USAT/SBN June 2011 MMA Consensus Rankings: Middleweight
by Richard Wade on Jun 30, 2011 5:38 PM EDT
in MMA Rankings
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| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderson Silva | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Yushin Okami | 92 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Chael Sonnen | 90 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Ronaldo Souza | 80 | Strikeforce | 5 |
| 5 | Mark Munoz | 75 | UFC | 24 |
| 6 | Demian Maia | 67 | UFC | 4 |
| 7 | Vitor Belfort | 63 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Brian Stann | 62 | UFC | 14 |
| 9 | Nate Marquardt | 60 | UFC | 6 |
| 9 | Michael Bisping | 60 | UFC | 9 |
| 11 | Jorge Santiago | 44 | UFC | 8 |
| 12 | Hector Lombard | 39 | Bellator | 11 |
| 13 | Robbie Lawler | 35 | Strikeforce | 12 |
| 14 | Wanderlei Silva | 34 | UFC | 10 |
| 15 | Mamed Khalidov | 27 | KSW | 15 |
| 16 | Alan Belcher | 25 | UFC | 17 |
| 17 | Chris Leben | 23 | UFC | 18 |
| 18 | Tim Kennedy | 21 | Strikeforce | 16 |
| 19 | Jake Shields | 21 | UFC | 13 |
| 20 | Rousimar Palhares | 20 | UFC | 21 |
| 21 | Yoshihiro Akiyama | 19 | UFC | 23 |
| 22 | Chris Weidman | 18 | UFC | 27 |
| 23 | Dan Henderson | 17 | Strikeforce | 19 |
| 24 | Jason Miller | 17 | UFC | 22 |
| 25 | Thales Leites | 16 | Superior Challenge | 20 |
#8 Brian Stann vaulted into the top 10 following what had to be one of the least surprising upsets ever when he defeated #11 Jorge Santiago.
UFC 131 saw a somewhat more shocking upset when #5 Mark Munoz claimed a decision victory of #6 Demian Maia. That night also featured Chris Weidman squashing the unranked Jesse Bongfeldt in a squash mash that actually went according to plan.
#17 Chris Leben will face off against #14 Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva this Saturday night at UFC 132 in what has to be one of the more exciting fights ever on paper.
Based on the premise that all MMA rankings are subjective but that it’s still useful and informative to know who the online MMA community as a whole ranks as the best fighters in MMA, we collect and average the rankings of the top MMA websites to produce our consensus rankings. We compile the top MMA rankings from each of our sources and award 25 points for a first place ranking, 16 for a 10th place ranking, 1 for a 25th place ranking. A formula is used to "normalize" the data so all fighters are awarded points from those lists that do not include a full 25 fighters. This formula ensures that each ranking site awards the same number of total points regardless of how many fighters they choose to rank. Each fighter’s total is divided by the number of possible points to determine their standing in the Consensus Rankings.
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Miller has huge potential
to screw up the rankings if he beats Bisping. Also is 24 → 5 the biggest one-month jump on these ever?
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by Cory Braiterman on Jun 29, 2011 6:54 PM EDT reply actions
Souza's above Munoz?
The fuck?
When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are in a confederacy against him. - Jonathan Swift
Editor, HeadKickLegend.com
Still Subo at Fightlinker.com
by Derek Suboticki on Jun 29, 2011 8:54 PM EDT reply actions
…and apparently, only I like Dan Miller.
When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are in a confederacy against him. - Jonathan Swift
Editor, HeadKickLegend.com
Still Subo at Fightlinker.com
by Derek Suboticki on Jun 29, 2011 8:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Your Dan Miller love is out of hand.
Bolts from the Blue // "I eat cereal out of a giant novelty wine glass because it makes me feel fancy." - Britney Wade
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by Richard Wade on Jun 29, 2011 10:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Funny you say that
As I was wondering how Sonnen & Okami could be above Jacare. Personally, I’d say he is 2nd best in the weight class. Perhaps I’m giving him more credit than he’s earned.
by Johnnynumber5 on Jun 30, 2011 5:49 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Good point
Which is why he is difficult to rank. I think he is #2 on talent alone but fringe top 10 on wins.
by Johnnynumber5 on Jun 30, 2011 5:58 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Kind of like Jon Jones
Before he got his fight with Bader.
by Johnnynumber5 on Jun 30, 2011 5:59 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Unfortunately we will never see Jacare versus Silva but I’m pretty certain he could tap Chael out with Chael’s weak sub defense. I think he would have a pretty good chance of beating Okami too.
Chris Groves and The American Ronin stand at the font of all MMA knowledge and I salute them.
I WAS WRONG ABOUT JOE!
Jacare could tap Chael in the pre-fight staredown.
So close and yet so far. The story of my sports fandom.
by SSreporters on Jun 30, 2011 11:04 PM EDT up reply actions
I think Okami is the worst style match-up for him in the whole division. He’ll have trouble with guys that can keep it standing and control the striking, but obviously Jacare has great takedowns too. Chael could definitely win with the right gameplan, the problem is the fight with Maia inspires absolutely no confidence.
"He's like Elvis in Korea! They love him there." - Mike Goldberg on Denis Kang
Yes....... this is a correct ranking.
Why? Well because some things are and some things are not. Why? Well because things that are not can't be. Why? Because than nothing wouldn't be. You can't have nothing isn't. Everything is!
by InfamousProfessorPlum on Jun 30, 2011 6:07 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
That's insane.
Beating Demian Maia > beating Robbie Lawler.
When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are in a confederacy against him. - Jonathan Swift
Editor, HeadKickLegend.com
Still Subo at Fightlinker.com
by Derek Suboticki on Jun 30, 2011 8:54 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm with you on this.
Jacare should be below Bisping, Munoz, Maia, and Stann right now. His ranking is WAY inflated.
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-Randall Munroe
but he made it to the finals of a tournament!!! in Japan!!!!
by Phildo on Jul 1, 2011 7:40 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
not all wins are equal
barely beating Damian Maia in a super close fight < Dominating Robbie Lawler and tapping him out
besides its not like rankings are based off of just the last fight
Wins over Robbie Lawler, Tim Kennedy, Joey Villaseñor, Matt Linland, and Mayhem are just as good if not better than wins over Maia, CB Dollaway, Aaron Simpson, and Kendall Grove, plus loses to Okami and Hamil
Chael shouldn't be ranked at all
1. Anderson Silva is waiting for you to punch him.
2. That guy is Anderson Silva.
3. Don't fucking punch that guy.
my biggest problem with these rankings is Munoz leap from 24 to 5
i get that he beat Maia, but not all wins are equal, the judges could have easily given Maia the 3rd and then he would have won, i personally still have Maia at #7, and Munoz at #13, one win (espeicially one that was so close) shouldn’t have that big of an impact on a persons ranking.
Thats one of the biggest jumps I’ve ever seen. Talk about pressure to preform as the number 5 in the world. That’s some solid fighters that he bumped over. Good for him. But I hope he maintains it and proves why he’s number 5 and counting
by itsnotthatserious on Jun 30, 2011 5:48 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Speaking of odd division
Shields should move back up.
I feel there is still at least 10 middleweights out there that would plow through Brian Stann
Beating Santiago should not put you in the top 10. It should however be enough to plunk him alot further back than #11. he has had some good showings in a 4man strikeforce tourney and in japan but the only person on this list that I can recall him beating is only on here for beating him
by 1N87 on Jun 30, 2011 6:01 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Assuming that Sonnen is ranked
I really don’t think that Okami should be ranked above him. You should be ranked by your performances in your previous fights, not the magnitude of your next one.
I've yet to see how Mark Munoz is a top 5 MW
Shows how thin 185 is.
Shields needs to move up to MW again.
So close and yet so far. The story of my sports fandom.
I don't think it's thin
But the division itself is pretty fluid. The problem is when fighters like Franklin, Henderson, Marquart and Shields all leave the division, it’s hard to establish a pecking order that makes those that might have beat them to take their place look like legitimate contenders.
Wow
I always new MW was thin, but I was surprised at how thin it has become. With Shields and Marquardt down at WW and Henderson up a LHW a weak division has become much weaker.
My only real problem with these rankings are Bisping...
I don’t really like the guy, so it may be clouding my judgement, but I have no idea how he’s ranked five steps higher than Wandy, when Wandy beat him pretty much three times in a single fight. Once by KO saved by the bell, once by sub saved by the bell, and finally the decision.
Yeah, Bisping was more active but the wins are against Dan Miller who was on a two fight losing streak before losing to Bisping. Akiyama. whose only UFC win was against Belcher who was coming off a muderers row of Ed Herman and Dennis Kang before losing to Leben and then losing to Bisping, and Rivera who I don’t believe was ranked highly and is definitely on the backslide of career at 39.
I’m not trying to denigrate the wins, because a win is a win, but from a ranking perspective how the hell is that worth five points better than the last guy to beat him who hasn’t lost in the interim?
Ah, I got it...
So since they didn’t list him he just gets the “other” credit and it drags him down overall. Makes more sense now, thanks.
by Jacob Hayes on Jun 30, 2011 10:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Munoz might be ranked top 5
But I feel A LOT of people below him would beat him. It’s all good though. He throws Donkey Kong fists.
You know what they say
LOL
I ranked Munoz as #15 middleweight before he beat Maia and got some heat for it….now he jumps to #5..lol go Munoz
You are who you say you are
i would like to point out that Munoz has only beat 1 ranked opponent in his entire career, and lost to 2 of them
it is absolutely ridiculous that people rank him so high. People need to take into account an entire fighters career, not just the result of their last fight.
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CL: Ever since I heard that Cain [Velasquez] was going to be fighting in San Jose. I would love to be on the same card
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