Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Middleweight

1. Chris Weidman (13-0)

Kept away from the cage for nearly a year due to multiple injuries, Weidman finally made his long-delayed title defense against Vitor Belfort at UFC 187, and it was worth the wait. The 30-year-old New Yorker fought through an early onslaught from Belfort before taking “The Phenom” to the ground, passing to full mount and punching his way to a stoppage in under three minutes. It was Weidman’s third successful title defense, all of which have come against highly regarded Brazilians: Belfort, Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva. “The All-American” will next put his belt on the line against countryman Luke Rockhold in the co-main event of UFC 194.

2. Luke Rockhold (14-2)

In one of his finest showings to date, Rockhold smashed and submitted dangerous former light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida in the main event of a nationally televised UFC card on April 18. The decisive win -- Rockhold’s fourth in a row -- shone the spotlight on the American Kickboxing Academy standout and also eliminated a potential contender from the crowded race for the middleweight title. Rockhold will finally get his shot at UFC gold at UFC 194, where he is set to challenge Chris Weidman.

3. Ronaldo Souza (22-3, 1 NC)

A win against Yoel Romero at UFC on Fox 15 might have propelled “Jacare” into the No. 1 contender’s spot for the UFC middleweight title. Unfortunately, Romero withdrew from the fight just one week out, leaving the Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace to submit unranked replacement Chris Camozzi on April 18, just as he had in May 2013. Nevertheless, Souza remains unbeaten in the Octagon at 5-0 and currently owns an eight-fight winning streak. The postponed clash with Yoel Romero awaits at UFC 194 on Dec. 12.

4. Yoel Romero (10-1)

Cuba’s “Soldier of God” scored the biggest win of his career on June 27, knocking out former light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida with a torrent of elbows on the ground. Since joining the UFC in April 2013, Romero has notched six consecutive victories, five of which have come by way of knockout. The American Top Team-trained contender will battle Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza at UFC 194 in December.

5. Vitor Belfort (24-11)

Belfort waited 17 months for his shot at the UFC middleweight title, but his meeting with Chris Weidman on May 23 lasted less than three minutes. “The Phenom” stung Weidman with punches early but could not escape once the champion brought him to the ground and unloaded with punches from full mount. The loss snapped a three-fight winning streak for Belfort, who refuted retirement talk after the event and is now slated to complete his trilogy with Dan Henderson on Nov. 7 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

6. Lyoto Machida (22-7)

Machida sought to implement his distance striking against Yoel Romero on June 27 but was taken down and knocked out cold by the wrestler’s elbows in round three. The defeat marks Machida’s first back-to-back losses since 2010 and brings his record in the UFC middleweight division to 3-3.

7. Gegard Mousasi (37-5-2)

Mousasi’s 2014 ended with a disappointing loss to Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, but the Dutchman’s 2015 could not be off to a better start. After punching out Dan Henderson in January, “The Dreamcatcher” returned to the cage on May 16 and cruised to a one-sided unanimous decision against Costas Philippou. The wins mark Mousasi’s first back-to-back victories since he transferred to the UFC from Strikeforce two years ago. He will confront former Ring of Combat champion Uriah Hall at a UFC Fight Night event on Sept. 26 in Japan.

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. Michael Bisping (27-7)

The indefatigable Bisping used constant movement and technical striking to outpoint Thales Leites across five rounds on July 18 in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Glasgow, Scotland. The victory puts “The Count” on his first winning streak since 2011, as he had alternated wins and losses in his previous eight Octagon appearances. After the win, Bisping stated that he is seeking rematches with Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson. Those two men have since been paired in a trilogy match. Bisping, meanwhile, will settle for a fight with Robert Whittaker at UFC 193 on Nov. 15.

10. David Branch (16-3)

The reigning World Series of Fighting champion has made a name for himself as the best middleweight competing outside the Octagon, winning eight of nine since exiting the UFC in 2011. Branch’s most recent conquest came in November, when he punched out longtime 185-pound ranker Yushin Okami to defend his belt. The Renzo Gracie student will attempt to become WSOF’s first two-division champ on Sept. 19, when he fights Teddy Holder for the light heavyweight strap.

Other Contenders: Derek Brunson, C.B. Dollaway, Brandon Halsey, Mamed Khalidov, Thales Leites.

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