Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Middleweight

1. Anderson Silva (30-4)
Though many believe that the UFC’s preeminent 185-pounder has little left to accomplish in the cage, there is still some housekeeping for “The Spider” to attend to. Silva will look to erase the most recent loss on his record, a 2006 disqualification against Yushin Okami, when he meets the Chael Sonnen training partner Aug. 27 in Rio de Janeiro. A win would extend Silva’s ongoing UFC records for most consecutive wins (13) and title defenses (eight).

2. Chael Sonnen (25-11-1)
It’s going to be a while before we see Sonnen back inside the Octagon. The 34-year-old wrestler appeared before the California State Athletic Commission on May 18 in appeal of the indefinite suspension handed down for what the CSAC believed were inconsistencies in Sonnen’s December testimony, itself an appeal of his September suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. The Oregonian’s latest appeal was denied, and UFC officials have stated that the company will honor the CSAC’s ruling, and will not book Sonnen for a bout until he is once again licensed to fight.

3. Yushin Okami (26-5)
After 10 wins and five years in the UFC, Okami will finally get his second go-around with Anderson Silva on Aug. 27. A November decision against Nate Marquardt put “Thunder” in line for the middleweight title shot, which will come before 14,000 of Silva’s countrymen in Rio de Janeiro.

4. Nate Marquardt (31-10-2)
It’s rare to see a fighter drop in weight class on the heels of a win, but “Nate the Great” will do just that on June 26. Marquardt outpointed Dan Miller in March and was originally set to headline UFC Live 4 against Anthony Johnson. Instead, the Grudge Training Center representative will take his first bout at 170 pounds against surging late-replacement Rick Story.

5. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (14-2, 1 NC)
Souza has been unbeatable thus far in his Strikeforce run, compiling a 4-0 record since joining the promotion in late-2009. The decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion will look to defend his Strikeforce 185-pound belt for the second time Sept. 10 when he takes on American Kickboxing Academy’s Luke Rockhold, himself riding a six-fight finishing spree in the Strikeforce cage.

6. Mark Munoz (11-2)
The “Filipino Wrecking Machine” raised his stock considerably June 11 when he edged out a decision win in a fantastic bout with former title challenger Demian Maia. Though not yet confirmed, the 33-year-old wrestler’s name has been attached to a late-2011 bout against Brian Stann that, if made, could propel either man into contendership.

7. Demian Maia (14-3)
Maia was outpointed but never beaten in his excellent and technical June 11 scrap with Mark Munoz at UFC 131. The Brazilian submission specialist, a training partner of Wanderlei Silva, surprised many by showing aggressive and speedy strikes against the heavy-handed Munoz, but ultimately fell in a narrow unanimous decision.

8. Brian Stann (11-3)
The former U.S. Marine continued on his warpath May 28 with a violent second-round thumping of former Sengoku middleweight ace Jorge Santiago. Stann is now 5-2 in the Octagon with three straight stoppage wins, including a January knockout of the typically granite-chinned Chris Leben. While his next opponent has yet to be announced, Stann has been rumored to take part in what could be a No. 1 contender’s bout against Mark Munoz.

9. Jorge Santiago (23-9)
Santiago’s skills were not in question after his May 28 knockout loss to Brian Stann, only his chin. In four Octagon appearances, the Brazilian’s beard has thrice been his downfall, also losing via KO to Chris Leben and Alan Belcher in 2006. Santiago reentered the UFC against Stann having won 11 of his last 12, though he was also punched out in the Sengoku ring during a November 2009 encounter with Mamed Khalidov.

10. 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 post-fight 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.

Other contenders: Alan Belcher, Vitor Belfort, Mamed Khalidov, Hector Lombard, Robbie Lawler.

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