Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Middleweight

1. Israel Adesanya (22-1) | UFC [1]

He took a far different route to get there, but Adesanya is nonetheless 2-0 against Robert Whittaker after defeating his rival via unanimous decision in the UFC 271 headliner at the Toyota Center in Houston on Feb. 19. With four title defenses and 11 consecutive triumphs overall at 185 pounds under his belt, “The Last Stylebender” will look ahead to his next challenge in the division. That will come during International Fight Week against No. 1 contender Jared Cannonier in the UFC 276 main event on July 2.

2. Robert Whittaker (23-6) | UFC [2]

After relinquishing the middleweight crown via second-round KO at UFC 243, Whittaker adopted a much more measured approach in his rematch against Israel Adesanya in the UFC 271 headliner. While he was more competitive, “The Reaper” still dropped a unanimous verdict to Adesanya at the Toyota Center in Houston on Feb. 12. Whittaker sees a three-fight winning streak come to an end in defeat and could find the road another title shot difficult as long as Adesanya remains champ. An injury forced Whittaker to withdraw from a proposed clash against Marvin Vettori at UFC 275, but that bout has been rescheduled for UFC Paris on Sept. 3.

3. Jared Cannonier (15-5) | UFC [3]

Cannonier staked his claim to the No. 1 contender’s spot in emphatic fashion at UFC 271, as he bludgeoned Derek Brunson with elbows from top position for a second-round knockout victory at the Toyota Center in Houston on Feb. 12. “The Killa Gorilla” has won five of his last six in UFC competition, with other notable triumphs against the likes of Kelvin Gastelum, Jack Hermansson and Anderson Silva. A date with reigning champ Israel Adesanya is up next in the UFC 276 main event.

4. Paulo Costa (13-2) | UFC [4]

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. A matchup with Luke Rockhold is reportedly in the works for Aug. 29.

5. Marvin Vettori (18-5-1) | UFC [5]

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. Vettori will next square off against ex-champ Robert Whittaker at UFC Paris on Sept. 3.

6. Derek Brunson (23-8) | UFC [6]

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 has a five-bout winning streak snapped.

7. Sean Strickland (25-3) | UFC [7]

It wasn’t an overly thrilling performance, but Strickland’s crisp boxing was more than enough to carry him to a split-decision triumph over Jack Hermansson in the UFC Fight Night 200 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Feb. 5. Though Strickland’s pre-fight quotes might have been more interesting than the action in the cage, it was nonetheless the sixth consecutive triumph for Strickland, who is gradually rising up the ladder in the 185-pound division. Up next for “Tarzan” is a showdown with former two-division Glory Kickboxing champion Alex Pereira at UFC 277.

8. Johnny Eblen (12-0) | Bellator [NR]

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. Jack Hermansson (22-7) | UFC [9]

Hermansson hung tough for five rounds, but he was unable to implement his grappling in a split-decision loss against Sean Strickland in the UFC Fight Night 200 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Feb. 5. Though Hermansson earned the nod from one judge’s scorecard, it was not an especially competitive bout for “The Joker,” who has now come up short in two of his last three main event bouts inside the Octagon. Hermansson will next lock horns with Darren Till at UFC London on July 23

10. Gegard Mousasi (49-8-2) | Bellator [8]

Mousasi never got on track against Johnny Eblen at Bellator 282, as he was rocked early and succumbed to multiple takedowns in a unanimous decision defeat. In defeat, the Armenian-born Dutchman relinquished the 185-pound belt for the second time during his tenure with the California-based promotion. Although it was just his second loss in his last 14 professional outings, time could be catching up to the 36-year-old Mousasi, who has been competing in MMA since 2003.

Other Contenders: Chris Curtis, Darren Till, Kevin Holland, Brendan Allen, Uriah Hall.

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