Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Middleweight

1. Chris Weidman (12-0)

Weidman’s first title defense since back-to-back bouts with Anderson Silva could hardly have gone better. In fighting a full 25 minutes with former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, the Serra-Longo Fight Team product showcased not only his potent striking and takedowns but also a gritty resolve, as he weathered a fifth-round surge from the challenger. Weidman will take on yet another Brazilian challenger when he faces Vitor Belfort in the UFC 184 headliner in February.

2. Anderson Silva (33-6)

Nobody wanted to see Anderson Silva’s night end the way it did at UFC 168, as the longtime pound-for-pound king suffered a broken left leg when Chris Weidman checked a kick during the second round of their headlining matchup. The Brazilian underwent emergency surgery following the bout and has since made a full recovery. “The Spider” is now booked to return to the Octagon against Nick Diaz on Jan. 31, and UFC President Dana White has stated that a win over the former Strikeforce titlist could earn Silva another shot at reclaiming the belt.

3. Vitor Belfort (24-10)

Belfort will get his shot at UFC middleweight champ Chris Weidman -- only six months after it was originally scheduled. The surging “Phenom” withdrew from UFC 173 after the Nevada Athletic Commission instituted a ban on testosterone replacement therapy. Now finished with TRT, Belfort has been granted a provisional license by the NAC which will allow him to meet Weidman at UFC 184 in February.

4. Ronaldo Souza (21-3, 1 NC)

Souza avenged his 2008 loss to Gegard Mousasi with a third-round guillotine choke submission on Sept. 5 at a UFC Fight Night event in Connecticut. Unbeaten through four UFC appearances and currently riding a seven-fight winning streak, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace is angling for a chance at the middleweight crown. However, pneumonia forced “Jacare” to bow out of a match with fellow contender Yoel Romero at UFC 184; Souza expects to return in the spring.

5. Luke Rockhold (13-2)

The former Strikeforce middleweight champ silenced Michael Bisping in style on Nov. 7, dazing the Englishman with a head kick before finishing the fight with a one-arm, topside guillotine choke. In becoming the first man to submit the 10-year veteran, Rockhold made a strong case for placement in a title eliminator bout. Next up for the American Kickboxing Academy product is a Fox-broadcast main event with Lyoto Machida on April 18.

6. Lyoto Machida (21-5)

Machida was sensational as a UFC Fight Night headliner on Dec. 20, as he wrecked C.B. Dollaway with a brutal kick to the ribs and finished the onetime NCAA All-American wrestler with follow-up punches in just 62 seconds. “The Dragon” has rattled off three wins in four appearances since downshifting to 185 pounds, losing only to reigning middleweight champion Chris Weidman in a “Fight of the Year” contender at UFC 175. The 36-year-old will look to continue his climb back to title contention on April 18 when he faces Luke Rockhold.

7. Yoel Romero (9-1)

While Romero’s apparent inability to answer the bell for round three of his UFC 178 meeting with Tim Kennedy remains a controversial topic, what happened when the final round got under way is indisputable. Beaten to within inches of a stoppage only moments before, Romero clobbered Kennedy with a right hand and drubbed the American on the floor to force a stoppage less than one minute into the last frame. The former Olympic wrestler is now 5-0 in the UFC, with four wins by way of knockout.

8. Tim Kennedy (18-5)

Kennedy’s first Octagon defeat could hardly have come under more controversial circumstances, but it was a defeat nonetheless. After being walloped by Yoel Romero in the first round of their UFC 178 encounter and then coming back to hurt the “Soldier of God” in round two, Kennedy met his end under a hailstorm of punches just 58 seconds into the final frame. The loss derailed the Jackson-Wink MMA product, who began his UFC run with three straight victories.

9. Gegard Mousasi (36-5-2)

Mousasi earned one of his most significant victories to date in Stockholm on Jan. 24, becoming just the second man to halt former pound-for-pound great Dan Henderson with strikes. The former Strikeforce light heavyweight champ has alternated wins and losses since transferring to the UFC, notably finishing Henderson and Mark Munoz while falling to Ronaldo Souza and Lyoto Machida.

10. David Branch (15-3)

Once cut from the UFC roster, Branch has found new life in the World Series of Fighting, where he has run up a five-fight winning streak in the past two years. The Renzo Gracie-trained fighter’s latest and greatest accomplishment came in his title defense at WSOF 15, where he scored a fourth-round stoppage of longtime middleweight ranker Yushin Okami.

Other Contenders: Michael Bisping, C.B. Dollaway, Brandon Halsey, Mamed Khalidov, Thales Leites.

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