1: Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva: Many people’s “pound for pound” king and personally I’d have to say until I see him fight Jon Jones I wouldn’t like to call it. The middleweight champion has dominated the division ever since making his octagon debut back in June 2006, quickly capturing the title and defeating a whole list of legends. He’s also made three appearances at 205 pounds and made it look effortless with a trio of first round victories.
2: 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 stepped in at short notice to bully Damian Maia to a decision loss, and while his performance wasn’t spectacular, a win is a win. He followed this up with a spectacular TKO win over Mark Munoz on the UFC on FUEL TV 4 card to get the mixed martial arts world talking about him as a serious title contender. Our number two this month.
3: Vitor ‘The Phenom’ Belfort: A legend of the sport, a former heavyweight tournament winner and a former light heavyweight champion. Many would think the hard hitting Brazilian has nothing left to prove but it seems he’s determined to rise back up the middleweight ranks for another shot at Anderson Silva. He’s won his last three bouts at the weight, despatching Yoshihiro Akiyama, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson and Michael Bisping.
4: Yushin Okami: The Japanese grappler who’s made a habit out of grinding out results inside the octagon. Many people were picking “Thunder” to pick up a win over Anderson Silva back in 2011 due to the mismatch in styles but it wasn’t to be. He currently rides a three-fight winning streak with notable victories over Alan Belcher and Hector Lombard.
5: Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping: Middleweight on the slide or just someone who always gets found out when he takes a step up in class. I think it’s a lot of both. “The Count” has seriously been found wanting in his last three fights, losing to Chael Sonnen and Vitor Belfort whilst picking up wins over unranked opponents such as Brian Stann and Alan Belcher.
6: Constantinos Philippou: Many will question his high position in the division but you have to remember that he’s partly here because of others failings. A slow start to his octagon career hasn’t deterred him from making a big impact in 2012 and is currently riding a five fight winning streak inside the octagon including a big third round TKO win over previously fancied Tim Boetsch.
7: Tim ‘The Barbarian’ Boetsch: A powerhouse at 185 pounds, this former light heavyweight has made a name for himself since making the drop. Many were talking about a possible title shot after earning four-wins on the bounce including a spectacular comeback TKO win over Yushin Okami but he remains the forgotten man after suffering the same fate against Constantinos Philippou.
8: 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. Rockhold followed that impressive win up with victories over Keith Jardine via first round TKO and Tim Kennedy via a resounding decision once again. Who can stop him on that limited roster the California based promotion possesses.
9: Chael Sonnen: Perhaps the most outspoken and controversial fighter in all of MMA has only slipped down the ranks because of his involvement in the light heavyweight title picture. Always a tough customer for anyone, Sonnen was last seen at 185 pounds when he lost the biggest rematch in the history of the sport to Anderson Silva last July. Prior to that he’d defeated Brian Stann and Michael Bisping.
10: Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza: The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion is just itching to get started with his new career inside the octagon, prove his worth and start his assault on the 185 pound divisions rankings. Three straight wins to round off his Strikeforce career including a first round submission of UFC veteran, Ed Herman have set the ship right and he’ll be looking to make an impact in May against Constantinos Philippou.
(Updated May 1st, 2013)
Why not tell us what you think about this story and get your thoughts featured in this week’s edition of MMABay Radio? Email Mailbag@mmabay.co.uk, start the subject with the word ‘RADIO MAILBAG’ and we’ll talk about our favourites on the next show.
