1: Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva: Anderson Silva beats everyone that is put in front of him, fact. Perhaps the most devastating UFC champion of all time, Silva’s combination of lazer-guided accuracy and lightning speed has put away opponent after opponent, with Yushin Okami being the latest victim. What his striking doesn’t finish, his BJJ black belt will; it’s a devastating combination that makes Anderson the best fighter at middleweight, perhaps the best in the world.

2: Chael Sonnen: He’s baaaaack! Talk about emphatic returns; Chael Sonnen stepped back into the Octagon after nearly a year on the sidelines and steamrolled highly-regarded contender Brian Stann inside two rounds. After an 11^th hour change of opponent saw him facing Michael Bisping instead of Mark Munoz, Sonnen persevered to take razor-thin decision and with it, the official number one contender status at 185.

3: Mark ‘The Philippino Wrecking Machine’ Munoz: Following his hard fought victory over Chris Leben in November, Mark Munoz takes another step closer to the UFC middleweight title shot he craves. However, with Anderson Silva out until June, and both Michael Bisping and Chael Sonnen ahead of him in the UFC’s prefered pecking order, Munoz may have to jump though another hoop or two on his way to the gold.

4: Vitor ‘The Phenom’ Belfort: His last bout may have technically been at light heavyweight, but a win over the massively over-sized Anthony Johnson did little to harm Belfort’s standings in the 185lb division. Still, despite his superstar status, Vitor lacks relevant wins at middleweight. A successful outing against Wanderlei Silva this summer could put him into the top five, and more importantly, the title hunt.

5: Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping: After back to back demolition jobs of Jorge Rivera and Jason Miller, Michael Bisping found himself within touching distance of a UFC title shot. Unfortunately Chael Sonnen acted as the spoiler, pinching an agonisingly close decision when the pair met in January. Bisping’s performance silenced his critics though, and with even Dana White believing that he won the fight, ‘The Count’ may be just as close to the gold as he ever was.

6: Luke Rockhold: To be the man, you gotta beat the man. In the Strikeforce middleweight division ‘Jacare’ Souza was the man, and Luke Rockhold beat him somewhat convincingly over five rounds. With uncertainty surrounding the promotion’s future, it’s currently unknown whether Rockhold will get the opportunity to defend the strap against Tim Kenedy in Strikeforce, or will simply become the latest transplant to the UFC.

7: Chris Weidman: Knocking Brian Stann out of the top 10 (at least for now) is Chris Weidman; NCAA wrestling champ, Golden Gloves winner and now UFC middleweight prospect. Weidman’s star was on the rise before he stepping at short notice to bully Damian Maia to a decision loss, and while his performance wasn’t spectacular, a win is a win.

8: Yushin ‘Thunder’ Okami: In Yushin Okami’s mind, his UFC Rio clash with Anderson Silva was a continuation of their first bout 6 years ago. He was right; the Japanese wrestler was getting his ass handed to him back then, and he got his ass handed to him again at UFC 134. It’s tough to see where ‘Thunder’ goes from here; his aesthetically unpleasing, yet tough to beat style could see him become the John Fitch of the middleweight division.

9: Hector ‘Shango’ Lombard: It’s tough to drop Hector Lombard down the middleweight rankings while his is consistently dominating fights and running up an incredible 25-bout undefeated streak, but the buck has to stop somewhere. A victim of the ever decreasing non-Zuffa 185lb talent pool, ‘Shango’ will have to find some quality opposition soon if he is to stay afloat in the top 10.

10: Demian Maia: BJJ standout Maia managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory at UFC 131, before getting back on track with a dominant victory over Damian Maia in October. Still some way from a title shot, Maia will be looking to earn his stripes as the proposed middleweight welcoming committee for Jake Shields.

(Updated February 1^st, 2012)

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