Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Middleweight

1. Alex Pereira (9-2) | UFC [1]

Alex Pereira left no doubt regarding the true identity of the light heavyweight champion with his first-round knockout of Jamahal Hill in the UFC 300 headliner. Once he found his opening, “Poatan” wasted little time, dropping his foe with a left hook and sealing his victory with follow-up ground strikes 3:14 into the opening stanza. By besting Hill, who had to vacate the title due to injury in 2023, Pereira avenged mentor Glover Teixeira and continued to raise his profile as one of the promotion’s biggest stars. The Brazilian’s rankings eligibility at middleweight will expire on October 8, 2024.

2. Dricus Du Plessis (21-2) UFC [2]

Du Plessis made it nine consecutive triumphs in the UFC 297 headliner, as he outdueled Sean Strickland over five rounds to claim the middleweight crown in a closely-contested split decision victory. The South African struggled with his opponent’s precise jab early, but he was able to vary his attacks enough down the stretch to get the nod on the scorecards. A showdown with ex-champ Israel Adesanya — a rivalry that was building heat last year — looms as a potentially interesting clash further down the calendar in 2024.

3. Sean Strickland (28-6) | UFC [3]

Strickland certainly had his moments in the UFC 297 main event — particularly with his trademark jab — but it ultimately wasn’t enough to combat the varied offense of Dricus Du Plessis, who wrested the middleweight belt from the controversial American with a hard-fought split-decision triumph. Strickland, who had a three-bout winning streak snapped in defeat, will attempt to get back on track when he faces Paulo Costa in a five-round, co-main event at UFC 302.

4. Israel Adesanya (24-3) | UFC [4]

Adesanya authored one of the most perplexing performances by a champion in recent memory, falling to the lightly regarded Sean Strickland via unanimous decision in the UFC 293 headliner in Sydney. “The Last Stylebender” has now lost two of his last three outings at 185 pounds, and it could be some time before the Nigerian-born Kiwi returns to the Octagon.

5. Robert Whittaker (25-7) | UFC [5]

After a surprising loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290, Whittaker showed he still has plenty left in the tank by outpointing former title challenger Paulo Costa in the UFC 298 co-main event. “The Reaper” shook off being wobbled by his opponent in Round 1 and rallied to pull away thanks to superior volume and striking over the bout’s final 10 minutes. While Whittaker is no longer the consensus No. 2 in the division as he was when Israel Adesanya reigned, he’s still clearly one of the top talents at 185 pounds. He’ll next look to slow the momentum of Khamzat Chimaev in the UFC Saudi Arabia headliner on June 22.

6. Johnny Eblen (15-0) | Bellator [6]

Eblen got a tougher-than-expected test at PFL vs. Bellator, where he was dropped and hurt in the second stanza before holding on for a split-decision triumph over 2023 PFL light heavyweight champion Impa Kasanganay on Feb. 24 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. While his struggles put a damper on Eblen’s “Best Middleweight in the World” campaign, it was nonetheless encouraging that the American Top Team product was able to persevere through adversity to remain undefeated.

7. Jared Cannonier (17-6) | UFC [7]

Even at 40 years old, Jared Cannonier still seems to be improving. The MMA Lab product poured on the volume against Marvin Vettori in the UFC on ESPN 47 headliner, winning a clear-cut unanimous decision and setting a middleweight record for significant strikes landed in the process. “The Killa Gorilla” has won four of his last five Octagon appearances dating back to 2021, with his lone defeat coming at the hands of Israel Adesanya in a 185-pound title bout. Next, he’ll square off against Nassourdine Imavov in the UFC on ESPN 57 headliner.

8. Marvin Vettori (19-7-1) | UFC [8]

After nearly earning a finish in the opening stanza, Vettori was battered for the next four frames in a unanimous decision loss to Jared Cannonier in the UFC on ESPN 47 main event. “The Italian Dream” may have been too tough for his own good, as he absorbed a UFC middleweight record 241 significant strikes — including numerous heavy right hands from his opponent. Vettori was forced to withdraw from a proposed matchup with Brendan Allen at UFC Fight Night 240 due to injury.

9. Nassourdine Imavov (13-4, 1 NC) | UFC [9]

Imavov started quickly, then held on for a sometimes-ugly majority decision triumph over Roman Dolidze in the UFC 235 main event on Feb. 3 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. While it is concerning that the Frenchman couldn’t put his fading opponent away after nearly scoring a stoppage in Round 1, Imavov gets a much-needed victory following a winless 2023 and immediately becomes a person of interest in the UFC’s middleweight division.

10. Brendan Allen (24-5) | UFC [10]

After original opponent Marvin Vettori withdrew from the event due to injury, Allen outdueled Chris Curtis over five rounds to capture a split-decision triumph in the UFC Fight Night 240 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on April 6. In extending his promotional winning streak to seven — six at 185 pounds — “All In” avenged a previous a December 2021 loss to Curtis, the last man to defeat him in the Octagon.

Other Contenders: Paulo Costa, Roman Dolidze, Fabian Edwards, Gegard Mousasi, Jack Hermansson.

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