Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Middleweight

1. Anderson Silva (31-4)
The world’s best pound-for-pound fighter left little doubt as to who rules the 185-pound ranks with a flawless August performance against Yushin Okami in Rio de Janeiro. All signs now point to a championship rematch with Chael Sonnen in the first quarter of 2012, once “The Spider” rehabs a sore shoulder.

2. Chael Sonnen (26-11-1)
Although all signs pointed toward a rematch with Anderson Silva after Sonnen’s October submission of Brian Stann, the controversial middleweight from Oregon still has one more hurdle to clear. On Jan. 28 in Chicago, Sonnen will meet fellow trash-talker Michael Bisping to determine the No. 1 contender to Silva’s title.

3. Yushin Okami (26-6)
Japan’s top MMA export fell well short in his long-awaited August rematch with UFC champ Anderson Silva, succumbing to punches for the first time since 2003. While he had to play visitor to Silva in Rio de Janeiro, Okami will hold home field advantage when he attempts to get back on track against Tim Boetsch at UFC 144 in Saitama, Japan.

4. Mark Munoz (12-2)
The former Oklahoma State wrestler notched the biggest win of his career on Nov. 5, stopping Chris Leben between the second and third rounds of their UFC 138 main event. The “Filipino Wrecking Machine” appeared to be on the brink of title contention before an elbow injury took him out of his Jan. 28 meeting with Chael Sonnen.

5. Nate Marquardt (31-10-2)
Nate Marquardt’s nightmarish quest to drop back down to welterweight has hit another snag: with the British Association of MMA pushing back their next card from Feb. 11 to March 24, Marquardt opted out of his bout with Yoshiyuki Yoshida and his deal with the promotion. The next move for “Nate the Great” remains uncertain as he attempts to get his career back on the rails.

6. Demian Maia (15-3)
After coming up short in a tough fight against Mark Munoz, Maia got back on track with an October decisioning of Jorge Santiago. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt was booked to face Michael Bisping on Jan. 28 before “The Count” was called up to replace Mark Munoz. Now, Maia means unbeaten prospect Chris Weidman instead.

7. Brian Stann (11-4)
“All-American” Stann is going international for his next bout. Stann will get back into the Octagon against a like-minded striker in Italian Alessio Sakara in front of the Swedish crowd at the UFC on Fuel 2 on April 14 in Stockholm.

8. Michael Bisping (22-3)
Things weren’t looking up for “The Count” in the first round of his Dec. 3 encounter with rival “TUF 14” coach Jason Miller, but Bisping took the driver’s seat from there, thumping an exhausted “Mayhem” with knees and punches to a third-round stoppage. Bisping is now one fight away from a long-desired title shot at Anderson Silva, but he’ll first have to get through Chael Sonnen on Jan. 28 in Chicago.

9. Vitor Belfort (21-9)
For the first time in 13 years, Vitor Belfort fought in front of a Brazilian crowd at UFC 142. In front of the Rio faithful, Belfort didn’t have a ton of trouble putting away an overweight and exhausted Anthony Johnson by first-round rear-naked choke. Next for the former UFC light heavyweight champion will be a rematch over a decade in the making with his rival Wanderlei Silva, to conclude “The Ultimate Fighter Brazil.”

10. Luke Rockhold (9-1)
In the first defense of his Strikeforce middleweight title, Luke Rockhold showed the offensive acumen that makes him an interesting up-and-comer in smashing veteran Keith Jardine in the first round. Unfortunately, the oft-injured Rockhold broke his hand, putting the brakes on any discussions his second title defense.

Other contenders: Tim Kennedy, Hector Lombard, Rousimar Palhares, Jorge Santiago, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.

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