Not that long ago, the UFC middleweight division felt stale – Anderson Silva lorded over the 185-pound ranks with an aura of invincibility and the talent to turn aside anyone that advanced on his throne. The venomous “Spider” struck without impunity, decimating the crop of contenders.
For a while, it didn’t seem like that would change, but over the last 18 months, all that has changed.
Chris Weidman claimed the title from Silva, breathing new life into the division and the talent behind the new champion has risen up to make the middleweight ranks an intriguing collective heading into 2015.
Friday night in Sydney, Australia, Luke Rockhold made his case for being the top contender in the division, wiping out Michael Bisping in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 55 main event pairing. After finding his range late in the opening five, the former Strikeforce champion rocked the Brit with a left headkick early in the second, snatching up a guillotine choke as Bisping tried to work back to his feet and finishing from mount along the cage.
The victory was Rockhold’s third straight since suffering a first-round knockout loss to Vitor Belfort in his promotional debut. Each of those victories have come by way of stoppage as well, as the American Kickboxing Academy product has shown his diverse offensive arsenal and keen ability to end a fight whenever he gets his opponent on the ropes.
In dismantling Bisping in Australia, the 30-year-old Californian has stamped himself as an elite contender – one deserving of a championship opportunity – but timing likely dictates that Rockhold will need to fight again in order to cement his standing as the top title challenger.
Rockhold acknowledged as much in his post-fight interview with Dan Hardy, suggesting a second encounter Ronaldo (Jacare) Souza as the only remaining fight that makes sense for him and I couldn’t agree more.
Souza has been impressive since arriving in the UFC, rattling off four consecutive wins (three finishes) to run his winning streak to seven overall. The last time he lost? September 10, 2011 when he dropped the Strikeforce middleweight title to – you guessed it – Rockhold.
They are clearly the top two challengers in the division right now and a rematch between the two – maybe as the third pay-per-view bout on the upcoming UFC 184 fight card? – would position the winner as next in line to challenge for the title.
Plus it would just be a great fight.
Here’s a look at the matchups I would make for some of this weekend’s other main card winners.
Ovince Saint Preux vs Fabio Maldonado
Following his stunning 34-second knockout win over Shogun Rua on Saturday, there will be an urge to put Saint Preux into a major pairing, but that’s hard to do given that he just lost to Ryan Bader in August. That setback should have more impact on his next booking than his win over Rua. As such, a pairing with the durable Brazilian Maldonado makes the most sense.
“The Iron Hillbilly” is ranked in the top 15 and won’t wilt under early pressure. Or mid-fight pressure. Or late pressure. He’ll push Saint Preux and test his conditioning (and chin) while ensuring that a relatively fresh contender emerges.
Al Iaquinta vs Rustam Khabilov/Danny Castillo winner
Iaquinta opened a lot of eyes with his second-round finish of Ross Pearson in Australia. The victory puts him on the fringes of the Top 15 and his next pairing should be one that carries the potential to move into that upper tier in the talent-rich division.
A bout with the Khabilov/Castillo winner would accomplish that, as the former is already ranked in the lower third of the weight class and the latter would be afforded the same distinction (you would think) if he bests the Dagestani grappler later this year.
Robert Whittaker vs Eddie Gordon/Josh Samman winner
Whittaker looked very good in his middleweight debut, using his superior speed and technical striking to earn a second-round finish of Clint Hester on Friday. Just 23-years-old, the TUF: Smashes winner still presents a great deal of upside and a pairing with someone in a comparable position next time out would be a good fit.
Gordon won the middleweight competition on the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter, while Samman was a part of the cast on Season 17. They square off at UFC 181 in early December and the winner would be a sound dance partner for Whittaker as both are emerging talents working their way up the divisional ladder.
Warlley Alves vs Unsigned Sacrificial Lamb
Alves came out on the happy side of a suspect split decision Saturday night against Alan Jouban, but the bigger takeaway from the contest is that the TUF: Brazil winner is nowhere near ready for prime time. He tired quickly after failing to finish Jouban in the early stages of the first round and likely should have been handed his first professional defeat in the contest.
But here’s the thing: Alves has serious star potential in Brazil and the UFC will give him every opportunity to succeed at home. As such, Alves is likely to get a favourable matchup next time out, likely against a newcomer or a lower third welterweight coming off a victory.
Soa Palelei vs Gabriel Gonzaga/Matt Mitrione winner
The singing Australian heavyweight picked up a harder-than-expected victory over Walt Harris on Saturday, pushing his record to 4-1 since returning to the UFC. While he’ll never be confused for a legitimate contender, Palelei has utility in the heavyweight ranks and he should face someone comparable next time out.
Both Gonzaga and Mitrione fit that description – they’re fixtures in the division that likely won’t make a run at the title, but are capable, entertaining fighters. A loss doesn’t hurt any of these athletes and whatever pairing that comes together is a serviceable main card fight for a televised event.