Strikeforce Fedor vs. Henderson Results: The Top 15 Middleweights in MMA

At Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson, two of the top middleweight contenders in the organization squared off in a bout that may have determined the challenger for the winner of an upcoming title fight between Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo Souza and Luke Rockhold.

With his win over Robbie Lawler, Tim Kennedy may have done enough to earn a potential rematch with Souza. In August 2010, Kennedy dropped a controversial unanimous decision to Souza in a fight he still believes he won.

Let's take a look at where Kennedy and Souza stack up against the rest of the middleweights in MMA.

15. Tim Kennedy

With his full-time focus now on MMA, former Green Beret Tim Kennedy must be taken as a serious threat to go on a run through the middleweight division.

Kennedy now has back-to-back wins since losing to Ronaldo Souza and will very likely be given a rematch with the champion if Souza can defeat Luke Rockhold in September 2011.

14. Jason Miller

One of the most entertaining fighters in the business, Jason Miller will now have a chance to prove that he has the skills to back up his antics, as he has landed a spot as coach on the next season of TUF.

With wins over Robbie Lawler and Tim Kennedy, Miller is definitely capable of making some noise in his return to the UFC.

13. Hector Lombard

Undefeated in his last 23 fights, Hector Lombard is beginning to beg for a fight with top competition. When it was announced that Nate Marquardt had been released by the UFC, Lombard was the first to challenge him.

However, Marquardt chose not to sign with Bellator, which leaves Lombard without any elite competition to be matched up against. While it's hard to fault Lombard for his lack of fights against top opponents, it's also unfair to rank him higher than other fighters who have been mixing it up with the best.

12. Wanderlei Silva

Having lost six of his last eight fights, Wanderlei Silva might choose to call it quits after a loss to Chris Leben at UFC 132.

However, Silva is 1-1 at middleweight and holds a fairly recent win over Michael Bisping, so he deserves a spot on this list—for now.

11. Chris Leben

After a disappointing loss to Brian Stann, Chris Leben picked up the biggest wins of his career against Wanderlei Silva. Now, Leben is in an even better position in the division than he had been prior to his loss to Stann.

Next, Leben will compete in the first five-round non-title fight in UFC history; he takes on Mark Munoz at UFC 138.

10. Michael Bisping

Three straight wins since his loss to Wanderlei Silva have Michael Bisping back on track to contend for a middleweight title.

First, Bisping will have to take on the challenge of coaching on TUF, after which he will fight Jason Miller for the season finale.

9. Ronaldo Souza

In comparison with the other champion in the promotion, there seems to be little interest in Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo Souza making the transition to the UFC.

Souza does have wins over Jason Miller, Tim Kennedy and Robbie Lawer. However, Souza was not overly impressive in winning the belt via decision against Kennedy.

8. Brian Stann

With his win over Jorge Santiago, Brian Stann is now undefeated in three fights at middleweight.

Stann will now meet Chael Sonnen in a fight that would seemingly earn the winner a title shot against the winner of a UFC 134 title fight between UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Yushin Okami.

7. Demian Maia

Demian Maia is coming off of a loss to Mark Munoz in his last fight, but the Brazilian showed much-improved striking to go with his excellent ground game in the narrow decision defeat.

Now, Maia will look to bounce back against Jorge Santiago at UFC 136.

6. Mark Munoz

After a win over Demian Maia, Mark Munoz must now be considered one of the best 185-pound fighters in the world. Munoz's only loss at middleweight came in a split decision against top contender Yushin Okami.

Munoz will now compete against Chris Leben in the first ever five-round non-title fight in UFC history.

5. Vitor Belfort

Vitor Belfort is unquestionably the hardest fighter to rank in the middleweight division. Belfort's critics like to point out that he hasn't won a 185-pound fight in the UFC, but there also aren't many middleweights who have finished Rich Franklin in the first round.

Belfort's upcoming fight with Yoshihiro Akiyama will give a much better indication of where Belfort really belongs on the middleweight ladder.

4. Nate Marquardt

Despite the effect his weight cut may have had on his failed medical exam and release from the UFC, Nate Marquardt has expressed his interest in competing at welterweight for his next fight. Until he actually fights at 170 pounds, he will remain on this list, though.

Marquardt has signed an agreement with BAMMA, but it is unknown who his first fight outside of the UFC in more than six years will be against.

3. Yushin Okami

In the last six years, Okami's only losses have come against Chael Sonnen, Rich Franklin and Jake Shields.

Hard-fought wins over Mark Munoz and Nate Marquardt have made Yushin Okami one of the top fighters in the middleweight division. As such, he will challenge Anderson Silva for the UFC title at UFC 134.

2. Chael Sonnen

After a long suspension, Chael Sonnen is finally scheduled to make his return at UFC 136, where he will fight Brian Stann in a fight that could determine the top contender in the middleweight division.

Sonnen was 110 seconds away from becoming UFC middleweight champion in his last fight, so he would surely love to get another shot at Anderson Silva.

1. Anderson Silva

After pulling off an incredible submission to retain his belt against Chael Sonnen, Anderson Silva shut up the critics who said he was declining by knocking out Vitor Belfort in the first round.

Now, Silva will attempt to win his 15th straight fight and defend his title for a ninth-consecutive time against Yushin Okami.

Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. Sean has also had his work featured on UFC.com. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.