Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Middleweight

1. Michael Bisping (30-7)

Since he shocked Luke Rockhold for the UFC middleweight title on short notice in June, Michael Bisping's 185-pound reign has been hard to conceptualize, let alone forecast. That said, with Yoel Romero's sensational knockout of former champ Chris Weidman at UFC 205 and his subsequent call-out of Bisping, “The Count” figures to next defend his title and try to preserve his improbable championship run against the Olympic silver medal wrestler in 2017.

2. Luke Rockhold (15-3)

Yoel Romero's incredible flying knee stoppage of Chris Weidman would've made Luke Rockhold's path to a rematch with UFC champ Michael Bisping hard anyway, but a knee injury forced the oft-injured Rockhold to the sidelines, nixing his slated Nov. 27 rematch with “Jacare” Ronaldo Souza. Now, the former UFC and Strikeforce champ Rockhold will need to get healthy before hopping back into the suddenly packed contendership line at 185 pounds.

3. Yoel Romero (12-1)

Yoel Romero went into UFC 205 with a potential title shot on the line against former champion Chris Weidman and came through in spades. With his fifth third-round stoppage inside the Octagon, the 2000 Sydney Games silver medalist showed off his striking prowess, clobbering Weidman with a flying knee, then cutting a promo on champion Michael Bisping that seems to have installed the Cuban as the top 185-pound contender.

4. Chris Weidman (13-2)

Heading into the third round of his UFC 205 bout with Yoel Romero, there was essentially a title shot on the line for Chris Weidman, the man who ended Anderson Silva's reign of terror at 185 pounds. However, when that bell rang, Romero went airborne with a flying knee that destroyed Weidman and his immediate title hopes, as the Cuban's win, in conjunction with a knee injury to Luke Rockhold, has seemingly firmed Romero up as the next man to challenge Michael Bisping for the UFC title.

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

Former Strikeforce middleweight champ Ronaldo Souza's path to a UFC title shot has faced another roadblock beyond the Brazilian's control. With a Nov. 27 rematch lined up against Luke Rockhold in Australia, “Jacare” was in prime position to stake his claim as the 185-pound division's top contender, but a knee injury to Rockhold scuttled the bout and has left Souza on the sidelines waiting to be rescheduled.

6. Derek Brunson (16-3)

Brunson’s quick stoppage over Uriah Hall at the UFC Fight Night card on Sept. 17 in Hidalgo, Texas, left something to be desired in the eyes of fans. Maybe it did for Brunson, as well, as the North Carolina native is now set for Nov. 27 duty against up-and-coming prospect Robert Whittaker in “The Reaper’s” backyard. Brunson will meet the Kiwi in Melbourne, Australia.

7. Gegard Mousasi (40-6-2)

In the last 14 months, Gegard Mousasi has done everything he could to erase the spectre of his highlight-reel knockout loss to Uriah Hall in Saitama, Japan, going 3-0 against Thales Leites, Thiago Santos and Vitor Belfort in dominant fashion. Now, Mousasi can exorcise that demon directly, as he will meet Hall once again in the headliner of the UFC's Fight Night card Nov. 19 in Belfast.

8. David Branch (19-3)

MMA’s quiet two-division champion, Branch defended his World Series of Fighting middleweight title against UFC veteran Clifford Starks in April and then returned on Oct. 7 to successfully retain his 205-pound crown against another UFC vet: Vinny Magalhaes. While Branch remains a legitimate stalwart in two divisions, the lack of elite competition the WSOF has to offer the Renzo Gracie product hurts his chances to climb the rankings in either division.

9. Robert Whittaker (16-4)

Since moving up to the UFC’s 185-pound division, New Zealand’s Whittaker is 4-0, with quality wins over Rafael Natal, Uriah Hall and Brad Tavares. Though the middleweight division now has a logjam of contenders at the very top, “The Reaper” can take a huge leap forward in title contention if he can defeat Derek Brunson on Nov. 27 in Melbourne, Australia.

10. Vitor Belfort (25-13)

Belfort since 2013 has put up knockout wins against current champion Michael Bisping and former champion Luke Rockhold, along with two others over recently retired legend Dan Henderson. Unfortunately for Belfort, he is 39 years old and has fought for 20 years; and the post-TRT era has not been kind to him. Belfort has now lost three of his last four, including a pair of lopsided beatdowns against Ronald Souza and Gegard Mousasi.

Other Contenders: Rafael Carvalho, Uriah Hall, Thales Leites, Mamed Khalidov, Michal Materla

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