Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Middleweight

1. Luke Rockhold (15-2)

At UFC 194 in December, Luke Rockhold dominated Chris Weidman to take the UFC middleweight strap. It was expected that Rockhold would be rematching Weidman for 185-pound supremacy at UFC 199 on June 4, and if he won, the American Kickboxing Academy product would be moving on to challenges against the likes of Yoel Romero and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. Instead, a neck injury to Weidman means that Michael Bisping will finally get a chance to vie for UFC gold at UFC 199. The two previously met in November 2014, with Rockhold dominating the bout and submitting “The Count” in the second frame.

2. Chris Weidman (13-1)

Chris Weidman lasted two and a half years atop the 185-pound division before Luke Rockhold smashed him up to take the UFC strap at UFC 194 in December. Weidman was scheduled to get a championship rematch at UFC 199 in June, but a nasty neck injury forced the Serra-Longo Team rep to bow out, allowing Michael Bisping to step into his place while the “All-American” recovers.

3. 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 USADA of a potential anti-doping violation one month after the bout. Romero recently appealed and negotiated a six-month suspension.

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

He was a healthy favorite headed into his UFC 198 bout with Vitor Belfort in Curitiba, Brazil, and “Jacare” looked every part that 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.

5. Michael Bisping (28-7)

For the better part of a decade, MMA fans wondered if and when Michael Bisping would ever get a chance to compete for a UFC title. Now, circumstance has smiled on “The Count” in an unexpected fashion: with Chris Weidman injured, Ronaldo Souza nursing a knee injury and Yoel Romero still serving his negotiated USADA suspension, “The Count” was the man on deck to step in for the sidelined Weidman at UFC 199 and now he'll get a chance to both take UFC gold as well as avenge his Nov. 2014 loss to Luke Rockhold on June 4.

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 marked Machida’s first back-to-back losses since 2010 and brought his record in the UFC middleweight division to 3-3. “The Dragon” was set to rematch Dan Henderson on April 16, but the bout was canceled after Machida’s pre-fight admission that he had unknowingly used a banned substance.

7. Derek Brunson (15-3)

Since his January 2014 loss to Yoel Romero, Brunson has emerged as one of the UFC’s most dangerous middleweights with four straight wins, including three consecutive knockouts. Brunson last saw action on Feb. 21, when he laid waste to jiu-jitsu ace Roan Carneiro with first-round punches. Next up for Brunson: a showdown with former Strikeforce and Dream champion Gegard Mousasi at UFC 200.

8. Vitor Belfort (25-12)

A nearly two-decade veteran of the cage, Belfort looked every bit of 39 years old at UFC 198. “The Phenom” was battered and bloodied on the ground by Ronaldo Souza, eventually succumbing to strikes in under five minutes. Belfort’s testosterone-fueled successes of 2013 seem like eons ago now.

9. 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.

10. 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.

Other Contenders: Uriah Hall, Thales Leites, Gegard Mousasi, Rafael Natal, Mamed Khalidov.

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