For a number of years, the UFC middleweight division felt like a bit of a wasteland – a weight class caught between deep and talented divisions and lacking the same kind of intrigued as we routinely got from the welterweight and light heavyweight ranks.
Part of that was probably because Anderson Silva made it look so easy.
Even on those rare occasions where someone pushed “The Spider,” the longest reigning champion in UFC history invariably came away with the win, and there were never any real moments where you thought, “You know, this could be the guy to unseat Silva.”
Then came Chris Weidman and his championship matchup with Silva at UFC 162, and everything changed. Not just because the Serra-Longo Fight Team member knocked Silva from the perch atop the division that he’d maintained since UFC 64 on Oct. 14, 2006 either.
While a changing of the guard at the top of the division certainly creates renewed interest in the division – and sets up one of the most highly anticipated rematches in UFC history ¬– the weight class as a whole has experienced a transformation over the last calendar year, with several new contenders emerging, and even more on their way.
Given that this weekend’s UFC Fight Night event in Manchester, England features a pivotal middleweight showdown in the main event, it seems like a fitting time to take a look at the state of the 185-pound weight class.
PROGRAMMING ALERT: Watch UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Munoz Saturday at 3 p.m. EST on Sportsnet 360 and catch the entire preliminary card on sportsnet.ca starting at 12:15 p.m. EST
The Champion and The Challenger
There are a lot of fights I’m looking forward to between now and New Year’s Eve, but none come close to the championship rematch between Weidman and Silva scheduled for UFC 168.
This past summer, Weidman did what no other man had been able to do inside the Octagon – capitalize on Silva’s “hands down” approach and earn a victory over the dominant Brazilian. But within the historic victory rests a “What If?” that many want answered before they’re willing to fully embrace the new champion as the true ruler of the middleweight ranks.
December’s rematch will give Weidman the opportunity to prove that his July knockout win over Silva was no fluke, and you can be sure that the Hofstra University graduate is going to be just as hell bent on silencing his critics as Silva is on reclaiming the title he held for so long.
Should Weidman retain, there will be no way to deny his place atop the division, and it will stand as a clear signal that times have changed in the 185-pound weight class. After years of wondering, “Who – if anyone – is going to beat Anderson Silva?” we could enter 2014 asking a similar question about the man who turned out to be the ultimate answer to the long-standing divisional query.
The Phenom
If there is anyone in the division that should be actively cheering for a Weidman victory at UFC 168, it’s Vitor Belfort.
Despite a recent pair of impressive knockout victories, “The Phenom” hasn’t been able to gain any traction in his pursuit of another middleweight title shot, largely because Silva doesn’t do rematches… except when he’s trying to win his title back. Given that Belfort is 4-0 at middleweight (or fights that were officially booked as middleweight bouts) since returning to the UFC, you would have to consider the Brazilian veteran to be a frontrunner for a title shot in the first half of 2014.
A potential monkey wrench in his championship candidacy, however, is an upcoming light-heavyweight tilt with Dan Henderson. It’s a fight that doesn’t really make much sense for Belfort given his current run of success, and also one that could cost him a place in the divisional hierarchy.
That said, should he come away with the victory, it will be hard to push anyone other than Belfort as having earned a chance to challenge for the title.
Saturday’s Combatants
Tomorrow afternoon, Mark Munoz will welcome Lyoto Machida to the middleweight division for the first time in the main event of UFC Fight Night 30 from the Phones 4u Arena in Manchester. Without question, the winner of this contest will be in the thick of the title chase in the 185-pound weight class.
Given his track record at light-heavyweight – former champion, 11-4 record in the UFC – a victory for Machida in his divisional debut could certainly propel him to the front of the line, especially if Weidman retains the title. Worst-case scenario, the veteran from Belem, Brazil would be one more win away from fighting for the belt, which isn’t a bad position to be in after just one fight in the division.
All of that contributes to how important this opportunity is for Munoz as well. If he’s able to turn Machida’s debut into a defeat, “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” will have cemented his place in the pecking order and made his own case for being the top contender in the division, or – at the very least – a No. 1 contender bout.
Munoz has been to this point before, and came up short, but he’s never looked as good as he did against Tim Boetsch on the same UFC 162 fight card that ushered in a new era in the middleweight division. Machida, meanwhile, was a perennial contender in the 205-pound ranks, and there is no reason to believe that he’s incapable of maintaining the same position down in weight.
This should be an awesome fight, and one that has a serious impact on the middleweight division going forward.
The Newcomers
Part of what has injected new life into the division is the emergence of a group of fighters that have never before challenged for the middleweight title under the UFC banner.
Nothing makes a division feel stale like the same names holding down prominent positions in the rankings, and after years of dealing with that in the 185-pound division, we’ve finally got some new faces added to the mix.
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza looms largest of them all right now, having earned a pair of first-round finishes in his two UFC appearances to date. Most recently, the former Strikeforce middleweight champion blistered perennial contender Yushin Okami with a right hand that sent him crashing to the canvas, and ultimately out of the UFC. Given his intoxicating blend of power, athleticism, and next-level ground skills, don’t be surprised to see Souza fighting for the title at some point next year if he keeps on winning.
The man who bested Jacare for the Strikeforce title, Luke Rockhold, has to be considered in this group as well. Despite losing to Vitor Belfort in his organizational debut, the long-time American Kickboxing Academy student has the skill set to challenge the best in the weight class, and should be able to rebound quickly if given the opportunity.
As of this writing, nothing is officially booked, but the talented California native has been angling for a bout with another one of the new faces in the division, Montreal transplant Francis Carmont.
“Limitless” is undefeated in the UFC, earning six consecutive victories inside the Octagon to push his overall winning streak to 11. Now based at the Tristar Gym, the 31-year-old from France most recently turned back the challenge of Costa Philippou, and is in need of a step up in competition. Rockhold would certainly fit the bill, and the winner would undoubtedly be in a position to make some noise in the division.
A notch behind the triumvirate of Souza, Rockhold, and Carmont are Tim Kennedy and Rafael Natal, who will square off early next month in the main event of the UFC’s third Fight for the Troops event.
Kennedy earned a unanimous decision over Roger Gracie in his promotional debut, while Natal has put together a three-fight win streak, which would probably be twice as long had he not gotten cocky against Andrew Craig. Whichever of these two emerges victorious next month at Fort Campbell will find themselves on the fringes of contention and in line for a bigger name in their next appearance.
The Count
Michael Bisping would be pissed to find himself this far down a list of this nature, but the reality of the situation is that “The Count” has been around for so long that it very much feels like we know what to expect from him.
You’re not going to hear me try and argue that Bisping is not one of the 10 best middleweights in the UFC, but you’re also not going to hear me argue for his inclusion in the top five either. He’s a perennial “six through 10” guy, and will remain there until he beats a top-five opponent.
Sadly, he’s been forced to miss out on one such opportunity this weekend. It was originally supposed to be Bisping facing Munoz on Saturday, but a scary eye injury forced him from the card, and no one knows for sure when he’ll be able to return to action.
The Periphery
Let’s call this “The Land Between 11 and 25,” a place inhabited by the likes of Philippou, Alan Belcher, and Tim Boetsch – fighters that have climbed to the brink of entering the upper echelon, but never managed to set up shop alongside the big boys.
Even though they’re on the outside looking in when it comes to contention, there are still some entertaining fights that are capable of being booked here, and at some point over the next year, at least one of the fighters in this group is going to emerge as a real threat.
A couple guys capable of making that leap: Brad Tavares and Andrew Craig.
Tavares has won four straight and six of seven in the UFC without many people noticing. While some will point to his string of decisions for his continued anonymity, watching him compete and grind out hard victories over solid opposition tells me the young Hawaiian is game, and with continued development, could make the jump from the mid-card to the main card with a couple more quality wins.
Craig, who also takes to the Octagon Saturday night in Manchester, is one of those “athlete that is becoming a fighter” types – a guy that is still picking up the tricks of the trade, but has shown enough in his first five UFC appearances that I can see him blossoming into a contender over the next 12 months.
Conclusion
In the wake of Silva’s extended run atop the division coming to an end, the tides have turned in the middleweight ranks, dragging many of the old, familiar names that made up the top 10 for quite some time to new weight classes, and replacing them with fresh contenders and emerging talents.
Saturday’s event and UFC 168 will have major impacts on this division, but regardless of the outcome of those bouts, the middleweight ranks are alive again, and that is something to be excited about.