Analysis by Kid Nate
Fans are used to #1 Anderson Silva toying with opponents, but in recent months we've been treated to the spectacle of seeing Silva and his manager Ed Soares toy with the UFC.
Compiling the rankings of twenty top mixed martial arts web sites, the USA TODAY / SB Nation Consensus MMA Rankings present the top 25 fighters in MMA for the seven major weight classes. These world MMA rankings are the most accurate reflection of how the top fighters in MMA across all promotions like UFC, WEC, Affliction and DREAM are viewed by the experts who cover the sport.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderson Silva | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Nate Marquardt | 94 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Dan Henderson | 94 | Free Agent | 3 |
| 4 | Demian Maia | 79 | UFC | 5 |
| 5 | Vitor Belfort | 79 | UFC | 6 |
| 6 | Chael Sonnen | 71 | UFC | 7 |
| 7 | Jake Shields | 61 | Strikeforce | 12 |
| 8 | Jorge Santiago | 58 | WVR | 4 |
| 9 | Yushin Okami | 57 | UFC | 8 |
| 10 | Yoshihiro Akiyama | 52 | UFC | 10 |
| 11 | Robbie Lawler | 44 | Strikeforce | 9 |
| 12 | Kazuo Misaki | 30 | WVR | 11 |
| 13 | Mamed Khalidov | 30 | WVR | NR |
| 14 | Paulo Filho | 29 | DREAM | 14 |
| 15 | Nick Diaz | 23 | Strikeforce | 18 |
| 16 | Michael Bisping | 22 | UFC | 13 |
| 17 | Ronaldo Souza | 21 | DREAM/Strikeforce | 18 |
| 18 | Nate Quarry | 21 | UFC | 17 |
| 19 | Alessio Sakara | 20 | UFC | 15 |
| 20 | Thales Leites | 18 | MFC | 22 |
| 20 | Alan Belcher | 18 | UFC | 20 |
| 20 | Ricardo Almeida | 18 | UFC | 23 |
| 23 | Wilson Gouveia | 17 | UFC | 24 |
| 24 | Gegard Mousasi | 16 | Strikeforce | 27 |
| 25 | Rich Franklin | 16 | UFC | NR |
Fans are used to #1 Anderson Silva toying with opponents, but in recent months we've been treated to the spectacle of seeing Silva and his manager Ed Soares toy with the UFC.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderson Silva | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Nate Marquardt | 94 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Dan Henderson | 93 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Jorge Santiago | 79 | WVR | 5 |
| 5 | Demian Maia | 77 | UFC | 6 |
| 6 | Vitor Belfort | 68 | UFC | 7 |
| 7 | Chael Sonnen | 67 | UFC | 10 |
| 8 | Yushin Okami | 64 | UFC | 4 |
| 9 | Robbie Lawler | 52 | Strikeforce | 8 |
| 10 | Yoshihiro Akiyama | 52 | UFC | 9 |
| 11 | Kazuo Misaki | 37 | WVR | 11 |
| 12 | Jake Shields | 31 | Strikeforce | 19 |
| 13 | Michael Bisping | 29 | UFC | 12 |
| 14 | Paulo Filho | 29 | DREAM | 13 |
| 15 | Alessio Sakara | 25 | UFC | 17 |
| 16 | Patrick Cote | 25 | UFC | 16 |
| 17 | Nate Quarry | 23 | UFC | 20 |
| 18 | Nick Diaz | 22 | Strikeforce | 18 |
| 18 | Ronaldo Souza | 22 | DREAM/Strikeforce | 17 |
| 20 | Alan Belcher | 19 | UFC | 24 |
| 20 | Hector Lombard | 19 | Bellator | 15 |
| 22 | Thales Leites | 17 | MFC | 18 |
| 23 | Ricardo Almeida | 16 | UFC | 22 |
| 24 | Wilson Gouveia | 14 | UFC | NA |
| 24 | Jason Miller | 14 | DREAM/Strikeforce | NA |
| 24 | Dan Miller | 14.28571429 | UFC | NA |
This division has gone from being a chaotic mess less than two years ago to being a division enduring a reign of terror by undisputed #1 Anderson Silva and his manager Ed Soares. Anderson has taken to toying with the UFC's booking plans the way he toy with opponents.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderson Silva | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Nate Marquardt | 93 | UFC | 3 |
| 3 | Dan Henderson | 93 | UFC | 2 |
| 4 | Yushin Okami | 85 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Jorge Santiago | 79 | WVR | 6 |
| 6 | Demian Maia | 78 | UFC | 5 |
| 7 | Vitor Belfort | 70 | UFC | 8 |
| 8 | Robbie Lawler | 65 | Strikeforce | 7 |
| 9 | Yoshihiro Akiyama | 56 | UFC | 10 |
| 10 | Chael Sonnen | 47 | UFC | 9 |
| 11 | Kazuo Misaki | 32 | WVR | 12 |
| 12 | Michael Bisping | 27 | UFC | 14 |
| 13 | Paulo Filho | 26 | DREAM | 11 |
| 14 | Ronaldo Souza | 21 | DREAM/Strikeforce | 17 |
| 15 | Hector Lombard | 20 | Bellator | 21 |
| 16 | Patrick Cote | 19 | UFC | 13 |
| 17 | Alessio Sakara | 19 | UFC | 15 |
| 18 | Thales Leites | 18 | MFC | 16 |
| 19 | Jake Shields | 18 | Strikeforce | 22 |
| 20 | Nate Quarry | 18 | UFC | 31 |
| 20 | Nick Diaz | 18 | Strikeforce | 18 |
| 22 | Ricardo Almeida | 17 | UFC | 19 |
| 23 | Jason Miller | 17 | DREAM/Strikeforce | 27 |
| 24 | Alan Belcher | 16 | UFC | 23 |
| 25 | Cung Le | 16 | Strikeforce | 20 |
Ah the muddled middleweight division. #1 Anderson Silva has finally been given a credible and marketable opponent in #7 Vitor Belfort.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderson Silva | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Dan Henderson | 93 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Nate Marquardt | 89 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Yushin Okami | 87 | UFC | 3 |
| 5 | Demian Maia | 81 | UFC | 5 |
| 6 | Jorge Santiago | 81 | WVR | 6 |
| 7 | Robbie Lawler | 64 | Strikeforce | 7 |
| 8 | Vitor Belfort | 61 | UFC | 8 |
| 9 | Chael Sonnen | 57 | UFC | 11 |
| 10 | Yoshihiro Akiyama | 53 | UFC | 10 |
| 11 | Paulo Filho | 34 | DREAM | 13 |
| 12 | Kazuo Misaki | 27 | WVR | 15 |
| 13 | Patrick Cote | 24 | UFC | 20 |
| 14 | Michael Bisping | 22 | UFC | 14 |
| 15 | Alessio Sakara | 20 | UFC | NR |
| 16 | Thales Leites | 19 | Free Agent | 9 |
| 17 | Ronaldo Souza | 19 | DREAM | 16 |
| 18 | Nick Diaz | 18 | Strikeforce | 17 |
| 19 | Ricardo Almeida | 18 | UFC | 30 |
| 20 | Cung Le | 17 | Strikeforce | 23 |
| 21 | Hector Lombard | 16 | Bellator | 18 |
| 22 | Jake Shields | 16 | Strikeforce | 19 |
| 23 | Alan Belcher | 16 | UFC | 21 |
| 24 | Gegard Mousasi | 14 | M-1 Global/Strikeforce/DREAM | 12 |
| 25 | Dan Miller | 14 | UFC | 29 |
After what he did to #5 light heavyweight Forrest Griffin at UFC 101, #1 Anderson Silva is really playing hard to get with the middleweight division.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderson Silva | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Dan Henderson | 94 | UFC | 4 |
| 3 | Yushin Okami | 87 | UFC | 3 |
| 3 | Nate Marquardt | 87 | UFC | 2 |
| 5 | Demian Maia | 81 | UFC | 5 |
| 6 | Jorge Santiago | 76 | WVR | 6 |
| 7 | Robbie Lawler | 58 | Strikeforce | 7 |
| 8 | Vitor Belfort | 56 | ??? | 9 |
| 9 | Thales Leites | 49 | UFC | 8 |
| 10 | Yoshihiro Akiyama | 44 | UFC | 12 |
| 11 | Chael Sonnen | 41 | UFC | 10 |
| 12 | Gegard Mousasi | 31 | Strikeforce | 11 |
| 13 | Paulo Filho | 30 | DREAM | 15 |
| 14 | Michael Bisping | 29 | UFC | 13 |
| 15 | Kazuo Misaki | 25 | WVR | 16 |
| 16 | Ronaldo Souza | 23 | DREAM | 19 |
| 17 | Nick Diaz | 22 | Strikeforce | 20 |
| 18 | Hector Lombard | 21 | Bellator | 23 |
| 19 | Jake Shields | 19 | Strikeforce | 31 |
| 20 | Patrick Cote | 19 | UFC | 18 |
| 21 | Alan Belcher | 16 | UFC | 22 |
| 22 | Matt Lindland | 15 | ??? | 21 |
| 23 | Cung Le | 15 | Strikeforce | 26 |
| 24 | Frank Trigg | 15 | UFC | 17 |
| 25 | Nate Quarry | 14 | UFC | 26 |
The middleweight division continues to feel cursed. Despite the emergence of a clear-cut, utterly undisputed #1 in UFC champ #1 Anderson Silva, the failure of the UFC to develop a credible pool of challengers still rankles.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderson Silva | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Nate Marquardt | 88 | UFC | 3 |
| 3 | Yushin Okami | 88 | UFC | 2 |
| 4 | Dan Henderson | 85 | UFC | 5 |
| 5 | Demian Maia | 79 | UFC | 7 |
| 6 | Jorge Santiago | 77 | WVR | 8 |
| 7 | Robbie Lawler | 57 | Strikeforce | 4 |
| 8 | Thales Leites | 56 | UFC | 9 |
| 9 | Vitor Belfort | 50 | Affliction | 10 |
| 10 | Chael Sonnen | 42 | UFC | 14 |
| 11 | Gegard Mousasi | 37 | DREAM | 6 |
| 12 | Yoshihiro Akiyama | 37 | UFC | 11 |
| 13 | Michael Bisping | 36 | UFC | 12 |
| 14 | Rich Franklin | 27 | UFC | 16 |
| 15 | Paulo Filho | 26 | DREAM | 17 |
| 16 | Kazuo Misaki | 25 | WVR | 15 |
| 17 | Frank Trigg | 21 | UFC | 13 |
| 18 | Patrick Cote | 20 | UFC | 18 |
| 19 | Ronaldo Souza | 20 | DREAM | 19 |
| 20 | Nick Diaz | 17 | Strikeforce | NR |
| 21 | Matt Lindland | 16 | Affliction | 21 |
| 22 | Alan Belcher | 14 | UFC | 28 |
| 23 | Melvin Manhoef | 14 | DREAM | 20 |
| 23 | Hector Lombard | 14 | Bellator | NR |
| 25 | Jason Miller | 14 | DREAM | 26 |
This division has had Dana White pulling out his hair beating his head against the wall for a while now. The failure of a credible and marketable threat to #1 Anderson Silva to emerge since he vanquished #2 Nate Marquardt, #4 Dan Henderson, and #14 Rich Franklin has got to be maddening for the UFC boss.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderson Silva | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Yushin Okami | 87 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Nate Marquardt | 87 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Robbie Lawler | 78 | Strikeforce | 6 |
| 5 | Dan Henderson | 77 | UFC | 5 |
| 6 | Gegard Mousasi | 72 | DREAM | 4 |
| 7 | Demian Maia | 71 | UFC | 8 |
| 8 | Jorge Santiago | 69 | WVR | 7 |
| 9 | Thales Leites | 48 | UFC | 9 |
| 10 | Vitor Belfort | 43 | Affliction | 10 |
| 11 | Yoshihiro Akiyama | 40 | UFC | 12 |
| 12 | Michael Bisping | 36 | UFC | 13 |
| 13 | Frank Trigg | 31 | Strikeforce | 16 |
| 14 | Chael Sonnen | 30 | UFC | 17 |
| 15 | Kazuo Misaki | 30 | WVR | 14 |
| 16 | Rich Franklin | 29 | UFC | 11 |
| 17 | Paulo Filho | 25 | DREAM | 15 |
| 18 | Patrick Cote | 22 | UFC | 19 |
| 19 | Ronaldo Souza | 20 | DREAM | 18 |
| 20 | Melvin Manhoef | 17 | DREAM | 23 |
| 21 | Matt Lindland | 16 | Affliction | 23 |
| 22 | Wilson Gouveia | 15 | UFC | 21 |
| 23 | Scott Smith | 15 | Strikeforce | 25 |
| 24 | Cung Le | 14 | Strikeforce | 20 |
| 25 | Nate Quarry | 14 | UFC | 31 |
Normally the emergence of a 100% dominant, no doubt about it long-term consensus #1 imposes a fair amount of order on a division. The rocky reign of #1 Anderson Silva has done anything but bring order to the 185lb division.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderson Silva | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Yushin Okami | 87 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Nate Marquardt | 85 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Gegard Mousasi | 81 | DREAM | 5 |
| 5 | Dan Henderson | 80 | UFC | 4 |
| 6 | Robbie Lawler | 78 | Strikeforce | 6 |
| 7 | Jorge Santiago | 72 | WVR | 8 |
| 8 | Demian Maia | 71 | UFC | 7 |
| 9 | Thales Leites | 45 | UFC | 9 |
| 10 | Vitor Belfort | 45 | Affliction | 11 |
| 11 | Rich Franklin | 43 | UFC | 10 |
| 12 | Yoshihiro Akiyama | 37 | UFC | 12 |
| 13 | Michael Bisping | 32 | UFC | 14 |
| 14 | Kazuo Misaki | 29 | WVR | 16 |
| 15 | Paulo Filho | 29 | DREAM | 13 |
| 16 | Frank Trigg | 28 | Strikeforce | 17 |
| 17 | Chael Sonnen | 26 | UFC | 15 |
| 18 | Ronaldo Souza | 20 | DREAM | 18 |
| 19 | Patrick Cote | 18 | UFC | 19 |
| 20 | Cung Le | 17 | Strikeforce | 20 |
| 21 | Wilson Gouveia | 16 | UFC | 24 |
| 22 | Dan Miller | 16 | UFC | 21 |
| 23 | Melvin Manhoef | 14 | DREAM | 22 |
| 23 | Matt Lindland | 14 | Affliction | 23 |
| 25 | Scott Smith | 14 | Strikeforce | 42 |
The middleweight title fight at UFC 97 between #1 Anderson Silva and #9 Thales Leites didn't do anyone any favors -- well maybe it turned out alright for Silva since he'll get a nice payday against #4 Light Heavyweight Forrest Griffin at UFC 102.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderson Silva | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Yushin Okami | 87 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Nathan Marquardt | 84 | UFC | 5 |
| 4 | Dan Henderson | 83 | UFC | 6 |
| 5 | Gegard Mousasi | 81 | DREAM | 4 |
| 6 | Robbie Lawler | 80 | Strikeforce | 3 |
| 7 | Demian Maia | 69 | UFC | 8 |
| 8 | Jorge Santiago | 67 | WVR | 7 |
| 9 | Thales Leites | 49 | UFC | 10 |
| 10 | Rich Franklin | 45 | UFC | 9 |
| 11 | Vitor Belfort | 44 | Affliction | 16 |
| 12 | Yoshihiro Akiyama | 32 | UFC | 13 |
| 13 | Paulo Filho | 31 | Unsigned | 11 |
| 14 | Michael Bisping | 30 | UFC | 14 |
| 15 | Chael Sonnen | 30 | UFC | 12 |
| 16 | Kazuo Misaki | 28 | WVR | 15 |
| 17 | Frank Trigg | 27 | XCF | 17 |
| 18 | Ronaldo Souza | 20 | DREAM | 18 |
| 19 | Patrick Cote | 17 | UFC | 19 |
| 20 | Cung Le | 17 | Strikeforce | 24 |
| 21 | Dan Miller | 16 | UFC | 21 |
| 22 | Melvin Manhoef | 14 | DREAM | 22 |
| 23 | Matt Lindland | 14 | Affliction | 20 |
| 24 | Wilson Gouveia | 13 | UFC | 23 |
| 25 | Alan Belcher | 12 | UFC | 25 |
| 25 | Martin Kampmann | 12 | UFC | 26 |
Next month we'll get to see #1 Anderson Silva defend his UFC middleweight belt against #9 Thales Leites at UFC 97 on April 18th. If Leites upsets Silva, I'll expect a Serra-knocks-out-GSP level of shock to the rankings.
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. Show more »
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