Analysis by Richard Wade
Vitor Belfort solidified his spot as a top 5 middleweight with his win over Anthony Johnson in the latter's middleweight debut.
Compiling the rankings of twenty top mixed martial arts web sites, the USA TODAY / MMA 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, Strikeforce and ProElite are viewed by the experts who cover the sport.
| Rank | Fighter | Points | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderson Silva | 400 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Chael Sonnen | 384 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Yushin Okami | 354 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Mark Munoz | 332 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Vitor Belfort | 310 | UFC | 5 |
| 6 | Demian Maia | 286 | UFC | 5 |
| 7 | Michael Bisping | 281 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Luke Rockhold | 263 | Strikeforce | 9 |
| 9 | Brian Stann | 253 | UFC | 8 |
| 10 | Nate Marquardt | 204 | BAMMA | 10 |
| 11 | Ronaldo Souza | 200 | Strikeforce | 11 |
| 12 | Hector Lombard | 191 | Bellator | 12 |
| 13 | Tim Kennedy | 158 | Strikeforce | 14 |
| 14 | Alan Belcher | 139 | UFC | 13 |
| 15 | Rousimar Palhares | 124 | UFC | 18 |
| 16 | Chris Leben | 118 | UFC | 16 |
| 17 | Wanderlei Silva | 116 | UFC | 15 |
| 18 | Mamed Khalidov | 102 | KSW | 17 |
| 19 | Robbie Lawler | 102 | Strikeforce | 21 |
| 20 | Jorge Santiago | 98 | UFC | 19 |
| 21 | Chris Weidman | 85 | UFC | 19 |
| 22 | Alexander Shlemenko | 69 | Bellator | 22 |
| 23 | Thales Leites | 63 | Superior Challenge | 24 |
| 23 | Yoshihiro Akiyama | 63 | UFC | 26 |
| 23 | Anthony Johnson | 63 | UFC | 30 |
Vitor Belfort solidified his spot as a top 5 middleweight with his win over Anthony Johnson in the latter's middleweight debut.
| Rank | Fighter | Points | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderson Silva | 425 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Chael Sonnen | 408 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Yushin Okami | 381 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Mark Munoz | 357 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Demian Maia | 318 | UFC | 5 |
| 5 | Vitor Belfort | 318 | UFC | 5 |
| 7 | Michael Bisping | 309 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Brian Stann | 263 | UFC | 8 |
| 9 | Luke Rockhold | 239 | Strikeforce | 9 |
| 10 | Nate Marquardt | 215 | BAMMA | 9 |
| 11 | Ronaldo Souza | 201 | Strikeforce | 11 |
| 12 | Hector Lombard | 196 | Bellator | 12 |
| 13 | Alan Belcher | 167 | UFC | 13 |
| 14 | Tim Kennedy | 154 | Strikeforce | 14 |
| 15 | Wanderlei Silva | 131 | UFC | 16 |
| 16 | Chris Leben | 121 | UFC | 15 |
| 17 | Mamed Khalidov | 112 | KSW | 17 |
| 18 | Rousimar Palhares | 109 | UFC | 18 |
| 19 | Jorge Santiago | 92 | UFC | 19 |
| 19 | Chris Weidman | 92 | UFC | 20 |
| 21 | Robbie Lawler | 82 | Strikeforce | 21 |
| 22 | Alexander Shlemenko | 70 | Bellator | 22 |
| 23 | Alessio Sakara | 65 | UFC | 23 |
| 24 | Thales Leites | 63 | Superior Challenge | 28 |
| 25 | Tim Boetsch | 62 | UFC | 26 |
Despite recent inactivity, Anderson Silva remains the undisputed #1 middleweight.
| Rank | Fighter | Points | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderson Silva | 400 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Chael Sonnen | 384 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Yushin Okami | 359 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Mark Munoz | 333 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Demian Maia | 298 | UFC | 6 |
| 5 | Vitor Belfort | 298 | UFC | 5 |
| 7 | Michael Bisping | 259 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Brian Stann | 244 | UFC | 8 |
| 9 | Luke Rockhold | 233 | Strikeforce | 10 |
| 9 | Nate Marquardt | 233 | BAMMA | 9 |
| 11 | Ronaldo Souza | 194 | Strikeforce | 11 |
| 12 | Hector Lombard | 182 | Bellator | 12 |
| 13 | Alan Belcher | 141 | UFC | 14 |
| 14 | Tim Kennedy | 138 | Strikeforce | 15 |
| 15 | Chris Leben | 128 | UFC | 13 |
| 16 | Wanderlei Silva | 116 | UFC | 18 |
| 17 | Mamed Khalidov | 104 | KSW | 19 |
| 18 | Rousimar Palhares | 102 | UFC | 16 |
| 19 | Jorge Santiago | 98 | UFC | 17 |
| 20 | Chris Weidman | 90 | UFC | 21 |
| 21 | Robbie Lawler | 79 | Strikeforce | 20 |
| 22 | Alexander Shlemenko | 65 | Bellator | 31 |
| 23 | Alessio Sakara | 62 | UFC | 28 |
| 24 | Jake Shields | 61 | UFC | 27 |
| 25 | Dan Henderson | 60 | UFC | 23 |
Quite possibly the only truly relevant middleweight contest scheduled for December is this Saturday's clash of #7 Michael Bisping and fellow TUF coach #30 Jason Miller.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderson Silva | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Chael Sonnen | 96 | UFC | 3 |
| 3 | Yushin Okami | 90 | UFC | 2 |
| 4 | Mark Munoz | 79 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Vitor Belfort | 77 | UFC | 5 |
| 6 | Demian Maia | 73 | UFC | 7 |
| 7 | Michael Bisping | 66 | UFC | 8 |
| 8 | Brian Stann | 63 | UFC | 6 |
| 9 | Nate Marquardt | 59 | 9 | |
| 10 | Luke Rockhold | 56 | Strikeforce | 10 |
| 11 | Ronaldo Souza | 49 | Strikeforce | 11 |
| 12 | Hector Lombard | 41 | Bellator | 13 |
| 13 | Chris Leben | 40 | UFC | 12 |
| 14 | Alan Belcher | 35 | UFC | 14 |
| 15 | Tim Kennedy | 34 | Strikeforce | 15 |
| 16 | Rousimar Palhares | 27 | UFC | 16 |
| 17 | Jorge Santiago | 24 | UFC | 17 |
| 18 | Wanderlei Silva | 23 | UFC | 18 |
| 19 | Mamed Khalidov | 23 | KSW | 19 |
| 20 | Robbie Lawler | 19 | Strikeforce | 20 |
| 21 | Chris Weidman | 16 | UFC | 21 |
| 22 | Yoshihiro Akiyama | 16 | UFC | 22 |
| 23 | Dan Henderson | 16 | UFC | 28 |
| 24 | Dan Miller | 15 | UFC | 23 |
| 25 | Tim Boetsch | 14 | UFC | 24 |
UFC 139 gives us one of the more interesting middleweight match ups in #18 Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le as well as #21 Chris Weidman vs. Tom Lawlor.
| 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.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderson Silva | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Yushin Okami | 92 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Chael Sonnen | 87 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Ronaldo Souza | 80 | Strikeforce | 4 |
| 5 | Mark Munoz | 76 | UFC | 5 |
| 6 | Vitor Belfort | 73 | UFC | 10 |
| 7 | Brian Stann | 71 | UFC | 6 |
| 8 | Michael Bisping | 66 | UFC | 7 |
| 9 | Demian Maia | 64 | UFC | 9 |
| 10 | Nate Marquardt | 61 | BAMA | 8 |
| 11 | Chris Leben | 43 | UFC | 11 |
| 12 | Hector Lombard | 35 | Bellator | 13 |
| 13 | Jorge Santiago | 33 | UFC | 12 |
| 14 | Tim Kennedy | 31 | Strikeforce | 18 |
| 15 | Mamed Khalidov | 25 | KSW | 16 |
| 16 | Alan Belcher | 23 | UFC | 15 |
| 17 | Wanderlei Silva | 23 | UFC | 17 |
| 18 | Robbie Lawler | 20 | Strikeforce | 14 |
| 19 | Rousimar Palhares | 20 | UFC | 18 |
| 20 | Yoshihiro Akiyama | 19 | UFC | 20 |
| 21 | Jason Miller | 18 | UFC | 24 |
| 22 | Jake Shields | 17 | UFC | 21 |
| 23 | Dan Miller | 17 | UFC | 23 |
| 24 | Chris Weidman | 15 | UFC | 22 |
| 25 | Alessio Sakara | 14 | UFC | 26 |
Vitor Belfort's destruction of Yoshihiro Akiyama was enough to vault him from the edge of the top 10 to just outside the top 5.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderson Silva | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Yushin Okami | 92 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Chael Sonnen | 91 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Ronaldo Souza | 80 | Strikeforce | 4 |
| 5 | Mark Munoz | 72 | UFC | 5 |
| 6 | Brian Stann | 67 | UFC | 8 |
| 7 | Michael Bisping | 67 | UFC | 9 |
| 8 | Nate Marquardt | 66 | BAMA | 9 |
| 9 | Demian Maia | 64 | UFC | 6 |
| 10 | Vitor Belfort | 63 | UFC | 7 |
| 11 | Chris Leben | 43 | UFC | 17 |
| 12 | Jorge Santiago | 39 | UFC | 11 |
| 13 | Hector Lombard | 36 | Bellator | 12 |
| 14 | Robbie Lawler | 30 | Strikeforce | 13 |
| 15 | Alan Belcher | 28 | UFC | 16 |
| 16 | Mamed Khalidov | 25 | KSW | 15 |
| 17 | Wanderlei Silva | 24 | UFC | 14 |
| 18 | Tim Kennedy | 21 | Strikeforce | 18 |
| 18 | Rousimar Palhares | 21 | UFC | 20 |
| 20 | Yoshihiro Akiyama | 20 | UFC | 21 |
| 21 | Jake Shields | 16 | UFC | 19 |
| 22 | Chris Weidman | 16 | UFC | 22 |
| 23 | Dan Miller | 15 | UFC | 27 |
| 24 | Jason Miller | 14 | UFC | 24 |
| 25 | Thales Leites | 13 | Superior Challenge | 25 |
UFC 134 will be headlined by #1 Anderson Silva defending his middleweight title against the last man to defeat him #2 Yushin Okami.
| 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.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderson Silva | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Yushin Okami | 91 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Chael Sonnen | 89 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Demian Maia | 81 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Nate Marquardt | 78 | UFC | 6 |
| 6 | Ronaldo Souza | 77 | Strikeforce | 5 |
| 7 | Vitor Belfort | 69 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Jorge Santiago | 59 | UFC | 8 |
| 9 | Michael Bisping | 58 | UFC | 9 |
| 10 | Hector Lombard | 46 | Bellator | 11 |
| 11 | Wanderlei Silva | 44 | UFC | 10 |
| 12 | Robbie Lawler | 39 | Strikeforce | 12 |
| 13 | Alan Belcher | 32 | UFC | 17 |
| 14 | Brian Stann | 30 | UFC | 14 |
| 15 | Mamed Khalidov | 28 | KSW | 15 |
| 16 | Jake Shields | 28 | UFC | 13 |
| 17 | Chris Leben | 24 | UFC | 18 |
| 18 | Tim Kennedy | 22 | Strikeforce | 16 |
| 19 | Mark Munoz | 21 | UFC | 24 |
| 20 | Rousimar Palhares | 21 | UFC | 21 |
| 20 | Yoshihiro Akiyama | 21 | UFC | 23 |
| 22 | Thales Leites | 17 | Superior Challenge | 20 |
| 23 | Dan Henderson | 16 | Strikeforce | 19 |
| 24 | Jason Miller | 16 | UFC | 22 |
| 25 | Chris Weidman | 16 | UFC | 27 |
At UFC 134 fans will be treated to a true #1 vs #2 title fight when #1 Anderson Silva defends his belt against #2 Yushin Okami.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderson Silva | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Yushin Okami | 91 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Chael Sonnen | 89 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Demian Maia | 80 | UFC | 5 |
| 5 | Ronaldo Souza | 78 | Strikeforce | 6 |
| 6 | Nate Marquardt | 78 | UFC | 4 |
| 7 | Vitor Belfort | 68 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Jorge Santiago | 59 | UFC | 9 |
| 9 | Michael Bisping | 57 | UFC | 8 |
| 10 | Wanderlei Silva | 52 | UFC | 10 |
| 11 | Hector Lombard | 43 | Bellator | 11 |
| 12 | Robbie Lawler | 38 | Strikeforce | 12 |
| 13 | Jake Shields | 33 | UFC | 14 |
| 14 | Brian Stann | 26 | UFC | 15 |
| 15 | Mamed Khalidov | 25 | KSW | 16 |
| 16 | Tim Kennedy | 25 | Strikeforce | 21 |
| 17 | Alan Belcher | 24 | UFC | 13 |
| 18 | Chris Leben | 23 | UFC | 17 |
| 19 | Dan Henderson | 22 | Strikeforce | 22 |
| 20 | Thales Leites | 21 | Superior Challenge | 25 |
| 21 | Rousimar Palhares | 20 | UFC | 18 |
| 22 | Jason Miller | 20 | UFC | 27 |
| 23 | Yoshihiro Akiyama | 19 | UFC | 18 |
| 24 | Mark Munoz | 17 | UFC | 23 |
| 25 | Alessio Sakara | 16 | UFC | 24 |
Anderson Silva is the undisputed #1 middleweight in the world and he'll get the chance to avenge one of his few losses when he meets #2 Yushin Okami at UFC 134: Rio.
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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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