Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Middleweight

1. Michael Bisping (30-7)

Bisping is always a focal point of public MMA drama, whether it involves him having a fight booked or not. Most recently, “The Count” made waves for trash talking former champ Chris Weidman on Twitter following the latter's win over Kelvin Gastelum at UFC on Fox 25. Then, courtesy of Tyron Woodley's less-than-thrilling title defense against Demian Maia at UFC 214, UFC President Dana White decided to change direction and reignite discussion of Bisping defending his middleweight title against Georges St. Pierre later this year. Can we please just get the man in the cage?

2. Robert Whittaker (19-4)

When a developing, 170-pound Whittaker dropped back-to-back fights to Court McGee and Stephen Thompson a few years ago, the MMA world seemed keen to write off “Bobby Knuckles” as another “Ultimate Fighter” winner destined for mediocrity. In November 2014, the Kiwi bumped up to middleweight and has never looked back, going 7-0 at 185 pounds. Whittaker was thrust into the main event role in his interim middleweight title fight with Yoel Romero at UFC 213 and seized the moment, overcoming an early leg injury to dominate the second half of the fight, earning the biggest win of his career, a UFC interim belt and, if common sense reigns, an eventual title shot against legitimate middleweight kingpin Michael Bisping after Whittaker recovers from a leg injury.

3. Luke Rockhold (15-3)

Rockhold has been outspoken in his recent criticisms of the UFC and the present state of the promotion's matchmaking. In a different era, that might get you punished by the UFC, but in 2017, Rockhold is going to get a plum spot despite his public comments. The former UFC middleweight champion returns to action on Sept. 16, headlining UFC Fight Night 116 against David Branch in Pittsburgh.

4. Yoel Romero (12-2)

Romero's 8-0 Octagon record made him long overdue for a rightful crack at UFC gold. However, when the Olympic silver medalist finally got his shot, it was not quite what he imagined. Instead of undisputed champ Michael Bisping in the cage, he faced fast-rising prospect Robert Whittaker for an interim strap at UFC 213, faded over the final 15 minutes and dropped a unanimous decision to “Bobby Knuckles.” The 40-year-old Cuban certainly remains one of the best 185-pounders in MMA, but his longevity in the sport and road to a second title shot are highly uncertain.

5. Ronaldo Souza (24-5, 1 NC)

“Jacare” had been outspoken in recent months about how the UFC has conducted the middleweight division, from Michael Bisping's championship win and "The Count" defending against an aged Dan Henderson to a returning Georges St. Pierre being granted a title shot. Unfortunately for Souza, after repeatedly stating his case for crack at UFC gold, he met red-hot contender at Robert Whittaker at UFC on Fox 24 and was knocked out in the second round.

6. Gegard Mousasi (42-6-2)

After rejecting what he deemed a low-ball offer from the UFC, Mousasi has reunited with promoter Scott Coker with designs on being a two-division Bellator MMA champion. Coming off of five straight UFC wins, Mousasi makes his Bellator debut at Oct. 20 at Bellator 185, where he takes on former middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko.

7. Chris Weidman (14-3)

Weidman broke his nightmarish three-fight losing streak at UFC on Fox 25, overcoming a few scares from Kelvin Gastelum to prevail by third-round arm-triangle choke. Better for the Baldwin, New York, native, he got to do it in front of a Nassau Coliseum crowd in the UFC's Long Island debut, making for a truly memorable moment in the cage.

8. David Branch (21-3)

Branch has won 11 in a row while competing as a middleweight and light heavyweight, but the knock on the former two-division World Series of Fighting champ has been his competition. After narrowly topping tough Pole Krzysztof Jotko at UFC 211, Branch will get a major step up in competition and profile at UFC Fight Night 116 in Pittsburgh, headlining the bill against onetime UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold on Sept. 16.

9. Anderson Silva (34-8, 1 NC)

Silva's slated June 3 pairing with Kelvin Gastelum went to hell in a hand basket when the latter tested positive for cannabinoid metabolites and was pulled from the bout. Following Gastelum's removal, Silva lobbied for an interim UFC middleweight title bout against Yoel Romero. After his demands went unmet, “The Spider” shut down his training camp entirely and removed himself from the UFC 212 bill in Rio de Janeiro.

10. Derek Brunson (17-5)

Brunson was perhaps a few strikes from victory before succumbing to Robert Whittaker's head kick and punches in November and took a highly questionable decision loss to legend Anderson Silva in February. However, things got back on track for the North Carolina native at UFC Fight Night 110 in Auckland, New Zealand, as Brunson needed just 76 seconds to waste four-time Olympic judoka Daniel Kelly. Brunson's last five Octagon wins have all ended by first-round knockout, with none going longer than 2:38.

Other Contenders: Rafael Carvalho, Kelvin Gastelum, Krzysztof Jotko, Daniel Kelly, Thales Leites.

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