Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Middleweight

1. Dricus Du Plessis (23-2) UFC [1]

After a somewhat contentious result the first time around, Du Plessis left no doubt in his rematch with Sean Strickland, as he cruised to a unanimous decision triumph in the UFC 312 headliner at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. “Stillknocks” outstruck his opponent for the majority of the contest and even busted up Strickland’s nose in Round 4 to bring an emphatic conclusion to their rivalry. Du Plessis has won nine straight fights at 185 pounds. He’ll look to extend that streak against Khamzat Chimaev in the UFC 319 main event.

2. Khamzat Chimaev (14-0) | UFC [2]

After a year of inactivity, Chimaev offered a friendly reminder of the devastation he can bring to the Octagon with a dominant first-round finish of Robert Whittaker in the UFC 308 co-main event. “Borz” grounded his opponent, took his back and then secured a face crank so powerful that Whittaker had no choice but to tap in a matter of seconds. By vanquishing a former middleweight title holder in impressive fashion, Chimaev earned himself a 185-pound title shot against Dricus Du Plessis in the UFC 319 headliner.

3. Nassourdine Imavov (16-4, 1 NC) | UFC [3]

Imavov pulled off a shocker at UFC Saudi Arabia, finishing ex-middleweight champ Israel Adesanya via technical knockout 30 seconds into Round 2 of their headlining encounter on Feb. 1 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Imavov has won his last four Octagon appearances, adding Adesanya to a list that includes Brendan Allen, Jared Cannonier and Roman Dolidze. He’ll look to further his case for a title shot when he locks horns with Caio Borralho in the UFC Paris headliner.

4. Sean Strickland (29-7) | UFC [4]

Strickland promised violence at UFC 312, but he couldn’t improve upon the performance he offered against Dricus Du Plessis in their first meeting, as he dropped a clear-cut unanimous verdict in the evening’s headliner at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. The outspoken Xtreme Couture product was fastracked to a rematch with Du Plessis, but on the heels of second defeat to his South African rival, Strickland figures to be out of title conversations for the foreseeable future.

5. Israel Adesanya (24-5) | UFC [5]

Adesanya suffered his third consecutive defeat at UFC Saudi Arabia, falling to Nassourdine Imavov via second-round stoppage in the evening’s headliner at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. While “The Last Stylebender” fought relatively well in the opening stanza, his chin couldn’t hold up under duress against an opponent on the rise. Adesanya turned 36 in July, and it’s fair to wonder if his prime years may be behind him.

<2>6. Reinier de Ridder (21-2) | UFC [12] It was rarely pretty, but de Ridder was able to outlast former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker to take a unanimous decision triumph in the UFC Abu Dhabi headliner on July 26. “The Dutch Knight” survived a third-round knockout to grind his way to his fourth consecutive triumph in UFC competition. Thanks to his most significant victory to date, the ex-ONE Championship two-division titlist is now set up as a legitimate title contender in the Las Vegas-based promotion.

7. Robert Whittaker (26-9) | UFC [6]

Whittaker may end up regretting failing to secure a finish in the third round following a massive knockdown of Reinier de Ridder in the UFC Abu Dhabi headliner. Outside of that, the middleweight contest was a competitive, sometimes grinding affair that de Ridder won via split decision. Whittaker was plenty competitive against the former ONE Championship two-division title holder, but it doesn’t change the fact that “The Reaper” has lost back-to-back outings for the first time since 2013-14.

8. Caio Borralho (17-1, 1 NC) | UFC [7]

Though he didn’t get the finish he believed would propel him to a title shot, Borralho nonetheless earned a signature victory at UFC on ESPN 52 when he outdueled former title challenger Jared Cannonier over five rounds at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Aug. 24. The Fighting Nerds representative put a stamp on his triumph in Round 5, when he dropped his opponent and threatened with an arm-triangle choke in the bout’s waning seconds. “The Natural” has won 14 fights in a row — including seven in UFC competition. Next, Borralho will lock horns with Nassourdine Imavov in the UFC Paris main event.

9. Jared Cannonier (18-8) | UFC [8]

Cannonier demonstrated he still has plenty left in the tank at UFC Vegas 102, as he weathered two first-round knockdowns before rallying for a Round 4 stoppage of Gregory Rodrigues in the evening’s headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Feb. 15. Even as he approaches 41 years old, “The Killa Gorilla” remains a dangerous opponent in the middleweight division, and a wealth of main event experience — he has eight to his credit — ensures that the MMA Lab standout won’t wilt on the big stage. Next, Cannonier will meet Michael Page at UFC 319 in Chicago.

10. Anthony Hernandez (14-2, 1 NC) | UFC [9]

Thanks to a slight edge in grappling and in scrambles, Hernandez improved to 2-0 against Brendan Allen, winning a unanimous decision over his former Legacy Fighting Alliance foe in the UFC Seattle co-main event on Feb. 22. After losing two of his first three Octagon appearances, “Fluffy” has authored a seven-fight UFC winning streak that includes noteworthy triumphs over the likes of Allen, Michel Pereira and Roman Kopylov — with five of those victories coming inside the distance. He’ll look to continue that momentum against Roman Dolidze in a headlining matchup on Aug. 9.

Other Contenders: Roman Dolidze, Brendan Allen, Costello van Steenis, Johnny Eblen, Paulo Costa.

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