Some divisions have clear pecking orders — a definitive No. 1 contender, spots two through five agreed upon by the consensus based on resumes and recent activity, and a clear divide between those are who “in the mix” and those who are not.
That’s not the case in the UFC middleweight division, however.
Unbeaten prospect Chris Weidman has earned the title of “top contender” by surviving a war of attrition. After many said he wasn’t quite ready to face Anderson Silva after his second-round TKO win over Mark Munoz last summer, everyone else who had a shot at claiming the top spot in the division has come up short, leaving the 9-0 Serra-Longo Fight Team member as the last man standing. This July, he’ll be standing across the cage from Silva in a battle for UFC gold.
After Weidman, everything is wide open and up for debate, and that’s a good thing for both the UFC and the fans.
Saturday’s main event participants Vitor Belfort and Luke Rockhold are very much in the discussion in the upper echelon of the 185-pound ranks.
Belfort has won three straight at the middleweight limit since his UFC 127 loss to Silva, and his only other setback was an impromptu light-heavyweight title shot last fall where he nearly submitted Jon Jones in the opening round before eventually being submitted by the dominant champion. With a victory over Rockhold this weekend in his native Brazil, “The Phenom” could make a case for getting another crack at the belt in the near future.
You could argue Rockhold would have an even stronger case if he were able to defeat Belfort in his UFC debut. A victory would push his winning streak to double digits, including his Strikeforce title win over Ronaldo (Jacare) Souza and successful defences against Keith Jardine and Tim Kennedy. He’s young, talented, and highly marketable — all things that could put the Santa Cruz, Calif., native into the title conversation after this weekend.
But this weekend’s main event competitors are far from the only names in the conversation, and that makes the division so compelling heading into the summer.
It wasn’t that long ago that Silva had seemingly cleaned out the weight class and moved up to take fights at light heavyweight in order to give the UFC a chance to replenish the ranks. Now the 185-pound division is among the deepest in the organization, with a top 10 that could be slotted any number of ways, and the only objections you could make would be on the basis of personal preference. And there is more talent waiting beyond the top 10 as well, with an intriguing mix of established veterans and new, emerging competitors all jockeying for position.
Saturday was originally scheduled to feature another match-up pitting two top-ranked middleweights against each other, but an injury forced Costa Philippou from welcoming the aforementioned “Jacare” to the UFC. The former Strikeforce champ has earned a trio of wins since losing the title to Rockhold in September 2011, and he only needs a strong showing to cement himself as a viable threat in the division.
In lieu of Philippou’s injury, Chris Camozzi moved up the fight card to the co-main event, giving the former Ultimate Fighter contestant that has quietly won four straight heading into the weekend a chance to insert himself into the conversation with a victory. The possibility that the former TUF contestant who was once released by the UFC can enter the top 10 with a win is emblematic of the depth of talent within the division.
A handful of familiar names and perennial contenders are still vying for their place in the pecking order heading into the summer.
Michael Bisping bounced back from his loss to Belfort with a quality performance against Alan Belcher last month at UFC 159, and former title challenger Yushin Okami has earned three straight wins to solidify his place in the upper tier of the 185-pound ranks. A healthy Philippou will be back in the contender conversation by the fall, and as will the winner of the upcoming fight between Tim Boetsch and Mark Munoz, which takes place on the same UFC 162 fight card as the middleweight title fight between Silva and Weidman.
Even if he were to come up short this weekend, Camozzi would remain on the fringes of contention, which has turned into quite a populous locale in recent months.
Alan Belcher is there after having dropped back-to-back fights to Bisping and Okami. So too is former Bellator champ Hector Lombard, who is 1-2 in his first three UFC appearances. Strikeforce crossovers Roger Gracie and Tim Kennedy reside there as well, and are the third of four middleweight bouts set for UFC 162 in July; the fourth features Chris Leben taking on Andrew Craig.
Francis Carmont, who trains at the Tristar Gym in Montreal, is part of the conversation in the 185-pound ranks as well, having won five straight inside the Octagon and 10 consecutive contests overall. Brian Stann’s last fight might have been at light heavyweight, but he too is part of the collection of competitors battling for position in the middleweight division, as is former Strikeforce champ Cung Le, should he opt to return to the cage.
Even with the various middleweight match-ups already lined up for future events, there are plenty of combinations for UFC matchmaker Joe Silva to play with in the coming months in an effort to establish a clearer pecking order in the 185-pound weight class.
The fact that there are numerous possibilities is exciting for fans, and should result in some quality bouts being put together in the second half of 2013.
Most importantly, it’s a far cry from the days of the 185-pound ranks being devoid of challengers, and Anderson Silva was looking for ways to stay busy. Now the champion has a serious test in front of him this summer, and there are plenty of other title hopefuls who will continue to jockey for position going forward.
Don’t look now, but the middleweight division just might be the most interesting weight class in the UFC.