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Middleweight
1. Israel Adesanya (21-1) [1]
After failing in his bid to become a two-division champion this past March, Adesanya showed the world that he still reigns supreme at middleweight, as he cruised to a five-round verdict over Marvin Vettori in the UFC 263 headliner at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz., on June 12. It was a much more decisive triumph than their first meeting, when “The Last Stylebender” captured a split verdict over his Italian rival at UFC on Fox 29 in April 2018. With 10 consecutive middleweight triumphs under his belt, the City Kickboxing stalwart now turns his attention to a rematch with ex-champ Robert Whittaker.2. Robert Whittaker (23-5) [2]
Whittaker was firing on all cylinders in a unanimous decision victory over Kelvin Gastelum at UFC on ESPN 22, giving him three straight victories since he relinquished the middleweight belt to Israel Adesanya in October 2019. Dating back to June 2014, Whittaker has won 12 of 13 UFC appearances, an impressive stretch of consistency by any measure. It will be hard to deny “The Reaper” a rematch with Adesanya in the coming months, though Marvin Vettori also looms as an interesting contender.3. Paulo Costa (13-1) [3]
When all was said and done, Costa may have thrown more taunts than strikes against Israel Adesanya in the UFC 253 main event. The end result was a baffling performance in which “Borrachinha” was completely outclassed en route to a second-round technical knockout debut in Abu Dhabi on Sept. 26. The Brazilian contender was supposed to square off against ex-champ Robert Whittaker in a headlining bout on April 17, but Costa pulled out of the fight due to illness. More recently, Costa backed out of a proposed headlining clash against Jared Cannonier on Aug. 21, citing dissatisfaction with his pay.4. Yoel Romero (13-5) [4]
Romero didn’t necessarily deserve a middleweight title shot at UFC 248, and he offered a confounding performance in a unanimous decision defeat against Israel Adesanya. Romero was then forced to withdraw from a UFC on ESPN 15 co-main event clash against Uriah Hall on Aug. 22. A little more than three months later, “The Soldier of God” was released by the UFC with three fights remaining on his contract, but Romero quickly found a new home with Bellator MMA, where he will compete at light heavyweight. Romero had been scheduled to make his promotional debut in the 205-pound grand prix against Anthony Johnson at Bellator 258 on May 7, but the fight was cancelled when Romero failed to pass his pre-fight physical.5. Marvin Vettori (17-5-1) [5]
Outside of the occasional takedown, Vettori had few answers for Israel Adesanya in their middleweight championship clash at UFC 263. “The Italian Dream” was befuddled by his opponent’s crafty movement, and he absorbed a variety of punching combinations and kicks to the legs and head en route to a unanimous decision defeat at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz., on June 12. The setback snaps a five-bout winning streak for Vettori and makes him 0-2 against the reigning 185-pound king.6. Jared Cannonier (13-4) [6]
With the blessing of Israel Adesanya behind him, Cannonier had a chance to solidify himself as the middleweight division’s No. 1 contender at UFC 254. While “The Killa Gorilla” fought valiantly, he ultimately dropped a three-round verdict to ex-champ Robert Whittaker in the evening’s co-main event at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 24. That setback snaps a three-bout winning streak for the former heavyweight and light heavyweight competitor, who now has some more work to do to get in position for a 185-pound title shot. He’ll begin that climb against Kelvin Gastelum on Aug. 21 after original foe Paulo Costa pulled out of the matchup.7. Jack Hermansson (22-5) [7]
After a bumpy opening stanza, Hermansson relied on takedowns and grappling to capture a hard-fought unanimous decision victory against Edmen Shahbazyan in a featured middleweight contest at UFC Fight Night 188 on May 22. That performance allowed “The Joker” to rebound from a five-round decision defeat to Marvin Vettori in the UFC Fight Night 188 main event and keeps him in the thick of things at 185 pounds.8. Darren Till (18-3-1) [8]
Till certainly had his moments against Robert Whittaker at UFC on ESPN 14, but he ultimately lost a narrow five-round verdict to the former middleweight champion. Till was supposed to receive another marquee match at 185 pounds against contender Jack Hermansson, but injury forced him to withdraw from the Dec. 5 UFC main event. Till was next book to face Marvin Vettori in the headliner of UFC on ABC 2, but a broken collarbone suffered in training ended those plans. “The Gorilla” will get another headlining opportunity against Derek Brunson in the main event of a UFC card on Aug. 14.9. Gegard Mousasi (47-7-2) [9]
Mousasi claimed the vacant Bellator middleweight crown with a convincing if not quite memorable five-round verdict against 170-pound title holder Douglas Lima at Bellator 250 on Oct. 29. That victory allowed the Armenian-born Dutchman to reclaim the belt he lost to the now-retired Rafael Lovato Jr. via majority decision in June 2019. “The Dreamcatcher” has won 10 of 11 bouts since 2016, scoring wins over the likes of Lyoto Machida, Rory MacDonald, Chris Weidman, Uriah Hall and Thiago Santos during that time. Mousasi will make his next title defense against John Salter at Bellator 264 on Aug. 13.10. Derek Brunson (22-7) [10]
For the second consecutive fight, Brunson derailed the hype train of a highly-touted prospect in the middleweight division. After handing Edmen Shahbazyan his first career defeat last August, Brunson used his wrestling to grind out a five-round verdict against Kevin Holland in the UFC on ESPN 21 headliner on March 20. Brunson has won four consecutive fights at 185 pounds and will next lock horns with Darren Till in a five-round main event on Aug. 14.Other Contenders: Kevin Holland, Kelvin Gastelum, Uriah Hall, Brendan Allen, Andre Muniz.
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