411 MMA Rankings 12.29.09: Middleweight Division

Posted by Jonathan Solomon on 12.29.2009

411 ends 2009 with a look at the best middleweight fighters in the world. Anderson Silva continues to reign supreme with an iron fist. while Dan Henderson could not beat him, but can he defeat Jake Shields? See where Kazuo Misaki is ranked prior to his fight with Melvin Manhoef on New Year's Eve.

Welcome to another edition of 411mania's MMA Rankings as we close the year with a look at the men who cannot touch Anderson Silva. That's the honesty talking, and while we're being frank, does anyone think Jake Shields can defeat Dan Henderson? Really, Henderson is a bigger, stronger, better wrestler and DEFINITELY a better striker. Sadly for Henderson, the only way the name by "#1" will be different in the future is if someone can beat Anderson Silva. That means, the task lies in the fists of Vitor Belfort.

Jacare Souza made his Strikeforce debut earlier this month and looked phenomenal in taking care of Matt Lindland. Speaking of Lindland, he's had quite the bookends to 2009. He began the year by being viciously knocked out by Belfort and ended the year by being forced to tap out by Souza. Jacare has challenged Shields but realizes he may have to fight Jason Miller again.

The big K-1/DREAM New Year's Eve show is just hours away and the only big middleweight fight has only recently been confirmed. Kazuo Misaki will fight Strikeforce-bound knockout artist Melvin Manhoef. Needless to say, this fight should be all kinds of exciting because you can bank on the fact it will finish early.

The schedule for top middleweights in the new year is bare until February. The UFC will showcase the division as top contender Nate Marquardt will fight Chael Sonnen and Demian Maia will fight Dan Miller. Meanwhile, Anderson Silva only recently began training after surgery so do not expect to see him fight again until the spring.


Before we get started this week, since this is the final edition of 411 MMA Rankings of 2009, let's take a look at how the middleweight rankings changed over the past twelve months. Anderson Silva and Dan Henderson remained as the top two dogs in the division with almost no question as to either man's placement. Yushin Okami and Robbie Lawler were once top-five fighters but neither man had much to celebrate in 2009. Gegard Mousasi came into his own as a middleweight but has since decided he likes to eat too much and continues to have success, only at light heavyweight. Nate Marquardt has been one of the biggest movers as he is now considered a top-three fighter in the division. Yoshihiro Akiyama made his UFC debut this year and won his only fight of the year and has not moved in either direction. Thales Leites made the biggest drop as he entered 2009 as one of the biggest UFC competitors with a five-plus winning streak. Who knew he would go on to have one of the worst fights of 2009 in his loss to Anderson Silva. Leites was a top-ten fighter and now, he's not even ranked.

Sengoku's champion, Jorge Santiago fought twice during the year and dropped a few spots after being knocked out in November. Kazuo Misaki, who lost to Santiago in January, returned to his winning ways during the year and saw a minor drop. Vitor Belfort had one of the largest rises as he went from a fringe ranked fighter to a top-five fighter after his impressive win over Rich Franklin. Michael Bisping and Frank Trigg each were ranked at the beginning of the year, but are no unranked. Trigg moved back to welterweight while Bisping was humbled by Dan Henderson. The last two movers on the list include Demian Maia and Jacare Souza. Both submission specialists rose HIGH this year and promise to be players in 2010 for their respective promotions.

All that goes to show, you never know who will be a ranked fighter in twelve months. Looking at the current list below, which fighters would you peg to lose a fight or two and drop? Perhaps you see some potential in a fighter who is not ranked, who do you think will make a valiant rise?

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FEEDBACK to Last Week's PFP Rankings


no love for brock lesnar?
Posted By: KillaSham
Not in the PFP list.


i'm sorry, but Jake Shields hasn't beat any top-10 fighters ever. how does beating top-20 guys earn you the #15 spot on the P4P ranking?
Posted By: dale
Jake Shields is ranked coming off his middleweight championship victory last month. Argue with it but the man has an impressive career. In his career, he has wins over Sakurai, Condit and Okami. Recently, he has wins over Nick Thompson, Paul Daley, Robbie Lawler and Jason Miller. Of the latter, the only time he was even close to losing a fight was when Miller had him in the choke near the end of round three. Good performances in separate weight classes, we're not crazy for ranking him here.


I kept going down, it was PERFECT, I mean dead set what I have for 1-14 .... Then number 15 came up and I laughed.

Shields OVER... Faber, Florian, Aoki (who I don't even like but the consensus #2 Lightweight in the world), Alvarez, Fitch, Alves, Nate the Great, Nick Diaz, Vitor, Rampage and Evans. You have to be kidding me.

Posted By: Brad
Wow. Shields is not the most popular (or entertaining) fighter in the land, but he's not a joke either. His mix of wrestling and jiu-jitsu is dangerous.


Where's Mir?? He did get a TKO over Nog. Who cares if he's a douche, he can f'n fight. Good lists, it's nice to get a dabate going.

Posted By: jorge cantaloupe santiago jr.
Good question. Mir has not received a vote in our P4P voting in a long time. Why? I'm not sure but perhaps he should receive some support because his jiu-jitsu is great. I would venture a guess that most saw Mir as a one-dimensional guy. His boxing has improved over the past year so if he continues to win, you may see him in the future.


Man Fedor should be number 1.

Posted By: Scottyieoittie
Don't take this as a slight against Fedor, because it is not. Brett Rogers did a ton of damage against Fedor, including busting his nose open. Needless to say, Anderson Silva and GSP are much better strikers and overall fighters than Brett Rogers. Putting Fedor in the #1 spot is not as easy as you may think.


Well since most of the people who've commented so far dissaprove of Shields being ranked in the P4P rankings, I'll just say this now: do your homework.

-The man is ranked at WW and MW
-He has held 4 titles in 4 different companies and the only belt he ever lost was the Shooto belt
-He is undefeated since 2004 and I guess Carlos Condit, Paul Daley, Robbie Lawler and Mayhem Miller aren't good competition huh?
-How bout Hayato Sakurai, Charuto Verissiom, Yushin Okami or Dave Menne?

There is a reason this man is included in the P4P rankings and it's simple, he's one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world?

Posted By: SedlockIHCC
That is a good case for ranking Shields, no doubt.


Fedor should be number 1. I hear are the talk of he's not in the UFC no challenges BLAH BLAH but the fact is even the get caught with a punch from time to time. Just ask GSP oh but what Fedor never has.

Posted By: pikey(guest)



For some reason, the 'rules' assume that everyone is the same size/ weight and who would win based on skill alone.... and completely ignore that Brock's extreme size and weight ARE a skill.

But then, if it weren't for his size and strength, Lesner would never have been able to take Mir down, completely immobilize him, while still leaving one of his own arms free to rain down hammer fists (twice) until Frank was a bloody pulp. Since it was obviously just his extra weight... no actual skill is needed to do that to a BJJ black belt.

Of course, if everyone was the same size, would GSP still be as good as he is- without his obvious weight advantage over his class? ...or Anderson Silva for that matter?

P4P should assume everyone is within the same weight class... not the same size. If a fighter is able to come into a fight bigger and stronger then his opponents - and still be within the set limits, that shouldn't be discounted here.

Even if you were to discount his weight advantage though, he'd still be stronger, faster, and a better wrestler then almost anyone else on this list.
Posted By: cyks
The whole pount of pound-for-pound is this: think of ranking Jose Aldo and Brock Lesnar in the mystical P4P category. Obviously if you consider them as is, Brock Lesnar would likely demolish Aldo due to the size differential. Aldo is 5'7 and 145-pounds on a good day. Lesnar is 6'3 and fights at over 270-pounds. I don't have to analyze those stats. However, imagine both men are the same height and same weight but all their skills transfer over regardless of size. Jose Aldo's lightning fast striker, tremendous wrestling defense and jiu-jitsu skills would pose a very difficult match-up in that case. That is just one exmaple.


You must be smoking monkey poll if you put Jake Shields in at 15 over Brock,fitch,Bisping,maynard, or even Kimbo would fit 15 better than Jake fucking Fake shields.
Posted By: chewb
So THAT'S what that smell is around the office?


Wow, a bunch of interesting choices... no love for Mir? but love for Big Nog?

Hmmm interesting choices, but Silva has to be #1 with his dominance over two divisions ... If only Shogun had won, we could see him go after dual beltage.
Posted By: DoctorOfStyle
There is still time for Anderson Silva to make a run at the 205-pounds championship. You never know...as long as Machida or Rogerio Nogueira are not the title holders.


I dont get how shogun is below macheater,when shogun beat him.
Posted By: Showster
Regardless of what you think, Lyoto Machida is still the champion because he won the fight.


The problem with this whole "Pound for pound" thing that everyone loves to throw around is that it means absolutely nothing until you find a shrink ray that can shrink GSP down to Baby Jay's size. I mean, really, you're arguing over abstracts here - none of this can really be proven.
Posted By: mike34ism
Correct! Hell, Fedor will never fight Brock Lesnar, but we still rank them in the heavyweight division.


BJ Penn should be 3#, with Fedor at 4#. Fedor got taken down and ground n pounded by Brett Rogers who is at best a mid-level fighter. Rogers arguably even won the round! Can anyone really see that happening to Penn at the hands of someone other than GSP and at 155?! That would be the equivilant of a Joe Stevenson putting a beating on Penn and that is giving Rogers A LOT of credit as Joe is a great fighter. I know Fedor has had some great fights but he needs to step up his level of competition.
Posted By: bob-o
Fedor is not fighting scrubs. His competition level is just fine in my eyes. If someone wants to argue that B.J. Penn's competition level may not be so great, you can make the case. However, Brett Rogers was doing well in that fight before getting knocked out.


This is actually a very good list. People can complain about Shields all they want, the fact of the matter is that he hasn't lost in over 4 years and has beaten solid opponents like Lawler, Mayhem and Semtex in 2 weight classes.
Posted By: Diavo
Preach on brother Diavo.


Interesting how there's one UFC heavyweight on the list and it's *NOT* the champion.

Especially when the guy on the list had the same opportunity to win the title as the current champ.

I'm just saying.
Posted By: Ryan
I have not seen anyone make an argument that Big Nog's skills have evaporated. He is still considered one of the most dangerous fighters in the world. He just had one bad night.


Shields - Hasn't beaten a top 10 at any weight
Mousasi - Hasn't beaten a top 10 at any weight

Little Nog and Mousasi up there with Rashad not on it makes no sense.

Big Nog without Mir, also no sense. He just got finished by Mir. How does beating a man who needs a walker to get to the cage make him the 10th best pound for pound.

But my favorite part of this list is how Henderson, without fighting, moves up five spots from last month just by signing with Strikeforce. Proves the point that was so adamantly denied that UFC fighters get ranked lower for simply being in the UFC despite the fact they fight better competition in there.

Posted By: KSti
Big Nog is a scrub now? When did this happen?

Dan Henderson did move up from 14 to 9. You failed to mention: Big Nog moved up, while WEC's Miguel Torres dropped and Urijah Faber dropped off completely.

Shields is at 15 this month. At the time he beat him, Robbie Lawler was considered a top middleweight (top 10 exactly, I'm not sure). He had impressive wins over Paul Daley and Nick Thompson and just outclassed Mayhem Miller to win a belt in a second weight class. You don't think he deserves a mention?

Besides, you have to love that "UFC hate" going on. Damn Anderson Silva, GSP, Penn and Machida taking up four of the top five spots. Damn us and our UFC hate!


Where's Faber and Brock? Shogun is there but not either of those guys? I just don't get it.
Posted By: King Durin
Urijah Faber finally dropped. I think it was a case of the numbers game playing against Faber. This was the first P4P rankings since Jose Aldo defeated Mike Brown. It would be tough to rank 3 featherweights when Faber has lost twice to Mike Brown and Brown just lost to Aldo.


Gotta love that :

- vs. Michael Bisping - Win via KTFO (punch of doom)

Anyway. Great list. Thanks Jeffrey Harris for having the cojones to put Fedor down to #4. My memory is a little foggy, but....wasn't The Natural ranked on this last time? If he was, nice job booting him off. Much like Liddell, his time has come - and gone
Posted By: GeeSpotter
Couture has not been ranked for several months, the exact number, I'm not positive. I guess the Couture love parade never made it down your block.


GSP is way to high, please don't forget he's a greezy cheata....
and please for the love of everything (anything) stop mentioning him fighting Anderson Silva, never going to happen. GSP would get slaughtered, even he knows that...
Posted By: phil
Could it be? A Penn from Boston? Anyway, GSP did not defeat B.J. Penn this year because he may have had some grease on his shoulders. He dominated B.J. Penn from bell to bell. Simply put.


Shields shouldn't be anywhere near this list. He hasn't fought anyone. Shouldn't quality of opposition count for something? If so get Fedor down the list. He hasn't beaten anyone.

Everyone always said back in Pride Days that their heavyweight division wasn't nothing, so Fedor beats the top 2 guys from that time period, and he still the man? No he hasn't beaten anyone of note is quite awhile. And where the freak is Mir?

Also Mousasi isn't nothing. Look at the trouble he had with his last fight.
This list is busted.
Posted By: Jeremy
I don't think anyone has beaten anyone worth a damn to be honest. ;)

Hold on, Gegard Mousasi struggled against Sokoudjou? There must be an alternate dimension I'm not aware of.


woot BJ is at number in top 4 where he belongs.. but i think he should be 3 and fedor should be 4..

honestly out of the top 4, FEDOR as of his pass 2 fights has been TAKING WAY TO MUCH PUNISHMENT and holy wins by a hail mary right hand.. technical or not? its not as impressive dominants like SILVA, GSP, and BJ in their last fights..

silv, gsp, and BJ look like gods compared to their division,.. fedor might be but he sure looks defeatable 90% of the fight ..

so ya, i'd drop him down to 4 just on the mere fact that his last two fights weren't as impressive as the other top 3, but im not knockin on his pass achievments but hey these things get updated for a reason right?
Posted By: wylun
Fedor has made a career of getting knocked loopy...then coming back quickly to knock out his opponents. Think of him like a MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH more dangerous, Russian version of Scott Smith...before Scott Smith made it famous.


what the hell is wrong with this list, the nogueria bros???? Jake Shields??? Even Mousassi is questionable.... and y isnt Rampage or Rashad on this list?
Posted By: RP
Rampage has not fought since March when he could not even finish Keith Jardine. Rashad Evans has not received much love in the P4P rankings, why? Good question.


Brock shouldn't touch this list for several reasons:

1. He's only had 5 fights, one of which is a loss...hardly a legacy

2. He hasn't, other than Mir twice, fought a top 5 ranked Heavyweight, therefore making his other fights appear to be tomato cans (you are all high if you think Couture had even a slight shot against Brock)

3. A lot of these fighters fight at different weight classes and destroy their opponents (the reason why Jake Shields is on the list...I mean fuck, the guy has won his last, what, 13 fights? That's pretty impressive)

4. Why would they freshly rank someone who'd not even going to be active for the forseeable future?

The rankings are fine...what really fails are the morons in the comments section.
Posted By: Ramsey
Sorry, but you left yourself wide open. "what really fails are the morons in the comments section."


Didn't Rampage beat Hendu?

Arguing about the top 4 seems silly - they all of dominated their weigt classes for some time now. To me GSP should be #4 because he lost in his weight class most recently. And I know he crushed BJ - but in reality they weren't and aren't the same size.

After that things get interesting. I think Rampage,Rashad and Florian got disrespected and should be ranked.

Shogun, Mousasi, Hendu and the Nog's are ranked too high.

Shields shouldn't be ranked. Yes he has won 13 fights in a row. But against whom that is considered top competition? Condit, Lawler and Okami are good fighters - but no where near elite. Jon Fitch destroys Shields. No doubt in my mind. Remember Brock Larson's win streak? No one was clamoring for him to be ranked. Well, maybe Csonka.....
Posted By: MJH
I don't understand the Mousasi hate. He has been successful at middleweight and light heavyweight. He has lost once since 2006 and has wins over Hector Lombard, Denis Kang, Jacare Souza, Babalu Sobral and Sokoudjou. He has finished all but two fights during that stretch, too.

Would Fitch destroy Shields? I'd agree, the Purdue product is almost definitely a better wrestler, but FItch has not destroyed anyone in a long time.


top 4 are correct...fedor can be higher he just needs to get his As s in the ufc to prove himself... machida blows and is only ranked so high because owns a ufc belt,the only belt up for grabs in the ufc btw(shouldn't even own it) Sheilds will fall right off this list after he meets the punch of doom, big nog no doubt one of the greastest fighters of all time...but not one of the greatest right now and you will all see that after he looses to cain. no mir? crazy. no brock? f'n crazy. now back to fedor... some of other ppls comments shocked me. fought no1? arlovski may not be the same arlovski but still amazing and hung man choi or w.e his name is.... how many ufc heavey weights could beat that huge mutha...
w.e tho your list not mine...decent....besides sheilds SOOOO GAY
Posted By: MikeyH
I'm sorry, I didn't know Machida sucked. In fact, he is one of only two fighters ranked to be undefeated (he's 16-0). Machida is no scrub. You think Velasquez will walk right through Big Nog? Interesting, but until I see it, I can't predict that. Besides the wrestler/wrestler fights involving Brock and Carwin, Big Nog and Mir should give Velasquez the biggest test.


Weighing the same does make you the same size. If GSP gained 90 lbs and challenged Brock Lesnar would he be the same size. GSP is a natural 170 pounder. Bj is a natural 155 pounder. If GSP every goes up and fights the Spider and gets killed I will say the same thing. That's what makes Silva tooling a guy who beat Rampage and Shogun so impressive.
Posted By: MJH
I'm confused. There is a difference in cutting to make weight, then putting it all back on before a man steps into the cage. Georges St. Pierre is probably closer to 185 when he fights. Silva is around 200 (I think his walk-around wait is up near 220). Thiago Alves famously put on at least 20 extra pounds when he fought Josh Koscheck.



Thank you for all the comments, now lets hope the new year brings you all to your senses.

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Middleweight Rankings From One Year Ago (12/18/2008)

1. Anderson Silva

2. Dan Henderson

3. Robbie Lawler

4. Yushin Okami

5. Matt Lindland

6. Gegard Mousasi

7. Nate Marquardt

8. Jacare Souza

9. Yoshihiro Akiyama

10. Denis Kang

11. Kazuo Misaki

12. Thales Leites

13. Frank Trigg

14. Michael Bisping

15. Demian Maia

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THE CREW

The 411 MMA staff have decided to pull back the curtain and reveal the great 411 Oz and show you who voted for who.

So here are the nuts and bolts, the breakdown of the rankings from your favorite 411 MMA personalities:

Daniel Bonnizzio 1) Anderson Silva 2) Dan Henderson 3) Nate Marquardt 4) Vitor Belfort 5) Demian Maia 6) Jake Shields 7) Jacare 8) Sexyama 9) Chael Sonnen 10) Yushin Okami 11) Robbie Lawler 12) Kazuo Misaki 13) Mamed Khalidov 14) Jorge Santiago 15) Rousimar Palhares	Scott Kuczkowski 1. Anderson Silva 2. Dan Henderson 3. Nate Marquardt 4. Vitor Belfort 5. Jake Shields 6. Jacare Souza 7. Yoshishiro Akiyama 8. Chael Sonnen 9. Demian Maia 10. Nick Diaz 11. Robbie Lawler 12. Yushin Okami 13. Jorge Santiago 14. Mayhem Miller 15. Michael Bisping	Samer Kadi 1-Anderson Silva 2-Dan Henderson 3-Nate Marquardt 4-Vitor Belfort 5-Yoshihiro Akiyama 6-Demian Maia 7-Jake Shields 8-Jacare Souza 9-Chael Sonnen 10-Yushin Okami 11-Kazuo Misaki 12-Robbie Lawler 13-Michael Bisping 14-Jorge Santiago 15-Khalidov
Todd Bergmann 1. Anderson Silva 2. Nate Marquardt 3. Dan Henderson 4. Vitor Belfort 5. Jake Shields 6. Demian Maia 7. Chael Sonnen 8. Robbie Lawler 9. Jacare 10. Yushin Okami 11. Sexiyama 12. Paulo Filho 13. Mamed Khalidov 14. Dan Miller 15. Jorge Santiago	Larry Csonka 1. Anderson Silva 2. Dan Henderson 3. Nate Marquardt 4. Vitor Belfort 5. Jake Shields 6. Jacare Souza 7. Yoshishiro Akiyama 8. Chael Sonnen 9. Demian Maia 10. Nick Diaz 11. Robbie Lawler 12. Yushin Okami 13. Jorge Santiago 14. Mayhem Miller 15. Michael Bisping	Jonathan Solomon 1. Anderson Silva 2. Dan Henderson 3. Nate Marquardt 4. Vitor Belfort 5. Jake Shields 6. Jacare Souza 7. Akiyama 8. Kazuo Misaki 9. Chael Sonnen 10. Mamed Khalidov 11. Jorge Santiago 12. Yushin Okami 13. Hector Lombard 14. Demian Maia 15. Robbie Lawler

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411's MMA Ranking Rules

- A fighter must fight at least once within the past calendar year to be ranked. The rule applies to weight classes as well so fighters must stay active inside their native weight class. However, if a fighter has a fight scheduled, they are eligible to be ranked.

- If a fighter appears on just one single ballot, and in the top ten, five points shall be deducted to balance out between other fighters who may have been ranked lower, but appeared on more total ballots.

- If you wish to complain about a fighter's ranking in the comments section, then please include an objective reason as to why you don't like the ranking, and include your own set of rankings if you would!

- 411's MMA Rankings are voted on by the staff of 411mania. If you wish to duel over any ranking, contact me and we can work something out. I may be busy but I am almost positive 411's resident Tool is available for such occasions. If not, a comment below can serve you just as well.



* denotes a statistical tie





411's Official MMA Rankings: Middleweight Division

Middleweight Division (185 pounds)






1) Anderson Silva (25-4)

Height: 6'2

Birthday: April 14, 1975

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Forrest Griffin - Win via KO (punch) - UFC 101: Declaration - August 8, 2009

- vs. Thales Leites - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 97: Redemption - April 18, 2009

- vs. Patrick Cote - Win via TKO (injured knee) - UFC 90: Silva vs. Cote - October 25, 2008

- vs. James Irvin - Win via KO (punches) - UFC: Fight Night 14 - July 19, 2008

- vs. Dan Henderson - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC 82: Pride of a Champion - March 1, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- Unknown

Comment: Silva has begun training for the first time since having his elbow operated on. Although nothing is official yet, it seems he is on track to return by the spring.

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2) Dan Henderson (25-7)

Height: 6'1

Birthday: August 24, 1970

Currently Fighting With: Strikeforce

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Michael Bisping - Win via KO (punches) - UFC 100 - July 11, 2009

- vs. Rich Franklin - Win via decision (split) - UFC 93: Franklin vs. Henderson - January 17, 2009

- vs. Rousimar Palhares - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 88: Breakthrough - September 6, 2008

- vs. Anderson Silva - Loss via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC 82: Pride of a Champion - March 1, 2008

- vs. Quinton Jackson - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion - September 8, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Jake Shields - Strikeforce on CBS - April 2010 (rumored fight)

Comment: Henderson's first fight under the Strikeforce banner will be on the CBS show in April. All signs point to a match-up against reigning champion Jake Shields.

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3) Nathan Marquardt (29-8-2)

Height: 6'1

Birthday: April 20, 1979

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Damian Maia - Win via KO (punch) - UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira - August 29, 2009

- vs. Wilson Gouveia - Win by TKO (strikes) - UFC 95: Sanchez vs. Stevenson - February 21, 2009

- vs. Martin Kampmann - Win via TKO (punches) - UFC 88: Breakthrough - September 6, 2008

- vs. Thales Leites - Loss via decision (split) - UFC 85: Bedlam - June 7, 2008

- vs. Jeremy Horn - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - UFC 81: Breaking Point - February 2, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Chael Sonnen - UFC 110 - February 21, 2010

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4) Vitor Belfort (19-8)

Height: 6'0

Birthday: January 4, 1977

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Rich Franklin - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC 103: Belfort vs. Franklin - September 19, 2009

- vs. Matt Lindland - Win via KO (punches) - Affliction: Day Of Reckoning - January 24, 2009

- vs. Terry Martin - Win via KO (punches) - Affliction: Banned - July 19, 2008

- vs. James Zikic - Win via decision (unanimous) - Cage Rage 23 - September 22, 2007

- vs. Ivan Serati - Win via TKO (punces) - Cage Rage 21 - April 21, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- Unknown

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5) Jake Shields (24-4-1)

Height: 5'11

Birthday: January 9, 1979

Currently Fighting With: Strikeforce

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Jason Miller - Win via decision (unanimous) - Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers - November 7, 2009

- vs. Robbie Lawler - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - Strikeforce on Showtime - June 6, 2009

- vs. Paul Daley - Win via submission (armbar) - EliteXC "Heat" - October 4, 2008

- vs. Nick Thompson - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - EliteXC: Unfinished Business - July 26, 2008

- vs. Mike Pyle - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - EliteXC: Renegade - November 10, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Dan Henderson - Strikeforce on CBS - April 2010 (rumored fight)

Comment: Shields has fought several large names over his ten-year fight career. He has fought people such as Hayato Sakurai, Kazuo Misaki, Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, Nick Thompson, Paul Daley, Robbie Lawler and Mayhem Miller. If Shields does fight Henderson in April, it would be his most difficult fight to date, period.

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6) Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza (11-2)

Height: 6'0

Currently Fighting With: Strikeforce

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Matt Lindland - Win via submission (Arm Triangle choke) - Strikeforce: Evolution - December 19, 2009

- vs. Jason Miller - No Contest (Souza received a cut from an illegal kick) - DREAM 9: Featherweight Grand Prix Second Round 2009 - May 26, 2009

- vs. Gegard Mousasi - Loss via KO (upkick) - DREAM 6: Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 - September 23, 2008

- vs. Zelg Galesic - Win via submission (arm bar) - DREAM 6: Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 - September 23, 2008

- vs. Jason Miller - Win via decision (unanimous) - DREAM 4: Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 - June 15, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- Unknown

Comment: Jacare looked impressive (to say the least) in his Strikeforce debut ten days ago. He is a name to watch in the new year as Strikeforce's middleweight division has improved a lot.

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7) Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-1)

Height: 5'10

Birthday: July 29, 1975

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Alan Belcher - Win via decision (split) - UFC 100 - July 11, 2009

- vs. Masanori Tonooka - Win via submission (arm bar) - DREAM 6: Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 - September 23, 2008

- vs. Katsuyori Shibata - Win via submission (GI choke) - DREAM 5: Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 - July 21, 2008

- vs. Kazuo Misaki - No contest (Akiyama KO'd by illegal kick) - Yarennoka - New Year's Eve 2007 - December 31, 2007

- vs. Denis Kang - Win via KO (punch) - K1 Olympia HERO's 2007 in Korea - October 28, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- Unknown

Comment: For reasons unknown, Akiyama will not fight Wanderlei Silva in Australia (instead, Michael Bisping has been booked to fight Silva). When Sexiyama will return to the octagon, that's a question unanswered at this point.

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8) Demian Maia (10-1)

Height: 6'0

Birthday: November 6, 1977

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Nate Marquardt - Loss via KO (punch) - UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira - August 29, 2009

- vs. Chael Sonnen - Win via submission (triangle choke) - UFC 95: Sanchez vs. Stevenson - February 21, 2009

- vs. Nate Quarry - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC 91: Couture vs. Lesnar - November 15, 2008

- vs. Jason MacDonald - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC 87: Seek And Destroy - August 9, 2008

- vs. Ed Herman - Win via technical submission (triangle choke) - UFC 83: Serra vs. St. Pierre II - April 19, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Dan Miller - UFC 109 - February 6, 2010

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9) Chael Sonnen (24-10-1)

Height: 6'1

Birthday: April 3, 1977

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Yushin Okami - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 104: Machida vs. Shogun - October 24, 2009

- vs. Dan Miller - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida - May 23, 2009

- vs. Demian Maia - Loss via submission (Triangle Choke) - UFC 95: Stevenson vs. Sanchez - February 20, 2009

- vs. Paulo Filho - Win via decision (unanimous) - WEC 36 - November 5, 2008

- vs. Bryan Baker - Win via decision (unanimous) - WEC 33 - MArch 26, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Nate Marquardt - UFC 110 - February 21, 2010

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10) Yushin Okami (23-5)

Height: 6'2

Birthday: July 21, 1981

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Chael Sonnen - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC 104: Machida vs. Shogun - October 24, 2009

- vs. Dean Lister - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 92: Ultimate 2008 - December 27, 2008

- vs. Evan Tanner - Win via KO (knee) - UFC 82: Pride of a Champion - March 1, 2008

- vs. Jason MacDonald - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 77: Hostile Territory - October 20, 2007

- vs. Rich Franklin - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC 72: Victory - June 16, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- Unknown

Comment: Despite losing to Sonnen in October, Okami has recently trained with him to help prepare Chael for his upcoming fight with Nate Marquardt.

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11) Robbie Lawler (16-5)

Height: 5'11

Currently Fighting With: Strikeforce

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Jake Shields - Loss via submission (rear naked choke) - Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields - June 6, 2009

- vs. Scott Smith - Win via TKO (kicks and punches) - EliteXC: Unfinished Business - July 26, 2008

- vs. Scott Smith - No contest (thumb in the eye) - EliteXC: Primetime - May 31, 2008

- vs. Murilo Rua - Win via TKO (strikes) - EliteXC: Uprising - September 15, 2007

- vs. Frank Trigg - Win via KO (strikes) - ICON Sport: Epic - March 31, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- Unknown

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12) Kazuo Misaki (22-9-2)

Height: 5'10

Birthday: April 25, 1976

Currently Fighting With: Sengoku, Strikeforce

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - Sengoku 9 - August 2, 2009

- vs. Jorge Santiago - Loss via technical submission (rear-naked choke) - Sengoku 7: no Ran 2009 - January 4, 2009

- vs. Joe Riggs - Win via TKO (punches) - Strikeforce "Playboy Mansion II" - September 20, 2008

- vs. Logan Clark - Win via decision (unanimous) - World Victory Road: Sengoku 3 - June 8, 2008

- vs. Siyar Bahadurzada - Win via submission (guillotine) - World Victory Road: Sengoku - March 5, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Melvin Manhoef - K-1 Dynamite!! 2009 - December 31, 2009

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13) Jorge Santiago (21-8)

Height: 6'1

Currently Fighting With: Sengoku

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Mamed Khalidov - Loss via KO - Sengoku 11 - November 7, 2009

- vs. Kazuo Misaki - Win via technical submission (rear-naked choke) - Sengoku 7: no Ran 2009 - January 4, 2009

- vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura - Win via TKO (punches) - Sengoku 6 - November 1, 2008

- vs. Siyar Bahadurzada - Win via submission (heel hook) - Sengoku 6 - November 1, 2008

- vs. Logan Clark - Win via submission (arm-triangle choke) - Sengoku 5 - September 28, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- Unknown

Comment: Santiago moves up above Khalidov for the first time since the latter has been ranked.

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14) Mamed Khalidov (20-3-1)

Height: 6'0

Birthday: 1981

Currently Fighting With: Sengoku

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Jorge Santiago - Win via KO - Sengoku 11 - November 7, 2009

- vs. Daniel Acacio - Win via KO - KSW XI - May 15, 2009

- vs. Jason Guida - Win via TKO - ShoXC: Challengers Series - October 10, 2008

- vs. Daniel Tabera - DRAW - KSW: Extra - September 13, 2008

- vs. Valdas Pocevicius - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - KSW 9: Konfrontacja - May 9, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- Unknown

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15) Paulo Filho (18-1)

Height: 5'8

Birthday: May 24, 1978

Currently Fighting With: Bitetti Combat

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Tatsuhiko Nishizaka - Win via submission (Kimura) - Bitetti Combat MMA 5 - December 12, 2009

- vs. Alex Schoenauer - Win via decision (unanimous) - Bitetti Combat MMA 4 - September 12, 2009

- vs. Melvin Manhoef - Win via submission (Armbar) - DREAM 10 Welterweight Grand Prix 2009 Final Round - July 20, 2009

- vs. Chael Sonnen - Loss via decision (unanimous) - WEC 36: Faber vs. Brown - November 5, 2008

- vs. Chael Sonnen - Win via submission (Armbar) - WEC 31: Faber vs. Curran - December 12, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- Unknown






Closing Comments: Others receiving votes include Hector Lombard, Mayhem Miller, Dan Miller, Michael Bisping and Rousimar Palhares.

Despite receiving two votes, I made a late decision regarding Nick Diaz. Although he is promoted as both a welterweight and middleweight by Strikeforce, never technically fought at middleweight. Since 2008, Diaz has fought at lightweight and catchweights of 179 and 180. He is returning to the welterweight division when he fights for the championship next month.




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