Fightmania MMA Rankings- Middleweights

The middleweight division may be ruled by Anderson Silva, but beyond the #1 fighter in the division, there is a lot of depth worldwide.  Middleweight is one of those divisions where many different fighters could lay claim to being in the top ten, and a good number of quality fighters can be found in organizations outside of the UFC.

Before we get started, some info on the rankings themselves.  They are all decided solely by yours truly, so direct any and all hate mail in my direction, please.  Also, I will be using North American weight classes, and any fighters from around the world that do not fit into them will be put in the weight classes that they are closest to.  The rankings will reflect not only the results of a fighter’s bouts, but also the quality of competition faced, the way in which they won/lost their fights, and my own assessment of their abilities.  Recent fights will be heavily favored, so please don’t bother to argue that a big win seven years ago means that a fighter should be ranked higher than I have them.

Keep in mind that Wanderlei Silva will be ranked as a middleweight, as he has repeatedly voiced his intention to fight in that division.  For his part, Rich Franklin will be considered a light heavyweight.  Here are July’s middleweight rankings.

1. Anderson Silva (24-4)

The definition of a “no-brainer”.  What else is there left to say?  We’ll see who Silva will face upon his return to the middleweight division, as it appears Henderson could challenge him again after all.  Of course, “challenge” may not be the best word to describe it.  It’s funny when we’re no longer debating whether Silva will win his fights, but rather in what manner he will do so.

2. Dan Henderson (25-7)

Some will not have Henderson this high, but he deserves the #2 spot, and a title shot as well.  For a guy with two losses at middleweight ever, he is definitely underrated.  What’s more, I think that his skill set and abilities makes him probably the best matchup against Silva out there.  That doesn’t mean he’ll win, but surely he could…right?  The Bisping KO and win over Franklin (no matter how close) show that Hendo is still among the elite in the division.

3. Yushin Okami (23-4)

Okami is not a guy that is going to blow you away, but it is harder to rank him any lower than this when his only losses in the last five years are to Jake Shields and Rich Franklin (both by decision).  It’s really surprising that the UFC continues to put Okami in matchups that are destined to create a rather dull matchup (see: the fight against Dean Lister) without putting him in there with Anderson Silva.  Sure, Okami’s “win” over Silva by disqualification at Rumble on the Rock was not anything to brag about, but don’t you think that a guy like Silva would love the chance to defeat Okami?  Now, it looks like Okami is still in line behind both Henderson and the winner of Nate Marquardt vs. Demian Maia, which is a shame.

4. Nate Marquardt (28-8-2)

Marquardt has had a successful UFC career thus far, with just two losses: one to Anderson Silva, and one by split decision to Thales Leites.  Marquardt’s all-around skill set keeps him ranked highly here, along with consecutive wins over Martin Kampmann and Wilson Gouveia.  Marquardt’s submission win over Jeremy Horn showed that he’s good on the mat as well, as submitting Jeremy Horn is no easy task.  Marquardt has a tough test coming up against Maia.

5. Demian Maia (10-0)

Maia’s undefeated record and lightning quick submission victories have him a step away from a title shot and provide a good argument for those that think he should be ranked higher.  However, since some of his most noteworthy submission victories are against fighters who are relatively tap-happy (Chael Sonnen, Nate Quarry, Ed Herman), it’s hard to put too much stock in them, impressive as they were.  His fight against Marquardt will show us what Maia’s really got.  A fight with Thales Leites could be an intriguing battle, as well.  Or a complete snoozefest, I guess.

6. Robbie Lawler (16-5, 1 NC)

In spite of his quick submission loss to Jake Shields, I still think Lawler is the best middleweight not currently fighting in the UFC.  Before making an aggressive mistake and getting caught in a Shields guillotine, Lawler had beaten Scott Smith, Murilo “Ninja” Rua, and Frank Trigg, all by KO or TKO.  Lawler’s submission defense is his most glaring weakness, but if he fights smart, he’s a tough fight for anyone on this list.  He has underrated wrestling and possibly the most power in the division.

7. Paulo Filho (17-1)

It’s amazing how many websites have Filho out of the top ten entirely, even though he is 17-1 and was in nearly everyone’s top five (or even higher than that) before his inexplicable performance against Chael Sonnen last November.  Look, I hate to take anything away from Sonnen, but when a guy is talking to himself and seemingly imagining another person in the cage with him (who he finds more interesting than his opponent), that probably means he’s not in his right mind.  Before the Sonnen fight, Filho had used his outstanding ground control and submissions to rank among the best middleweights in the sport.  While it’s hard to tell from one armbar win against Melvin Manhoef, it seems like Filho may be back on track.

8. Wanderlei Silva (32-10-1)

I can hear it now, “how can you rank a guy who hasn’t fought in the division yet?”  “But he’s lost five out of his last six fights!”  Okay, so that’s all true.  However, those losses were against top competition, and all the fighters that beat him (besides Chuck Liddell and Cro Cop) are ranked higher than I have Silva.  However, you can’t deny that Silva almost put away a top five middleweight at a 195-lb. catch weight, and has a good case for having won the fight regardless.  He also beat a top ten light heavyweight in Keith Jardine a few fights back.  He is on a difficult stretch, but I have no doubt that he will bounce back.  I actually think he has what it takes to handily beat most of the fighters on this list, but it’s only fair that he show what he’s got before he moves up the rankings.

9. Thales Leites (14-2)

Unfortunately, Leites is known to many fans as “the guy who had an atrocious fight with Anderson Silva”.  However, losing to Silva is nothing to be ashamed of, and before that fight, Leites was on a nice roll, including a win over Marquardt.  He’s ranked this low because the win was a very close decision, and outside of Marquardt, Leites is a bit short on wins over top opposition.  Of course, Leites’ next fight against Alessio Sakara won’t prove a whole lot.  If Leites is able to get Sakara to the ground, it will be over, but Leites will have only tapped yet another striker with a ground game deficiency.

10. Patrick Cote (13-5)

Cote is another fighter who will have to face the stigma of being in one of Anderson Silva’s less inspiring fights.  Unfortunately, Cote has been unable to fight since his long-awaited title shot, due to the knee injury that forced the end of the bout.  He may not be a popular choice on a lot of top ten lists, but I think he’s earned his inclusion.  He beat the likes of Scott Smith, Jason Day, Kendall Grove, Drew McFedries and Ricardo Almeida before his title shot, and seems to have evolved into a more complete fighter.  Word is that Cote could return in time for UFC 104.

Also in Consideration: Michael Bisping, Frank Trigg, Jorge Santiago, Vitor Belfort, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Matt Lindland, Chael Sonnen.

by Jon Hartley for Fightmania.com

Tags: Anderson Silva, Chael Sonnen, Chuck Liddell, Dan Henderson, Demian Maia, Jake Shields, Keith Jardine, Martin Kampmann, Nate Quarry, Patrick Cote, Ricardo Almeida, Rich Franklin, Robbie Lawler, UFC, Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva, Yoshihiro Akiyama