B/R Official Rankings for March: The Top 10 Middleweights in MMA

The official Bleacher Report MMA middleweight rankings for March 2012 are in and there are some interesting changes from what we saw last month.

The peak of the rankings remained the same, but the spots below saw some shifting as we saw a consensus top-three middleweight knocked off by someone who wasn’t even in the top-10 previously.

The top two fighters in the division are tentatively set to meet sometime later this year, but nothing has been officially announced, and at least one of the competitors is still under the impression that the fight won’t happen.

They aren’t the only top fighters in the division, though, and in this list we’ll be counting down the top-10 fighters currently competing at 185 pounds.

10. Luke Rockhold

Previous Ranking: 10

Promotion: Strikeforce

MMA Record: 9-1

Most Recent Fight: Defeated Keith Jardine at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine

Next Scheduled Fight: TBD

Strikeforce’s middleweight champion didn’t make a move on the rankings this month, but that’s not necessarily his fault. In Mr. Rockhold’s defense, he has done nothing but call out the best of the best, even pleading to Zuffa executives to allow him to fight a top challenger from the UFC.

Rockhold is expected to fight top contender Tim Kennedy sometime later this year; however, Kennedy’s injury delayed that fight from happening before, and no date has been set for the fight to take place.

9. Brian Stann

Previous Ranking: 7

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 11-4

Most Recent Fight: Lost to Chael Sonnen at UFC 136

Next Scheduled Fight: Alessio Sakara at UFC on Fuel 2

One of the hardest-hitting fighters in the sport, Brian Stann has seen his ranking fall a few spots this month despite not competing.

The one-sided loss to Chael Sonnen at UFC 136 didn’t help his case to remain one of the top-ranked middleweights and some interesting outcomes in other fights allowed him to drop a couple spots in March.

His upcoming fight against Alessio Sakara is expected to get him back on the winning path, but even if he does win, it will be interesting to see if it affects his ranking much at all due to the lack of confidence people seem to have in Sakara.

8. Yushin Okami

Previous Ranking: 3

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 26-7

Most Recent Fight: Lost to Tim Boetsch at UFC 144

Next Scheduled Fight: TBD

After falling to Anderson Silva in his first title shot in 2011, Yushin Okami was expected to get right back into the win column against Tim Boetsch at UFC 144.

He was well on his way to doing that, too, as he completely dominated the first two rounds of the bout without much opposition.

But the third round proved to be a shocker as Okami came out a bit nonchalantly and ended up getting caught by the former light heavyweight.

A few moments later, it was Boetsch who had completed one of the more surprising come-from-behind victories in recent years.

Okami remains in the top 10, but is the only fighter on the list who is coming off back-to-back losses.

7. Chris Weidman

Previous Ranking: 8

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 8-0

Most Recent Fight: Defeated Demian Maia at UFC on Fox 2

Next Scheduled Fight: TBD

At 8-0, Chris Weidman is alone in the top- 10 as the only fighter who has never tasted defeat as a professional fighter.

The impressive wrestler from New York ran through perennial top contender Demian Maia in late January, earning himself the biggest victory of his career in a fight that he took on just 11 days’ notice.

Weidman defied the odds when he took Michael Bisping’s place in that fight and easily controlled one of the best jiu-jitsu practitioners in the world.

The sky is the limit for Weidman, whom many believe will eventually have the title around his waist.

6. Tim Boetsch

Previous Ranking: NR

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 15-4

Most Recent Fight: Defeated Yushin Okami at UFC 144

Next Scheduled Fight: TBD

The biggest riser this month is easily former light heavyweight Tim Boetsch, who dropped down to middleweight in 2011.

At 31 years old, Boetsch has seen a career revival in the division, earning three straight victories over Kendall Grove, Nick Ring and most recently, Yushin Okami.

Boetsch took an absolute beating in the first two rounds of his fight with Okami at UFC 144 but shocked everyone when he battled back in the end, eventually knocking out the former No. 1 contender just 54 seconds into the third round.

This is Boetsch’s first top-10 ranking in the middleweight division.

5. Michael Bisping

Previous Ranking: 5

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 22-4

Most Recent Fight: Lost to Chael Sonnen at UFC on Fox 2

Next Scheduled Fight: TBD

No movement up or down this month for Michael Bisping as the Brit remains the No. 5 middleweight in the sport in March.

Some believe that Bisping should have been given the decision in his most recent bout against Chael Sonnen in January, thus allowing his ranking to remain pretty solid despite the loss on the official record books.

Bisping will need a win or two before he’s given a title shot, but he is about as close now as he has ever been to competing for UFC gold.

4. Vitor Belfort

Previous Ranking: 6

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 21-9

Most Recent Fight: Defeated Anthony Johnson at UFC 142

Next Scheduled Fight: Wanderlei Silva at TBD

A loss by Yushin Okami helped boost Vitor Belfort up a few spots in March, as he cracks the top five in the weight class again.

Belfort’s crushing defeat over an overweight Anthony Johnson at UFC 142 made it known that while he is not the champion, he is about as good as it gets outside of Anderson Silva at 185 pounds.

An upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter from Brazil will feature Belfort as a coach opposite fellow Brazilian legend Wanderlei Silva, with the two of them expected to battle it out at the end.

Some wonder, though, if a win over Silva will really mean much for Belfort at this point as he hopes to climb back into title contention.

A loss, however, would send him plummeting down the rankings.

3. Mark Munoz

Previous Ranking: 4

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 12-2

Most Recent Fight: Defeated Chris Leben at UFC 138

Next Scheduled Fight: TBD

An untimely injury may have cost Mark Munoz an opportunity to compete for the UFC championship as he was forced to pull out of his bout with Chael Sonnen on short notice.

Munoz is now in an uncomfortable limbo as he does not have a scheduled opponent, yet he still likely needs another win before he gets to compete for the title.

Perhaps a bout with Michael Bisping would make the most sense; however, the UFC has not always been keen on eliminating potential contenders through this type of fight. 

2. Chael Sonnen

Previous Ranking: 2

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 27-11-1

Most Recent Fight: Defeated Michael Bisping at UFC on Fox 2

Next Scheduled Fight: Anderson Silva at TBD

The consensus No. 2 middleweight in MMA has not seen any dip in his ranking despite a razor-thin decision victory over Michael Bisping at UFC on Fox 2.

This is partially due to the fact that he ended up winning, but it also has to do with the relative lack of contenders at 185 pounds, and that few of the others seem to be fighting with much consistency in recent months.

Sonnen will supposedly get his chance to prove his claim that he is the “true” champion of the division later this year, but no date has been set for that bout at this time.

1. Anderson Silva

Previous Ranking: 1

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 31-4

Most Recent Fight: Defeated Yushin Okami at UFC 134

Next Scheduled Fight: Chael Sonnen at TBD

We’ve rarely seen Anderson Silva fight with a chip on his shoulder in the UFC, but we may get the opportunity when he finally fights Chael Sonnen again in the rematch of their epic bout at UFC 117.

Silva has since easily crushed top contenders Vitor Belfort and Sonnen’s friend Yushin Okami, leaving the showdown between him and Sonnen as the only logical bout to have next.

Silva’s camp has been hesitant to take the fight, though, as they have said on numerous occasions that they are not necessarily excited to take a rematch when there are other contenders who have not yet had their chance to fight Silva.

Of course, Sonnen knocked two of those potential contenders out in recent months with his victories over Michael Bisping and Brian Stann, thus likely forcing the champion’s hand in giving him a rematch.

UFC President Dana White has said that this fight will happen, but we do not know when at this time. One thing’s for sure, though—if and when it does go down, it will be one of the biggest fights in the history of mixed martial arts.