Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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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. A rematch with Adesanya appears to be imminent.

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. With that issue seemingly resolved, Costa is slated for a headlining date against Marvin Vettori on Oct. 23.

4. Marvin Vettori (17-5-1) [4]

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. Vettori will next face fellow former title challenger Paulo Costa on Oct. 23.

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 and remains a relevant contender — though he might need another victory to solidify a title shot.

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, though at the very least he must wait on the Israel Adesanya-Robert Whittaker rematch.

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.

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 is targeting a title defense for Mousasi against Austin Vanderford.

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) [11]

After a five-bout unbeaten run in 2020 vaulted Holland into the middleweight rankings, “Trailblazer has encountered a bumpy road in 2021, dropping unanimous decisions in headlining bouts against Derek Brunson at UFC on ESPN 21 and against Marvin Vettori at UFC on ABC 2. Holland, who must work on his wrestling deficiencies to make further progress at 185 pounds, will attempt to rebound against Chris Daukaus at UFC Fight Night 193.

Other Contenders: Sean Strickland, Brendan Allen, Uriah Hall, Kelvin Gastelum, Andre Muniz.

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