Anderson Silva (above, right) eyes a showdown with Georges St. Pierre at 185 pounds. | Sherdog.com
Middleweight
It was Silva at his finest. In one of his most anticipated bouts to date, the UFC middleweight champion ducked, dodged and weaved around Vitor Belfort’s punches before slamming a front kick into his face that struck him down. The sensational first-round stoppage could potentially lead to the much-anticipated clash between Silva and welterweight king Georges St. Pierre, should GSP best Jake Shields in April.
2. Chael Sonnen (25-11-1)
Sonnen was expected to face Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 128 in March. However, the embattled middleweight took yet another hit after pleading guilty to federal charges of money laundering, forcing the UFC to put the freeze on Sonnen’s contract. It leaves the former middleweight title challenger out of competition for the near future.
3. Yushin Okami (26-5)
Such is life for Okami. After earning the most significant win of his career against Nate Marquardt in November, “Thunder” was seemingly next on deck for the winner of the UFC 126 match between Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort. However, Silva’s remarkable performance has quickly accelerated talks of a super fight with Georges St. Pierre, putting Okami on the backburner again.
4. Nate Marquardt (30-10-2)
Marquardt’s three-year journey to earn another shot at middleweight ruler Anderson Silva hit another speed bump in Oberhausen, Germany, in November. For the better part of 15 minutes, Marquardt was outboxed and outwrestled by a surprisingly aggressive Yushin Okami, who took the unanimous nod and, with it, a potential UFC middleweight title shot. The defeat dropped Marquardt back into the rest of the population at 185 pounds. The former middleweight King of Pancrase will collide with Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 128 on March 19.
5. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (14-2, 1 NC)
In a great fight, Souza successfully defended his Strikeforce middleweight crown for the first time on Jan. 29, submitting Robbie Lawler in the third round. “Jacare” dominated on the ground but was badly hurt in the first round, battling back from the brink of defeat to notch the rear-naked choke win in the third stanza.
6. Demian Maia (14-2)
Just as he had done against Mario Miranda in August, Maia controlled Kendall Grove on the floor on Dec. 4 en route to earning a unanimous decision. Another thorough if not thrilling win for Maia continues to help erase the bitter memories of his April debacle with middleweight champion Anderson Silva in the United Arab Emirates.
7. Dan Henderson (26-8)
Henderson can barely be considered a middleweight at this point. Following his Dec. 4 crushing of Renato “Babalu” Sobral, “Hendo” will challenge Rafael Cavalcante for the Strikeforce light heavyweight belt on March 5 in Columbus, Ohio.
8. Jorge Santiago (23-8)
In a rematch of one of the most underrated fights of 2009, Santiago and Kazuo Misaki turned in arguably the best bout of 2010. The back-and-forth five-round war culminated in Santiago -- who had already been nearly knocked out and submitted in the fight -- retaining his Sengoku middleweight crown by pounding on a hapless Misaki until his corner threw in the towel.
9. Vitor Belfort (19-9)
Though many tabbed Belfort a live underdog heading into his Feb. 6 title challenge against Anderson Silva, it seems hard to imagine “The Phenom” not becoming synonymous with his brutal knockout loss to “The Spider” at UFC 126. The Brazilian fight community has already immortalized the knockout as “bicuda na fuca,” and it is sure to be a highlight reel staple for years to come.
10. Michael Bisping (20-3)
In February, Bisping lost a contentious decision to Wanderlei Silva in Sydney, Australia. Fifty-three weeks later, on Feb. 27, he will return to the site of the fight, taking on suddenly relevant journeyman Jorge Rivera at UFC 127.
Other contenders: Alan Belcher, Robbie Lawler, Hector Lombard, Wanderlei Silva, Brian Stann.
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