Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Middleweight

1. Alex Pereira (10-2) | UFC [1]

Alex Pereira left no doubt regarding the true identity of the light heavyweight champion with his first-round knockout of Jamahal Hill in the UFC 300 headliner. Once he found his opening, “Poatan” wasted little time, dropping his foe with a left hook and sealing his victory with follow-up ground strikes 3:14 into the opening stanza. By besting Hill, who had to vacate the title due to injury in 2023, Pereira avenged mentor Glover Teixeira and continued to raise his profile as one of the promotion’s biggest stars. Pereira cemented his reputation as a company man by agreeing to face Jiri Prochazka in a championship rematch on short notice in the UFC 303 headliner. The Brazilian’s rankings eligibility at middleweight will expire on October 8, 2024.

2. Dricus Du Plessis (21-2) UFC [2]

Du Plessis made it nine consecutive triumphs in the UFC 297 headliner, as he outdueled Sean Strickland over five rounds to claim the middleweight crown in a closely-contested split decision victory. The South African struggled with his opponent’s precise jab early, but he was able to vary his attacks enough down the stretch to get the nod on the scorecards. A showdown with ex-champ Israel Adesanya — a rivalry that was building heat last year — has been announced as the main event for UFC 305 in Perth.

3. Sean Strickland (29-6) | UFC [3]

Strickland put forth a vintage performance in the UFC 302 co-main event, keeping Paulo Costa at bay with straight punches, front kicks and constant forward movement en route to a five-round, split-decision triumph at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on June 1. One bout removed from relinquishing the middleweight strap to Dricus Du Plessis in a closely-contested defeat at UFC 297, the Xtreme Couture product is sitting pretty to potentially receive another title shot in his next promotional outing.

4. Israel Adesanya (24-3) | UFC [4]

Adesanya authored one of the most perplexing performances by a champion in recent memory, falling to the lightly regarded Sean Strickland via unanimous decision in the UFC 293 headliner in Sydney. “The Last Stylebender” has now lost two of his last three outings at 185 pounds. After a hiatus that lasted nearly a year, the Nigerian-born Kiwi will return to the Octagon for a title shot against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305 on Aug. 17.

5. Robert Whittaker (26-7) | UFC [5]

After original foe Khamzat Chimaev dropped out of headlining their fight at UFC on ABC 6, Whittaker agreed to take a risky fight against Ikram Aliskerov on short notice. The former middleweight champion was unfazed by the change, as he knocked out his Dagestani foe 1:49 into the opening stanza. “Bobby Knuckles” has won back-to-back outings against Aliskerov and Paulo Costa since being finished by current title holder Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 298.

6. Nassourdine Imavov (14-4, 1 NC) | UFC [6]

While the stoppage itself was controversial, Imavov nonetheless added a significant notch to his belt with a fourth-round technical knockout victory against Jared Cannonier in the UFC on ESPN 57 headliner at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky, on June 8. With back-to-back triumphs over Cannonier and Roman Dolidze, the Frenchman remains a key figure in the middleweight division. However, his call for a rematch against Sean Strickland is likely to go unheeded.

7. Johnny Eblen (15-0) | Bellator [7]

Eblen got a tougher-than-expected test at PFL vs. Bellator, where he was dropped and hurt in the second stanza before holding on for a split-decision triumph over 2023 PFL light heavyweight champion Impa Kasanganay on Feb. 24 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. While his struggles put a damper on Eblen’s “Best Middleweight in the World” campaign, it was nonetheless encouraging that the American Top Team product was able to persevere through adversity to remain undefeated. He’ll attempted to defend his middleweight belt in a rematch against Fabian Edwards at Bellator Champions Series London on Sept. 14.

8. Jared Cannonier (17-7) | UFC [8]

Cannonier started well enough against Nassourdine Imavov in the UFC on ESPN 57 headliner, but it went downhill once a right hand from his French opponent put him on wobbly legs in the fourth round. Though the ensuing sequence led to a controversial stoppage by referee Jason Herzog, there’s no denying that Cannonier’s body language was not ideal at that point in time. While a victory would have gotten “The Killa Gorilla” closer to a middleweight title shot, the 40-year-old MMA Lab representative might not see that opportunity again before his career comes to a close.

9. Marvin Vettori (19-7-1) | UFC [9]

After nearly earning a finish in the opening stanza, Vettori was battered for the next four frames in a unanimous decision loss to Jared Cannonier in the UFC on ESPN 47 main event. “The Italian Dream” may have been too tough for his own good, as he absorbed a UFC middleweight record 241 significant strikes — including numerous heavy right hands from his opponent. Vettori was forced to withdraw from a proposed matchup with Brendan Allen at UFC Fight Night 240 due to injury.

10. Brendan Allen (24-5) | UFC [10]

After original opponent Marvin Vettori withdrew from the event due to injury, Allen outdueled Chris Curtis over five rounds to capture a split-decision triumph in the UFC Fight Night 240 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on April 6. In extending his promotional winning streak to seven — six at 185 pounds — “All In” avenged a previous a December 2021 loss to Curtis, the last man to defeat him in the Octagon.

Other Contenders:Roman Dolidze, Paulo Costa, Fabian Edwards, Gegard Mousasi, Jack Hermansson.

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