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Middleweight
1. Alex Pereira (7-1) | UFC [1]
Pereira maintained his combat sports mastery over Israel Adesanya in the UFC 281 headliner, rallying for a scintillating fifth-round technical knockout victory at Madison Square Garden. It’s an improbable rise to the top of the middleweight division for “Poatan,” who becomes champion in just his fourth UFC appearance. As deadly as his striking appears to be, Pereira’s lack of wrestling acumen means that he’ll have plenty of challengers lining up to take his title. Whether any of them will be able to withstand his standup arsenal remains to be seen.2. Israel Adesanya (23-2) | UFC [2]
Adesanya appeared to be on his way to a decision victory against Alex Pereira in the UFC 281 headliner, but the Brazilian put the pressure on in Round 5, swarming with power punches en route to a technical knockout victory. Not only does “The Last Stylebender” fall to 0-3 against Pereira in combat sports — including a pair of losses in kickboxing — but he also suffers his first middleweight defeat as a professional mixed martial artist. Given his dominance over the rest of the division, an immediate rematch with Pereira is certainly within the realm of possibility.3. Robert Whittaker (24-6) | UFC [3]
While Israel Adesanya may have his number, Whittaker still remains a step above the rest of the UFC’s middleweight division. “The Reaper” proved that once again in the UFC Fight Night 209 co-main event, as he cruised to a clear-cut unanimous verdict over former title challenger Marvin Vettori at Accor Arena in Paris. The ex-champ has teased an eventual move to 205 pounds, but considering how successful he remains at middleweight against opponents not named Adesanya, that transition might not come to fruition just yet.4. Jared Cannonier (15-6) | UFC [4]
Cannonier struggled to solve the puzzle of Israel Adesanya in the UFC 276 main event, losing a unanimous decision on July 2 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “The Killa Gorilla” had a few moments of aggression in the contest, but he mostly appeared frozen in front of Adesanya, who was largely content to pick him apart at range. Now it’s back to the drawing board for Cannonier, who was slated to return against Sean Strickland in a five-round main event at UFC Fight Night 212 before his opponent pulled out of the fight. Cannonier vs. Strickland has been rebooked for UFC Fight Night on Dec. 17.5. Paulo Costa (14-2) | UFC [5]
Costa returned to the win column for the first time since 2019 at UFC 278, as he captured a unanimous decision against former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold in the evening’s co-main event at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. A victory over a past-his-prime opponent who announced his retirement after the fight won’t propel “Borrachinha” into another title shot right away, but it was nonetheless an encouraging step forward for the Brazilian following back-to-back defeats and issues making weight in his previous Octagon appearance.6. Marvin Vettori (18-6-1) | UFC [6]
Even with a strong Italian contingent in Paris cheering him on, Vettori looked outclassed against Robert Whittaker in the UFC Fight Night 209 co-headliner, losing a clear-cut unanimous decision on Sept. 3. “The Italian Dream” has lost two of his last three in UFC competition, but there’s no shame in falling to the likes of Whittaker and Israel Adesanya. Vettori figures to face another ranked opponent in his next outing.7. Derek Brunson (23-8) | UFC [7]
Brunson’s game plan worked well for a round against Jared Cannonier, but when he failed to secure a finish late in the period, things went downhill in a hurry for the North Carolina native at UFC 271. Unable to implement his wrestling, a fatigued Brunson succumbed to a series of vicious ground-and-pound elbows from Cannonier in the second round of their Feb. 12. On the brink of a possible title shot, Brunson instead had a five-bout winning streak snapped. An injury forced Brunson to withdraw from a clash against Jack Hermansson at UFC Orlando in December.8. Johnny Eblen (12-0) | Bellator [8]
Eblen claimed middleweight gold in surprisingly dominant fashion in the Bellator 282 headliner, as he swept the scorecards with a trio of 50-45 tallies in a unanimous decision triumph against Gegard Mousasi at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The American Top Team product dropped his foe in the first round and controlled the action the rest of the way, landing multiple takedowns in the biggest test of his career to date. The 30-year Eblen is now 8-0 under the Bellator MMA banner and provides a fresh face at the top of the division.9. Sean Strickland (25-4) | UFC [9]
Strickland elected to play to Alex Pereira’s strengths and paid dearly for it at UFC 276, losing via first-round knockout in their featured middleweight showdown at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. That snaps a six-bout winning streak for Strickland, who was gaining attention not only for his exploits in the cage, but for his controversial comments outside of it. Thanks to his latest defeat, a title shot that might have been his went to Pereira instead. An infected finger forced Strickland to withdraw from a headlining matchup against Jared Cannonier at UFC Fight Night 212. That bout has now been rescheduled for Dec. 17.10. Roman Dolidze (12-1) | UFC [NR]
Dolidze made the most of a short-notice opportunity at UFC on ESPN 42, as he trapped Jack Hermansson in a calf slicer position before hammering away with ground-and-pound from back mount for a second-round technical knockout victory in Orlando, Fla. The creative finish was the Georgian’s fourth straight win in UFC competition — and third consecutive victory inside the distance. With a signature triumph under his belt, Dolidze has suddenly established himself as a person to watch at 185 pounds.Other Contenders: Gegard Mousasi, Jack Hermansson, Chris Curtis, Andre Muniz, Nassourdine Imavov.
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