
Bellator’s reigning 185-pound champion, Lombard has managed to stay busy despite the confines of his home promotion’s tournament format, fighting and winning five times in 2010. Most recently, the Cuban Olympic judoka defended his belt for the first time with a five-round decision over second-season tournament winner Alexander Shlemenko. Before a non-title Bellator bout with Falaniko Vitale on May 14, Lombard will return to his onetime home of Australia to put his Cage Fighting Championship middleweight strap on the line against Joe Doerksen.
Other contenders: Alan Belcher, Mamed Khalidov, Robbie Lawler, Mark Munoz, Brian Stann.
Hector Lombard enters the list with previously eighth-ranked Dan Henderson's exit from the middleweight division.
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