Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Middleweight

1. Anderson Silva (27-4)
In the seventh defense of the UFC middleweight title, Silva was dominated for 23 minutes by Chael Sonnen’s ground-and-pound attack. With the clock ticking on his middleweight supremacy, Silva -- who carried a rib injury into the bout -- locked up a fight-ending triangle armbar to complete a thrilling comeback victory for the ages and hang onto the 185-pound mantle.

2. Chael Sonnen (25-11-1)
For the better part of five rounds against Anderson Silva, Sonnen looked like exactly the kind of fighter he told the world he was. Sonnen dominated “The Spider” for round after round until his familiar Achilles’ heel -- his submission defense -- reared its head in the fifth round. Sonnen, the sport’s preeminent trash talker, succumbed to a triangle armbar in thrilling-but-heartbreaking fashion.

3. Jake Shields (25-4-1)
After the expiration of his Strikeforce contract, the Octagon was the obvious next step for Shields. The two-division stalwart will make his UFC debut at 170 pounds, as he drops back to welterweight to challenge tough Dane Martin Kampmann at UFC 121 on Oct. 23.

4. Nate Marquardt (29-9-2)
Marquardt expected to face powerful Brazilian grappler Rousimar “Toquinho” Palhares on Aug. 28, when the UFC rolled into Boston for UFC 118. However, the dissolution of a bout between Demian Maia and Alan Belcher slated to main event UFC Fight Night 22 on Sept. 15 in Austin, Texas, prompted the relocation of the Marquardt-Palhares match to the Lone Star State in September.

5. Dan Henderson (25-8)
Henderson looked every bit the heavy favorite in round one of his Strikeforce title fight with Jake Shields on April 17. However, for the next four rounds, the former two-division Pride champion was dominated on the ground and lost a unanimous decision in his promotional debut.

6. Demian Maia (12-2)
Maia expected to main event UFC Fight Night 22 against fellow middleweight contender Alan Belcher on Sept. 15. However, a detached retina for Belcher scuttled the bout, and Maia will now meet the once-beaten Mario Miranda at UFC 118 on Aug. 28.

7. Vitor Belfort (19-8)
It’s a tough time to be Belfort. After losing a UFC middleweight title shot due to injury, Belfort expected to face the winner of the Anderson Silva-Chael Sonnen bout later this year. After Sonnen’s spirited effort, Belfort may be forced to beg for consideration, with a growing cry for a Silva-Sonnen rematch.

8. Yushin Okami (25-5)
Okami continued to get back into the UFC middleweight title hunt on Aug. 1 in San Diego. The Japanese veteran jabbed and sprawled to a well-deserved decision win over Mark Munoz in a fight that was not particularly contentious, despite judge Cecil Peoples’ dubious 29-28 scorecard for Munoz.

9. Jorge Santiago (22-8)
In January 2009, Santiago claimed Sengoku’s middleweight crown with a rousing come-from-behind fifth-round submission against Kazuo Misaki. To hang onto his title, Santiago will need to beat Misaki once again, as they meet in a rematch at Sengoku 14 on Aug. 22.

10. Ronaldo Souza (12-2, 1 NC)
With a plethora of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and no-gi grappling laurels, Souza will have the chance to add his first significant piece of MMA hardware to his trophy case on Aug. 21. “Jacare” will meet Tim Kennedy in Houston to vie for the vacant Strikeforce middleweight crown.

Other contenders: Alan Belcher, Michael Bisping, Chris Leben, Hector Lombard, Wanderlei Silva.