MMA Rankings > MMA Middleweight Rankings

MMA Middleweight Rankings

A review and ranking of the Top 10 185-pound fighters in Mixed Martial Arts - January 2011 Update

In the past year we have seen the emergence of a strong competitor of the UFC as Strikeforce began the year in acquiring EliteXC then signing Fedor Emelianenko, Dan Henderson and many other solid names in MMA. As a result the Middleweight Top 10 list below now shows 3 fighters from Strikeforce proving the UFC's dominance is slowing. However, with the UFC having 3 of the top 4 fighters on our top middleweights list including the #2 MMA fighter in our pound-for-pound rankings, the 185 pound weight class is showing it's depth as we head into 2010.

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Chael Sonnen dominated Nate Marquardt at UFC 109 to earn a title shot against Anderson Silva at UFC 117. Sonnen has proven to be a big talker who also has big problems outside of the cage as well.

1. Anderson Silva – (27-4) – After titles in Shooto and Cage Rage, The Spider came to the United States and the UFC in 2006. He won the UFC Middleweight title at UFC 64 against Rich Franklin and has defended it seven times including at UFC 117 against Chael Sonnen this past August. He will fight Vitor Belfort in February atop the UFC 126 fight card for the Middleweight title.

2. Chael Sonnen – (25-11-1) – Sonnen made his name in the WEC from 2007-08 and was always near the top of the division. He had an early stint in the UFC but returned in 2009 and won three of his first four to earn a title shot against Anderson Silva at UFC 117. He dominated the champ for four rounds before getting caught in a submission and lost in the 5th round. It was rumored that he would get a coaching slot on TUF 13 but legal troubles will keep him out of action for awhile.

3. Vitor Belfort – (19-8) – Belfort began his career in 1996, and was a title holder during the early days of the UFC and Cage Rage and a contender for PRIDE. He won four in a row in Cage Rage and Affliction until returning to the octagon in 2009. He defeated Rich Franklin at UFC 103 in September 2009 to earn the next chance at Anderson Silva’s Middleweight title this February.

4. Yushin Okami – (26-5) – Okami turned pro in 2002 and won 16 of his first 19 prior to his UFC career. He won 7 of his first 9 inside the octagon but was still not offered a title shot. He won three in a row including the UFC 122 headliner over Nate Marquardt to become the #1 Middleweight contender.

5. Nate Marquardt – (30-10-2)–Marquardt is a multi-time King of Pancrase who came into the UFC in 2005. He won his first four but lost to Anderson Silva at UFC 73 for the Middleweight title. He lost two of his last three including two #1 contender’s bouts against Chael Sonnen at UFC 109 and Yushin Okami at UFC 122.He will fight Yoshihiro Akiyama on the UFC 128 fight card on March 19th.

9. Brian Stann – (10-3) – The former Naval Academy football player won his first six pro bouts including the WEC Light-Heavyweight crown. He came to the UFC in April 2009 and split his first four bouts inside the octagon. He has won back-to-back bouts including his signature victory at UFC 125 when he knocked Chris Leben out.

10. Robbie Lawler – (20-6, 1 NC) – He has had stints in the UFC, Icon Sport, PRIDE, and IFL before winning the Elite XC Middleweight Championship in 2007. He has been in Strikeforce since 2009 winning two of his last three including a KO over Matt Lindland. Lawler has earned a chance to fight for the Strikeforce Middleweight title on January 29th against Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza.

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By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com MMA Staff Writer

Published January 2011
Photo used with permission from the UFC