Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Middleweight

1. Anderson Silva (27-4)
At UFC 126 on Feb. 5, Silva will square off with fellow Brazilian Vitor Belfort. However, should he get past his countryman, the MMA world already knows the identity of his next foe. Yushin Okami, the last man to beat Silva, albeit by disqualification, waits in the wings for the Silva-Belfort winner. If Silva takes out “The Phenom,” he will get the chance to put five years of controversy to rest in a rematch with “Thunder.”

2. Chael Sonnen (25-11-1)
After a bizarre and shambolic appeal in front of the California State Athletic Commission on Dec. 2, Sonnen’s suspension from a positive test for synthetic testosterone was reduced to six months. Reportedly, Sonnen will square off with Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 128, just days before sentencing for federal money laundering charges in Oregon. The middleweight is expected to receive two years of probation after pleading guilty on Jan. 3.

3. Yushin Okami (26-5)
In the past, Okami had always let the moment get away from him in big fights. Such was the case in his clashes with Jake Shields and Rich Franklin. However, at UFC 122 in Oberhausen, Germany, “Thunder” capitalized on his opportunity. A more aggressive Okami outboxed and outwrestled the favored Nate Marquardt to earn a unanimous decision, as well as a crack at the winner of the UFC 126 bout between middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort.

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. 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 UFC middleweight title shot. The defeat dropped Marquardt back into the rest of the population at 185 pounds.

5. Demian Maia (14-2)
Just as he had done against Mario Miranda in August, Maia dominated 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.

6. Vitor Belfort (19-8)
After injuries canceled two scheduled title clashes with Anderson Silva in 2010, it seemed Belfort would have to go through the rugged Yushin Okami at UFC 122 to secure a UFC middleweight title shot. However, Chael Sonnen’s UFC 117 drug test failure forced the UFC to switch up Silva’s next fight, meaning Belfort will face “The Spider” for the gold at UFC 126.

7. Dan Henderson (26-8)
He crushed Renato “Babalu” Sobral on Dec. 4, but, as usual, Henderson seems ambivalent about whether or not his immediate future lies at 185 or 205 pounds. However, it does seem more likely that the former two-division Pride Fighting Championships champion will be the next challenger to Strikeforce light heavyweight titleholder Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante.

8. Jorge Santiago (23-8)
In a rematch of one of 2009’s most underrated fights, 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. Ronaldo Souza (13-2, 1 NC)
“Jacare” became a father on Aug. 20, just a day before he became Strikeforce middleweight champion by besting Tim Kennedy in Houston. The grappling king will return to the cage on Jan. 29 to make the first defense of his crown against Robbie Lawler.

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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