Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Middleweight

1. Michael Bisping (29-7)

It was an improbable, shocking moment when Michael Bisping slid into the UFC 199 main event on short notice and knocked out Luke Rockhold for the middleweight title. It is an even more unforeseeable outcome that Bisping’s first title defense will not come against Rockhold, former champ Chris Weidman, Yoel Romero or Ronaldo Souza. Instead, Bisping will have a Manchester homecoming at UFC 204 on Oct. 8, defending his title against the man who turned out his lights at UFC 100 seven years ago: Dan Henderson. “Hendo” will be 46 when the two rematch and is 4-6 over his last 10 fights.

2. Luke Rockhold (15-3)

Rockhold thought he would have a walk in the park in his UFC 199 rematch with Michael Bisping, a man he ran over just 19 months ago on his way to the UFC middleweight title. Instead, the American Kickboxing Academy rep came out on the wrong end of an “Upset of the Year” candidate when he was punched cold by “The Count” inside four minutes. The table is set for a rubber match between the two, though Rockhold will first fight for his No. 1 contender’s spot in the crowded upper echelon at 185 pounds.

3. Chris Weidman (13-1)

Preparing for his slated UFC 199 middleweight title rematch with Luke Rockhold, Weidman suffered a neck injury that required surgery. In his stead, Michael Bisping stepped into the title fight and made improbable history, knocking out Rockhold in the first round and taking the UFC middleweight crown. After healing from surgery, Weidman will inevitably be right back in the 185-pound title mix, even if he will be returning to a surprisingly different division than the one he ruled just six months ago.

4. Yoel Romero (11-1)

Romero’s fearsome power was on full display at UFC 194, as the Cuban wrestler nearly polished off Ronaldo Souza in the opening round. In the end, Romero was forced to withstand a “Jacare” comeback in order to earn a split decision. The “Soldier of God” was notified by the United States Anti-Doping Agency of a potential anti-doping violation one month after the bout. Romero recently appealed and negotiated a six-month suspension.

5. Ronaldo Souza (23-4, 1 NC)

He was a healthy favorite heading into his UFC 198 bout with Vitor Belfort in Curitiba, Brazil, and “Jacare” looked every part the alpha dog. He took down Belfort, smashed his face bloody and then assumed full mount to pound “The Phenom” to the finish. Despite his razor-thin UFC 194 loss to Yoel Romero, it is not crazy to imagine the former Strikeforce middleweight champion challenging for the UFC gold in the near future.

6. Derek Brunson (15-3)

Brunson missed a big opportunity because of recurring vision issues, as he pulled out a slated bout with perennial middleweight standout Gegard Mousasi at UFC 200. However, with his eye problems put aside, Brunson will still get a noteworthy opponent next time out, meeting Uriah Hall -- a man who knocked out Mousasi in highlight-reel fashion -- at UFC Fight Night 94 on Sept. 17.

7. Vitor Belfort (25-12)

At 39 years old and after nearly 20 years in the sport, Belfort is in the twilight of his career. However, Belfort has always found a way to stick around in the spotlight, and if he wants one last run, he will need to rebound from his one-sided first-round TKO loss to Ronaldo Souza when he faces Gegard Mousasi at UFC 204 on Oct. 8 in Manchester, England.

8. David Branch (18-3)

World Series of Fighting’s two-division champion made a dominant defense of his 185-pound title on April 2 with a five-round rout of Clifford Starks. Since exiting the UFC in 2011, Branch has won 10 of his 11 outings, including his current eight-fight winning streak in the WSOF cage. He has been penciled in for a light heavyweight title defense against Vinny Magalhaes at WSOF 33 on Oct. 7.

9. Robert Whittaker (16-4)

Whittaker outworked Rafael Natal on the feet for three rounds to claim a unanimous decision at UFC 197, boxing with constant pressure even as the veteran attacked his legs with harsh kicks. After five straight wins against dangerous opponents like Uriah Hall and Brad Tavares, the young Australian is rapidly rising to meet the lofty expectations placed upon him when he won “The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes” as a 21-year old in 2012.

10. Gegard Mousasi (39-6-2)

After slipping up in September and falling prey to a breathtaking knockout from Uriah Hall, Mousasi responded with two dominant performances. He hammered out a 15-minute decision over Thales Leites in February and then knocked out Thiago Santos in the first round five months later. If Mousasi is going to push his winning streak to three, he will need to notch a victory over 20-year veteran Vitor Belfort at UFC 204 in Manchester, England.

Other Contenders: Uriah Hall, Dan Henderson, Thales Leites, Rafael Natal, Mamed Khalidov

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