UFC Top 10 Middleweights Warriors

The middleweight division in mixed martial arts is tabulated and the undisputed best middleweight in the world is Anderson Silva who looks bored with middleweight division in the UFC since his last fight with Demain Maia, and he's moving up to fight Forrest Griffin at light heavyweight, at least for the time being. The UFC 99 main event of Wanderlei Silva vs. Rich Franklin features one star to Anderson Silva moving down from light heavyweight to middleweight because he wants a shot at Anderson Silva's belt, and another star Rich Franklin moving up from middleweight to light heavyweight because he knows he'll never get another shot at Anderson Silva's belt.

The UFC 100 middleweight battle between Ultimate Fighter coaches Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping will probably produce the next contender to the middleweight throne, but Henderson already tried and failed at beating Wanderlei Silva, and Michel Bisping seems very unlikely to beat Anderson Silva. Meanwhile, the guy who I've been saying forever deserves a shot at Silva -- Yushin Okami -- keeps getting hurt and may never get that shot.

There are questions beyond the UFC as well. Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le isn't fighting because he'd rather be a movie star, and the two fighters who won the two middleweight Strikeforce fights on Saturday night – Nick Diaz and Jake Shields who won't fight each other because they're friends and training partners. And anyway, those two fights were technically at catch weights rather than middleweight, and Diaz and Shields should really be fighting at welterweight. There are some good middleweight fights coming up this summer: Henderson-Bisping, Vitor Belfort vs. Jorge Santiago at Affliction Trilogy and Nate Marquardt vs. Demian Maia at UFC 102 will all be fun. 

 

Below are the latest ranking of UFC Top 10 Middleweight Warriors:

• Anderson Silva – The UFC middleweight champion had his title defense against Vitor Belfort in April called off. Will he fight Sonnen instead? Silva seems to want fights against bigger names and bigger challenges, and that may necessitate a move up to light heavyweight — or even heavyweight.
  
  
• Chael Sonnen – Chael Sonnen has won some impressive decisions, but now he needs to start finishing fights — something he hasn’t done since TKO’ing a little-known opponent named Kyacey Uscola in 2007.

• Dan Henderson – Strikeforce’s big acquisition will fight Jake Shields for a title belt on CBS in April. 

• Vitor Belfort – No word yet on how soon he’ll be able to return from shoulder surgery.

• Jake Shields – Jake Shields will be the underdog when he takes on Henderson. 

• Demian Maia – It might seem unfair to have Maia below Sonnen after Maia needed only half a round to submit Sonnen last year. But Sonnen has looked much more impressive than Maia since then.

• Nate Marquardt – Nate  Marquardt desperately wants another chance at Silva. That’s not going to happen.

• Robbie Lawler – His comeback win over Melvin Manhoef was thrilling, and his presence gives Strikeforce a middleweight division with more depth than just the Henderson-Shields fight. 
  
  
• Yushin Okami – The UFC just keeps on burying Okami; his next fight will be against Lucio Linhares on the non-televised portion of the UFC Fight Night 21 card.
  
  
  
• Mamed Khalidov – His rematch with Jorge Santiago at Sengoku 12 in March should be outstanding.