UFC 132 Results: Ranking the Top 10 Middleweights in the UFC

At UFC 132, Chris Leben may have contributed to the end of one of the great careers in the history of mixed martial arts. Less than one minute into his fight, "The Crippler" dropped Wanderlei Silva with uppercuts and finished the fight shortly after.

After the event, UFC President Dana White stated that he might have to convince Silva to call it quits. If Silva doesn't fight again, at least he went out pushing forward in the same aggressive style that made him one of the most popular fighters in the sport.

Middleweight Aaron Simpson picked up a win in the only other 185-pound bout on the card, as he grinded out a unanimous decision over Brad Tavares. Simpson might never break into the top ten fighters in the division, but he has proven to be a valuable gatekeeper for rising fighters looking reach contender status.

Let's take a look at where some of these UFC 132 middleweights fit into the top of the division.

10. Wanderlei Silva

MMA Record: 33-11-1, 1 NC

Last Five Fights: 2-3

Streak: L1

Next Opponent: TBA

Wanderlei Silva's spot on this list shows how shallow the list of middleweight contenders is at the moment. Coming off of a knockout loss to Chris Leben, many are already calling for "The Axe Murderer" to retire.

However, Silva does have a somewhat recent win over Michael Bisping, which gives him the slight edge over fighters like Jorge Santiago, Yoshihiro Akiyama and Alan Belcher.

9. Michael Bisping

MMA Record: 21-3

Last Five Fights: 4-1

Streak: W3

Next Opponent: Jason Miller

Since losing to Wanderlei Silva, Michael Bisping has won three straight fights. Meanwhile, Silva sat out for more than a year due to injury. Clearly, last year has not been kind to Silva, who drops slightly below Bisping on this list.

Bisping will now welcome back "Mayhem" Miller to the Octagon. Miller, who will not be eligible for this list until after his fight with Bisping, most recently defeated Kazushi Sakuraba at Dream 16 in September 2010.

8. Chris Leben

MMA Record: 26-7

Last Five Fights: 4-1

Streak: W1

Next Opponent: TBA

After suffering a deflating loss to Brian Stann in his previous fight, Chris Leben earned a big win over his idol and MMA legend Wanderlei Silva at UFC 132.

With the win, Leben has made his way back onto the short list of contenders in the weak middleweight division.

Despite having a loss to Michael Bisping on his record, Leben gets the slight nod over the British fighter due to his brutal finish of Silva.

7. Demian Maia

MMA Record: 14-3

Last Five Fights: 3-2

Streak: L1

Next Opponent: TBA

In the first two losses of his career, which came against Nate Marquardt and Anderson Silva, Demian Maia showed an incomplete striking game that would need much work if he hoped to fight for a title again.

Despite losing to Mark Munoz in his last fight, Maia displayed much-improved striking. Although he didn't get the victory, it was a step in the right direction for Maia.

6. Brian Stann

MMA Record: 11-3

Last Five Fights: 4-1

Streak: W3

Next Opponent: TBA

Since dropping to middleweight, Brian Stann has become one of the fastest-rising stars in the UFC.

Stann's back-to-back knockouts of Chris Leben and Jorge Santiago have him in the mix for a title shot. A fight with Mark Munoz for the top contender spot could be a possibility.

5. Mark Munoz

MMA Record: 11-2

Last Five Fights: 4-1

Streak: W3

Next Opponent: TBA

Since dropping a narrow decision to Yushin Okami, Mark Munoz has won three straight fights. The most recent of those victories came in the form of a narrow decision against Demian Maia.

Munoz may now be one or two wins away from a middleweight title shot.

4. Vitor Belfort

MMA Record: 19-9

Last Five Fights: 4-1

Streak: L1

Next Opponent: Yoshihiro Akiyama

As far as middleweight rankings go, Vitor Belfort is the most debatable fighter on this list. Belfort is clearly a talented striker, having quickly disposed of former champion Rich Franklin, but he has only fought at middleweight once in his UFC career.

Belfort's rightful position on this list will become much clearer after his fight with Akiyama at UFC 133.

3. Yushin Okami

MMA Record: 26-5

Last Five Fights: 4-1

Streak: W3

Next Opponent: Anderson Silva

In his last 21 fights, Yushin Okami has only lost to Jake Shields, Rich Franklin and Chael Sonnen.

Currently, Okami is on a three-fight win streak. The Japanese fighter's most recent victory over Nate Marquardt earned him a rematch and title shot with UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva.

2. Chael Sonnen

MMA Record: 25-11-1

Last Five Fights: 3-2

Streak: L1

Next Opponent: TBA

After nearly one year away from competition, it appears that Chael Sonnen's return to the Octagon is imminent.

The last time we saw Sonnen in the UFC, he nearly became the first fighter in more than five years to defeat Anderson Silva. However, a late submission by Silva saved the UFC plenty of headaches that would have resulted from Sonnen's legal troubles that followed the fight.

1. Anderson Silva

MMA Record: 30-4

Last Five Fights: 5-0

Streak: W14

Next Opponent: Yushin Okami

After defending his title for an eighth consecutive time with a ridiculous knockout of Vitor Belfort, Silva will now attempt to avenge his most recent loss against Yushin Okami.

Five years ago, Okami was awarded a win over Silva due to a disqualification for an illegal up-kick. Okami has been preparing for the rematch with Team Quest's Chael Sonnen.

Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter here.