Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

---

Middleweight

1. Robert Whittaker (20-4)

An emergency hernia surgery forced Whittaker to withdraw from his scheduled title defense against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 234. Even more disappointing, that’s twice that “The Reaper” has been forced to pull out of headlining championship fights in his home country of Australia (An injury also forced him out of a proposed matchup with Luke Rockhold at UFC 221.) Whittaker has won nine bouts in a row but is still awaiting his first official belt defense, as his UFC 225 triumph over Yoel Romero was a non-title bout due to Romero missing weight.

2. Yoel Romero (13-3)

Romero was not eligible to win a title at UFC 225, but he still delivered a memorable performance in his rematch with Robert Whittaker. Despite landing knockdowns in the third and fifth rounds, “The Soldier of God” lost a heartbreaking split verdict in the June 9 headliner at the United Center in Chicago. Romero’s difficulties on the scale of late had him contemplating a move to 205 pounds, but instead, he will remain at middleweight. After initially being linked to a matchup with Paulo Henrique Costa, Romero was instead scheduled to rematch Ronaldo Souza in the UFC on ESPN 3 headliner in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on April 27. However, the Cuban wrestler was forced to pull out of the contest due to illness.

3. Israel Adesanya (17-0)

Adesanya took his lumps against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236, but “The Last Stylebender” pulled away with a spectacular fifth round that included three knockdowns and two submission attempts to claim a hard-fought unanimous verdict. With the victory, the Nigerian-born Kikwi claimed the interim middleweight belt and set up a potential blockbuster title unification bout against Australia native Robert Whittaker -- likely at a massive venue Down Under -- sometime later in 2019. Adesanya’s unblemished professional record includes other notable triumphs over the likes of Anderson Silva, Derek Brunson and Brad Tavares..

4. Kelvin Gastelum (15-4)

Gastelum certainly had his moments against Israel Adesanya in the UFC 236 co-main event, but it was ultimately “The Last Stylebender” who finished with a flourish to capture the interim middleweight crown in Atlanta. Gastelum struggled at times to navigate the reach and length of his opponent, a reminder that “The Ultimate Fighter 17” winner spent much of the earlier part of his career competing at 170 pounds. However, weight issues plagued Gastelum a division below, and his previous success at middleweight – wins over Ronaldo Souza, Michael Bisping, Tim Kennedy and Johnny Hendricks – means he could stick around at 185 pounds. .

5. Ronaldo Souza (26-6)

After having lost two of his last three bouts heading into UFC 230, Souza showed he still has plenty left in the tank against Chris Weidman at Madison Square Garden. After engaging in a back-and-forth slugfest for more than two rounds, “Jacare” knocked Weidman silly with a right hand to the temple in the third stanza. A couple follow-up blows ended the bout at the 2:46 mark, and re-established the 38-year-old Brazilian as a title contender in the UFC’s middleweight division. After initially being booked in a rematch against Yoel Romero at UFC on ESPN 3, Souza will instead meet Jack Hermansson in the event’s new headliner after “The Soldier of God” withdrew from the bout due to illness.

6. Gegard Mousasi (45-6-2)

Mousasi did exactly what he was supposed to do, as he took apart welterweight champion Rory MacDonald in the Bellator 206 main event to retain his 185-pound belt. The Armenian-born Dutchman picked MacDonald apart with a crisp jab before unloading with brutal punches and elbows from full mount to secure a stoppage in the second stanza. The UFC veteran was scheduled to make his next title defense against American jiu-jitsu ace Rafael Lovato Jr. at Bellator 214 but had to withdraw from the bout due to a back injury. Mousasi has been rebooked against Lovato Jr. at Bellator MMA’s upcoming London event on June 22.

7. Chris Weidman (14-4)

Madison Square Garden has not been kind to “The All American.” Weidman returned following a lengthy injury-related hiatus at UFC 230, but the result was disappointing, as he suffered a third-round knockout loss to Ronaldo Souza in the evening’s co-main event. The former middleweight champion has now lost four of his last five Octagon appearances, including another brutal knockout loss against Yoel Romero in the UFC’s MSG debut in November 2016. His lone win during that time: a third-round submission of contender Kelvin Gastelum at UFC on Fox 25.

8. Jared Cannonier (11-4)

After so-so results during stints at heavyweight and light heavyweight, Cannonier may have found a home at 185 pounds. Sporting a new-and-improved physique, “The Killa Gorilla” scored a second-round technical knockout stoppage of David Branch at UFC 230. Cannonier is just 4-4 during his promotional tenure overall, but his path is looking much more interesting following the most significant win of his career to date. That will continue to hold true at UFC 237, when he faces Brazilian legend Anderson Silva in hostile territory.

9. Paulo Henrique Costa (12-0)

“Borrachinha” has established himself as a forced to be reckoned in the UFC with thanks to TKO finishes in his first four Octagon appearances. One of the sport’s most physically imposing middleweights, Costa was first supposed to fight Yoel Romero at UFC 230, then at UFC Brooklyn. The matchup was targeted for a third time at UFC on ESPN 3, but the promotion elected to go another direction for that card, booking Romero in a rematch against Ronaldo Souza. Costa, meanwhile, has not competed since stopping Uriah Hall at UFC 226 this past July.

10. Antonio Carlos Jr. (10-2)

Carlos Jr. has quietly amassed a five-bout winning streak in the Octagon since September 2016, with four of those victories coming by way of rear-naked choke. Proposed matchups with Derek Brunson and Elias Theodorou have fallen through since then, slowing the momentum of the 29-year-old Brazilian. “Cara de Sapato” will return to the action for the first time in more than a year when he faces Contender Series alum Ian Heinisch at UFC Rochester on May 18.

Other Contenders: Jack Hermansson, Derek Brunson, Elias Theodorou, Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida.

Continue Reading » Welterweight