USA TODAY/MMA Nation September 2011 Consensus Rankings: Middleweight
by Richard Wade on Sep 30, 2011 1:37 PM EDT
in MMA Rankings
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| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderson Silva | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Yushin Okami | 90 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Chael Sonnen | 88 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Mark Munoz | 79 | UFC | 5 |
| 5 | Vitor Belfort | 77 | UFC | 6 |
| 6 | Brian Stann | 71 | UFC | 7 |
| 7 | Demian Maia | 67 | UFC | 9 |
| 8 | Michael Bisping | 66 | UFC | 8 |
| 9 | Nate Marquardt | 59 | BAMMA | 10 |
| 10 | Luke Rockhold | 53 | Strikeforce | 28 |
| 11 | Ronaldo Souza | 53 | Strikeforce | 4 |
| 12 | Chris Leben | 44 | UFC | 11 |
| 13 | Hector Lombard | 40 | Bellator | 12 |
| 14 | Alan Belcher | 36 | UFC | 16 |
| 15 | Tim Kennedy | 34 | Strikeforce | 14 |
| 16 | Rousimar Palhares | 27 | UFC | 19 |
| 17 | Jorge Santiago | 27 | UFC | 13 |
| 18 | Wanderlei Silva | 24 | UFC | 17 |
| 19 | Mamed Khalidov | 23 | KSW | 15 |
| 20 | Robbie Lawler | 19 | Strikeforce | 18 |
| 21 | Chris Weidman | 17 | UFC | 24 |
| 22 | Yoshihiro Akiyama | 16 | UFC | 20 |
| 23 | Dan Miller | 16 | UFC | 23 |
| 24 | Tim Boetsch | 15 | UFC | 36 |
| 25 | Jason Miller | 15 | UFC | 21 |
UFC 136 on October 8 will give us the return of #3 Chael Sonnen to the Octagon as he takes on #6 Brian Stann in what ought to be the toughest test of Stann's career. That same night will also feature #7 Demian Maia and #17 Jorge Santiago as they attempt to get back to contender status.
That's all for the middleweight division in the UFC this month and Strikeforce has no event at all. Bellator 54 will feature once-ranked Alexander Shlemenko and Bryan Baker as they face no doubt credible opposition whose names ring no bells for me.
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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shouldn't Marquardt
be listed under BAMMA? He’s signed to fight there, has been terminated with prejudice from the UFC…
The artful muppet formerly known as KrmtDfrog.
Please read my sardonic wit and over-blown sense of self over at headkicklegend.com
by Cory Braiterman on Sep 29, 2011 8:43 PM EDT reply actions
Yes.
Bolts from the Blue // "I eat cereal out of a giant novelty wine glass because it makes me feel fancy." - Britney Wade
Bloody Elbow // "I think we're poking fun at Leland's 'boner.'" - Michael Fagan
by Richard Wade on Sep 29, 2011 10:32 PM EDT up reply actions
based on the attached spreadsheet
I am guessing that Sonnen should be above Okami.
Creator of the FightMatrix rating system [http://www.fightmatrix.com].
i think the two zeros
kill his average
The artful muppet formerly known as KrmtDfrog.
Please read my sardonic wit and over-blown sense of self over at headkicklegend.com
by Cory Braiterman on Sep 30, 2011 12:57 AM EDT up reply actions
Okami edged him by 12 points because of MMA Ratings and MMA Weekly.
Bolts from the Blue // "I eat cereal out of a giant novelty wine glass because it makes me feel fancy." - Britney Wade
Bloody Elbow // "I think we're poking fun at Leland's 'boner.'" - Michael Fagan
by Richard Wade on Sep 30, 2011 1:29 AM EDT up reply actions
LOL Paul Daely took a massive dump.
I've got something to say; it better to burn out than to fade away!!!
Is it really funny Mayhem, please tell me its funny.
X Box Gamertag: OneRabidDingo
What does Paul Daley have to do with this list?
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by chrisbboy82 on Sep 30, 2011 4:01 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
he's at the bottom, duh.....
I've got something to say; it better to burn out than to fade away!!!
Is it really funny Mayhem, please tell me its funny.
X Box Gamertag: OneRabidDingo
Cannot complian
about this list it makes sense to me also
by Mark Colemans Takedown coach on Sep 30, 2011 1:41 PM EDT reply actions
Munoz is
waaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy to high on the list. just my opinion.
Than why have the fights?
I mean it’s obvious they don’t mean anything to you.
by Worldisart on Sep 30, 2011 1:56 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 3 recs
I don't get the complaints about Munoz
Since dropping down to middleweight he’s 6-1, with the loss coming by split decision to the guy who’s currently No. 2, and his most recent win coming over the guy who’s currently No. 7. Where is he supposed to be ranked?
by MichaelDavidSmith on Sep 30, 2011 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions
look, these are just
opinions. no one on here understands why the rankings are the way they are. some make sense and some don’t. i like Munoz, just don’t think he should be number 4. just like i didn’t think Fedor was #1 before he went on his losing streak. they’re just opinions. how do you explain okami being ahead of sonnen. you can’t. this list will make sense to some but not to others. no harm, no foul.
He only fought once at LHW so I’m pretty sure MW is his home and always should have been. He fought more fights at MW than LHW. He has one quality win and that is Maia who some thought beat Munoz.
You know what they say
by NEW-HAMPSHIRE on Sep 30, 2011 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions
that fight was razor close.
Maia could have got the nod just as easily munoz did.
Maia coming out on top in their next fight is just as likely mark getting a W again.
"Many have the will to win. Few have to will to prepare to win."
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by the-gentle-way on Sep 30, 2011 5:27 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
i gave the fight to Maia of course.
"Many have the will to win. Few have to will to prepare to win."
" A black belt only covers 2 inches of your ass. The rest is up to you." - Royce Gracie
"Wanderlei eventually got to his feet and stalked Fujita like a Japanese octopus in an all-female prison." - Sean Baby Cracked.com
by the-gentle-way on Sep 30, 2011 5:31 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Of course you did.
Bolts from the Blue // "I eat cereal out of a giant novelty wine glass because it makes me feel fancy." - Britney Wade
Bloody Elbow // "I think we're poking fun at Leland's 'boner.'" - Michael Fagan
by Richard Wade on Sep 30, 2011 6:36 PM EDT up reply actions
I have Belfort and Marquardt ahead of Munoz. Marquardt obliterated Maia when there was a lot of hype around Maia, and he’s coming off a win over Dan Miller. I am just looking at record here with Marquardt and ignoring the whole failing drug tests. Belfort fought for the Title, and there’s no shame in losing to Anderson even the way that he did, and he’s coming off a first round win over Akiyama.
Check out the C&D Channel on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/user/Gobusiness123 for MMA reviews, predictions, analysis, and other MMA related content.
i know he won against
Maia but i still think maia is better.
Yushin Okami should have taken a slide from #2... no?
I mean Christ Ronaldo Souza dropped 5 spots….
RANKINGS = SUBJECTIVE = SUCKS
i agree
think belcher would be a lot of those guys, Munoz in particular.
He MIGHT beat a lot of those guys
But he hasn’t.
by Worldisart on Sep 30, 2011 2:00 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 2 recs
Yeah because losing to Anderson freaking Silva and Luke Rockhold are the same thing.
Bolts from the Blue // "I eat cereal out of a giant novelty wine glass because it makes me feel fancy." - Britney Wade
Bloody Elbow // "I think we're poking fun at Leland's 'boner.'" - Michael Fagan
by Richard Wade on Sep 30, 2011 4:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Luke Rockhold
Yes, I screwed up by neglecting to include Rockhold. From glancing at other ballots it looks like my mistake did not affect the overall consensus, I’m glad to say.
by MichaelDavidSmith on Sep 30, 2011 1:51 PM EDT reply actions
I feel like 5-16 would beat Munoz
Also 19 and 25 would also beat him. 185 is real weak if he is 4th in the world.
You know what they say
I'm no Munoz fan
But he beat a top 5 fighter in his last fight. What does he need to do to get some respect? His only loss in the division is to the guy ranked number 2!
The division isn’t weak so much as a lot of former top contenders have left the division or just don’t fight that often. That shouldn’t be a mark against Munoz who has done the only thing he can do, beat the opponent put in front of him.
by Worldisart on Sep 30, 2011 1:59 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
It was a huge win for Munoz
but it was a close fight and I think Fightmetric gave the fight to Maia. That doesn’t matter though, it was still Munoz’s best win. But should he really be ranked #4 in the WORLD for barely beating maia? His other wins (dalloway, simpson, catone, jenson, grove) are all ok at best. If he were to beat leban I would definitely rank him top 5.
You know what they say
by NEW-HAMPSHIRE on Sep 30, 2011 2:33 PM EDT up reply actions
i wouldn't rank
him top 5 even then because his style matches well with Leben. Now if he knocked him out, i might agree he’s top 8.
Who would you have over him if he KO’s Leban? I know the top 3 but who are your 4-8?
You know what they say
by NEW-HAMPSHIRE on Sep 30, 2011 2:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Wow is middleweight shallow. I always forget until i look at something like this. I still think people like Stann and Munoz are unproven vs upper tier competition, then i realize that there isn’t really much of an upper tier outside of Anderson.
Right hand coffee, left hand cactus, right hand coffee left hand cactus, keep it straight...
love your user name
Is that a reference to one of the best horror films of all time
by Mark Colemans Takedown coach on Sep 30, 2011 2:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Thanks! it’s part of it but it’s also in reference to a few other things, that really would have no relevance if i tried to explain them.
Right hand coffee, left hand cactus, right hand coffee left hand cactus, keep it straight...
Just happy to see
Others that are horror film fans like me
by Mark Colemans Takedown coach on Sep 30, 2011 2:21 PM EDT up reply actions
No longer having Franklin and Marquart hurts the division in the sense nobody can beat them and build their name that way. Add into that the fact that Sonnen, Okami and Belfort haven’t had a heavy schedule the last couple years and the division is definitely rebuilding.
But the division isn’t shallow by any stretch of the imagination, not in the way that HW is.
by Worldisart on Sep 30, 2011 2:03 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 2 recs
You are totally right in your points.
I guess i see it as shallow cause there really isn’t that much name recognition anymore, as you pointed out. It is hard to imagine just about anyone on that list be deserving of any sort of title shot, you see people in the top 15 and i guess there is no one better but a lot of them arent’ really names and you can’t really see ever being close to being a real contender at any time in their career.
Right hand coffee, left hand cactus, right hand coffee left hand cactus, keep it straight...
To add to my above comment. I would say that this division is shallower than HW. If you look at HW there is legitimate star power and people you know who can and do headline PPV’s. If you look at this division who do you have? You’ve got Andy, Belfort and maybe Sonnen? (though i doubt it for sonnen)
I know star power and names are not the best metrics for legitimacy of a weight class, but it certainly doesn’t hurt, this is entertainment after all.
Right hand coffee, left hand cactus, right hand coffee left hand cactus, keep it straight...
It’s not even in a rebuilding stage like Featherweight is either where guys like Florian or Tyson Griffin can get one win in Featherweight and be in the top ten. Sonnen, Okami, Belfort, Marquardt, Maia have been top ten for a while, so there is a stability with the top fighters. I think that there is also just a good quantity of fighters in Middleweight, but it’s just not as big as Lightweight, Welterweight, or Light Heavyweight. However, it’s not as small in quantity as Heavyweight or Bantamweight.
Check out the C&D Channel on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/user/Gobusiness123 for MMA reviews, predictions, analysis, and other MMA related content.
Why the heck is Belfort #5!?!
he hasn’t even beaten a top 10 MW yet! (Franklin fight doesn’t count, fought at 195)
His only win was against a faded Akiyama who is now #22.
by squaresphere on Sep 30, 2011 2:02 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
His ranking hasn't made sense for a long time
If you look back far enough, you’ll see that he was ranked 26th before fighting Matt Lindland. After beating him, he moved up ten spots, which seems fair given Lindland’s ranking at the time(9, which seems crazy to think of now). Between beating Lindland and fighting Rich Franklin, he moves up 8 more spots, without having done anything. He rises to 6 by the time he fights Anderson Silva and loses embarrassingly but only moves down 1 spot. He then fights Akiyama and beating a fighter ranked at the bottom end of the the top 20 is apparently enough to for him to be ranked higher than he was as the number one contender, as he is now at fifth.
rec'd for saying what i was thinking
When I'm on the mic it goes down, CINTRON
-Joell Ortiz
by The Lethal Haze on Oct 1, 2011 10:09 AM EDT up reply actions
Okami #2? Huh?
I’m no Sonnen fan but he beat Okami convincingly and did much better against Anderson, I don’t see how Okami could be above him.
MMA weekly hates Sonnen
I've got something to say; it better to burn out than to fade away!!!
Is it really funny Mayhem, please tell me its funny.
X Box Gamertag: OneRabidDingo
Sonnen
popped for PEDs and hasn’t fought in forever. Really, more people should have probably dropped him off their rakings by now.
1. Anderson Silva is waiting for you to punch him.
2. That guy is Anderson Silva.
3. Don't fucking punch that guy.
by Chris Barton on Sep 30, 2011 3:02 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm not digging Okami being #2
I think Chael should be #2, not only by his record in the UFC but also if we are to use their previous performances against Silva as a a point of reference Sonnen not only looked like an actual opponent, unlike Okami, he actually had 4 1/2 rounds of success.
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to be fair
Sonnen tapped. At least Okami didn’t quit in his fight.
When I'm on the mic it goes down, CINTRON
-Joell Ortiz
by The Lethal Haze on Oct 1, 2011 10:11 AM EDT up reply actions
Ya but he did do nothing the whole fight. So what. Chael tapped to a submission. It happens. Especially to him.
ahh Skeletor I shaved my legs for you tonight,
and if you see my cock I hope you go in fright.
ahh Skeletor you made me do some coke,
ahhh I'm up all night and its no joke.
by NEW-HAMPSHIRE on Oct 6, 2011 11:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Wait
Since apparently whoever loses to Silva only drops one spot, shouldn’tit be Okami>Vitor>Chael>Munoz>Stan>Maia etc.? Or since Vitor just got a win, shouldn’t it be Vitor>Okami>Chael so on and so forth? I don’t agree with that either, but just on “who lost to Andy most recent” rubric.
Well actually, shouldn’t it be Anderson>Munoz/Stann/Bisping>Vitor>Chael/Okami?
Anderson Silva, Edson Barboza, Jose Aldo, Charles Oliveira, Thiago Alves = Muay Thai wrecking machines!
by SentientAndroid on Sep 30, 2011 4:48 PM EDT reply actions
Can someone please explain why Bisping is at # 8??
What has he done to deserve such a high ranking?!
Half of the top 10 fighters ranked here
Are former 205ers.
Says it all.
I respect your opinion even though it's wrong.
Just because Okami just fought for the belt doesn't mean he should be ahead of Sonnen.
Just cause the UFC puts a guy in against the champ does NOT make him the number 2 in the world. Sonnen ragdolled Okami and nearly beat Silva. No way he is number 3.
Out of curiosity, who specifically are you addressing?
Bolts from the Blue // "I eat cereal out of a giant novelty wine glass because it makes me feel fancy." - Britney Wade
Bloody Elbow // "I think we're poking fun at Leland's 'boner.'" - Michael Fagan
3 top 25-ers that aren't with Zuffa
All 3 currently signed with different orgs.
Marquardt is probably sticking with his move to WW too…which would only make him drop out of the MW rankings completely after a while.
Luke Rockhold showed why Jacare should never have been in the top 10, let alone top 5.
Lombard and Khalidov are kind of stuck fighting whoever they can get.
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July 12th, 2013
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![Strikeforce star, Cung Le, tells Fight Hype he wants to fight in the UFC, and more specifically, on the UFC 139 card in his hometown of San Jose, perhaps against Chris Leben:
PC: What's your current situation as far as your Strikeforce/Showtime deal? Could the UFC sign you to fight right now?
CL: I definitely have a different contract than the other fighters. Right now, it's all up to the UFC. There may be some roadblocks with the Showtime deal and the Showtime side of things, but we will see what happens.
PC: When would you like something to be ironed out and possibly fight again?
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
PC: At one point, there was a poll done and a lot of people wanted to see Cung Le vs. Anderson Silva. Not only is there Anderson now, but a lot of guys have emerged in the 185-pound division as contenders, such as Brian Stann, Mark Munoz, Chris Leben and Chael Sonnen. Would you be interested in any of those names? Are those the type of fights you're looking to make?
CL: You know, on Yahoo! Sports, there is a Cung Le vs. Leben thread if there was a cross promotion. Like I said, if the fans think it is an exciting fight for them to watch, I'm all for it.
UPDATE: Chris Leben is now confirmed to be fighting Mark Munoz at UFC 138, so it looks like Cung Le will have to find another opponent.](http://cdn1.sbnation.com/fan_shot_images/205493/CungLe_crop_340x234_small.jpg)
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