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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 at UFC 271.2. 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. A rematch with Adesanya has been announced for UFC 271.3. Paulo Costa (13-2) [3]
Costa was unable to make weight for his UFC Fight Night 196 headlining bout against Marvin Vettori, and even with the matchup moved to 205 pounds, “Borrachinha” still dropped a five-round verdict to his Italian rival at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. After the defeat, UFC president Dana White said that Costa’s future in the promotion will remain at light heavyweight. As it stands, the powerfully-built Brazilian hasn’t won a fight at 185 pounds since a decision over Yoel Romero at UFC 241 in August 2019.4. Marvin Vettori (18-5-1) [4]
Despite his opponent’s admission that he wouldn’t be making weight just a few days prior to the UFC Fight Night 196 main event, Vettori nonetheless agreed to face Paulo Costa a weight class above at 205 pounds. The gamble paid off, as “The Italian Dream” scored a five-round verdict over his fellow former title challenger and had Dana White sing his praises at the event’s post-fight press conference. Vettori has won six of his last seven Octagon appearances, with his lone defeat coming to Israel Adesanya in a title tilt at UFC 253.5. Jared Cannonier (14-5) [5]
After a loss to Robert Whittaker this past October potentially cost him a middleweight title shot, Cannonier bounced back in his return, earning a hard-fought unanimous decision triumph over Kelvin Gastelum in the UFC on ESPN 29 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Aug. 21. Cannonier has been victorious in four of his five appearances since moving up to 185 pounds. He’ll look to cement his spot as the next No. 1 contender in a matchup against Derek Brunson at UFC 271.6. Derek Brunson (23-7) [6]
The perpetually underappreciated Brunson dispatched Darren Till in impressive fashion at UFC Fight Night 191, winning via third-round submission in their Sept. 4 headlining bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The North Carolina native has now authored the second five-bout winning streak of his promotional tenure, and his current run also includes triumphs over the likes of Kevin Holland, Edmen Shahbazyan, Ian Heinisch and Elias Theodorou. The 37-year-old might be close to earning his first-ever 185-pound title shot in the Octagon if he can defeat Jared Cannonier at UFC 271.7. Jack Hermansson (22-6) [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. Next, Hermansson will square off against Sean Strickland on Feb. 5.8. Gegard Mousasi (48-7-2) [8]
Mousasi shook off a slow start against John Salter to impose his will down the stretch in the Bellator 264 headliner, winning via third-round technical knockout at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on Oct. 13. “The Dreamcatcher” has won 11 of 12 professional fights in Bellator and the UFC dating back to 2016, with his lone defeat coming at the hands of the now-retired Rafael Lovato Jr. in June 2019. Up next, the California-based promotion has scheduled a title defense for Mousasi against Austin Vanderford in Dublin on Feb. 25.9. Darren Till (18-4-1) [9]
After a successful middleweight debut against Kelvin Gastelum, Till has faltered in back-to-back losses against Robert Whittaker and Derek Brunson. The Liverpool native has lost four of his last five Octagon appearances dating back to a submission defeat to Tyron Woodley in a welterweight title bout at UFC 228. Despite the promotion’s best efforts to put him in a prominent position — six of his last seven fights have been main events — the 28-year-old Till has not delivered on much of his considerable hype.10. Kevin Holland (21-7, 1 NC) [10]
Holland hoped to showcase improved wrestling acumen against Kyle Daukaus at UFC Fight Night 193, but an accidental clash of heads left “Trailblazer” reeling, as he was unable to recover to defend against his opponent’s rear-naked choke in the opening round. Fortunately for Holland, the sequence was reviewed and the result of the bout was overturned to a no contest. After a five-bout undefeated run in 2020, Holland is winless in his last three UFC outings and was forced to withdraw from a rematch with Daukaus due to injury.Other Contenders: Sean Strickland, Chris Curtis, Brendan Allen, Uriah Hall, Andre Muniz.
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