Where The UFC Middleweight Division Stands Today

 Where The UFC Middleweight Division Stands Today 

We had another UFC pay per view card last Saturday which gives us a chance to talk about the state of the main event’s division. We had two UFC belts on the line but we’ll start with the UFC Middleweight division. Israel Adesanya proved once again he’s the best 185 pounder in the world with a unanimous decision with a win over challenger Marvin Vettori. This was the second fight between the two competitors. Adesanya won the first fight by decision but was very close, some thought Vettori won. That was early in Adesanya’s current run, it was only his second fight in the UFC. However the rematch seemed very interesting considering Vettori climbed his way to the top just as Adesanya did. Yes, Adesanya popped sooner. His interesting personality and his world class striking threw Adesanya to the mountain top quicker than most. He beat great competition in Robert Whittaker, Anderson Silva, Kelvin Gastelum, Derek Brunson, Yoel Romero, and Paulo Costa on this run at 185. That doesn’t change the fact that Vettori earned the shot at the champ. Vettori after the loss to Adesanya went on a five fight winning streak with two huge wins over Jack Hermanson when he stepped in on short notice, and beat up Kevin Holland. Vettori brought a ground game, wrestling game, and better striking than most that Adesanya didn’t really see at 185. This rematch would be Adesanya’s first fight back at 185. He went chasing the 205 pound Light Heavyweight championship but with the loss to the 205 pound King Jan Błachowicz he decided to come back down to defend his 185 pound crown. However even after a brief stint at Light Heavyweight Adesanya looked great at 185. He controlled the fight on the feet. Pursuing that leg of Vettori the whole fight with leg kicks, stuffing takedowns which was a vocal point in Blachowicz’s game plan against Adesanya was taking him down in the 4th and 5th round. Adesanya stopped Vettori’s takedowns and when he did get taken down he wasn’t there long. He even reversed Vettori at one point in the 4th round. These two men didn’t like each other before and don’t after. However you have to give Adesanya the respect after the clear 50-45 decision win. Israel Adesanya is the clear UFC Middleweight king. However there are still plenty of contenders at 185. Lets go review the UFC’s Middleweight division. Lets find out who’s next up, who in my belief is a contender, who is a pretender, what fights make sense, what the UFC matchmakers should do, and who would challenge Adesanya the most. 

The 20-16th Ranked UFC Middleweights by MMARankings 

20 Makhmud Muradov 

19 Ian Heinisch 

18 Ronaldo Souza 

17 Andre Muinz 

16 Branden Allen 

We will start as we always do with the men outside the UFC’s top 15 rankings. We will start with the 16th ranked to the 20th ranked UFC fighters. Remember this isn’t our rankings of the fighters but multiple media sources rankings of these fighters. The 20th ranked Middleweight Makhmud Muradov is on a 14 fight winning streak. He didn’t fight in 2020 not because of him, however he had four canceled bouts. In 2021 he started hot with a flying knee knockout of Andrew Sanchez. He’s only had four fights in the UFC octagon at 31 but is staying active. He will be taking on the tough Gerald Meerschaert in his next bout on August 28th. After that we will get a better understanding of how good Muradov is. Next is 19th ranked proven kickboxer Ian Heinisch. Heinisch was beaten in his last contest by Kelvin Gastelum. He never really got going in that fight Gastelum proved he’s top 10. Heinisch was coming off a win over Meerschaert after two losses. Heinisch is 2-3 in his last five fights. He will be taking on Nassourdine Imavov on July 24th in his next fight to start making his Middleweight run again. At 32 Heinisch has time but he needs a win here to get another top 15 fight. In reality Heinisch should have been gunning for that Ronaldo Souza fight. Before you know Andre Muinz broke his arm. Souza is 41 on a four fight losing streak, broke his arm, and probably won’t fight again in the UFC. However if he somehow does one last time in a year he’d be good for one of these guys we mentioned before. He’s an experienced vet who is looking for a win before retirement. Give him someone even lower in the rankings. Souza's last four fights have been tough to watch. Especially since his last win against Chris Weidman seemed so promising. Now the guy who we just mentioned is the 17th ranked 31 year old Andre Muinz who is on a seven fight winning streak. He’s 3-0 since joining the UFC with a win over Souza by submission which is so impressive at any age. Muinz does have next level Jiu-Jitsu. Since everyone around him is booked it’s hard to find a fight for Muinz. However he has earned a top 15 fight. The 14th ranked Kevin Holland would be a great fight and matchup. Holland has a bad ground game that works for Muinz but Holland has a great stand up that makes the fight so much more exciting. To be honest it’s a matchup made in heaven. Grappler against striker. It’s the classic matchup and actually lets us run it back because it’s always fun. Now last but not least 16th ranked Branden Allen. Allen who does have a win over Kevin Holland does rank below him but isn’t far behind Holland. Allen is 8-2 in his last ten fights but 1-2 in his last three fights. Allen is only 25 and definitely could be a top contender in the future. He will be taking on Punahele Soriano in his next bout on July 24th. If he gets an impressive win here expect Allen to get a top 15 fight next. Allen stays very active which works in your favor when you win. He responded from his two losses with a win, and now needs to prove one last time he’s ready for a top 15 fight. Many of these guys are in their “fighting prime” being between 28-32 years old. Except for Souza who is at the end of his career. Allen is super young in the fighting world. Expect these guys to stay active, and wouldn’t be surprised if not just one but two are in big time Middleweight fights soon. 

The 15th-11th Ranked UFC Middleweights by UFC.com 

15 Brad Tavares 

14 Kevin Holland

13 Omari Akhmedov

12 Chris Weidman 

11 Sean Strickland 

Now we have reached who the UFC thinks is your best 185 pounders in the world. We start with the top 15 guys. Number 15 being Brad Tavares who hasn’t been all that active. Since January 2018 he’s only fought four times. He’s 2-2 in those fights, even one of those losses coming from Israel Adesanya in one of Adesanya’s first fights in the UFC. Tavares won his last fight against Antonio Carlos Junior in January. He will be looking to get more higher ranked guys as he’s mentioned he’s fully committed to staying active. Tavares will be taking on 13th ranked Omari Akhmedov on July 10th. The matchup is very good, both have stand up games and good enough ground games. Tavares will look to keep the fight standing though. Akhmedov has a much better ground game. The fight is great because it shows who’s closer to a top 10 fight. Love the matchup by UFC matchmakers. We already discussed 14th ranked Kevin Holland earlier. He is 3-2 in his  last five bouts but is coming off back to back losses to Derek Brunson and Marvin Vettori. Two top 5 contenders so to write him off to outside the top 15 immediately is kind of drastic. However his wrestling game was so bad in those fights the ranking makes sense. Holland has gone to Northern California to train with Daniel Cormier on his wrestling for a summer return. If Holland can develop some wrestling his striking is already very good some wrestling would make him a top 10 guy guaranteed. If Chris Weidman didn’t have a broken leg we’d say Holland should maybe gun for that fight. Weidman doesn’t have a great chin and confidence can’t be all that high. Weidman does wrestle but Holland only needs to learn how to get away from being takedown. Sean Strickland is also booked so the only fight right now that makes sense to me is the Andre Muinz fight. The lower ranked guy is on a winning streak the higher ranked guy is coming off back to back losses. They have two different styles. The fight just keeps making more and more sense. The 12th ranked Chris Weidman probably won’t be fighting for sometime so it’s kind of hard to even make a matchup for him. Weidman would need a win in his return to make any kind of late career run. Weidman is 36 and the former Middleweight champion’s best days seem to be behind him. However in MMA you never know. Lets see when Weidman comes back what to do with him and see the lay of the land at the time. Finally 11th ranked Sean Strickland at 30 seems to be hitting his stride. Strickland’s stand up game and amazing cardio has gotten him on a four fight winning streak. With a win over Branden Allen in that time. He will be getting his first taste of top 10 action with his bout on July 31st against 8th ranked Uriah Hall. Hall will be a huge test for Strickland. Both are trying to make their name proven and taken more seriously. A win for Strickland will get a new name in the title picture. If Hall wins he has beaten a proven younger contender once again and it’s time to give him fights closer to the title. Love that fight the UFC is doing good in the Middleweight division. 

The 10th-6th Ranked UFC Middleweights by UFC.com 

10 Edmen Shahbazyan 

9 Kelvin Gastelum 

8 Uriah Hall 

7 Darren Till

6 Jack Hermansson 

Now here we are getting a step closer to the title picture. We are already kind of there as we step into the top 10 of the UFC Middleweight division. We start with 10th ranked Edmen Shahbazyan who is only 23 years old. Shahbazyan is coming off back to back losses to Jack Hermanson and Derek Brunson. He will look to get back into that serious title picture. It’s hard to get him another top 10 fight though at this time. Hermanson just beat him just two weeks ago. Kelvin Gastelum is stepping in on “short notice” to fight Jared Cannonier in August. As we discussed Uriah Hall is booked for a fight. The only fighter that isn’t booked yet is Darren Till. He would be a tough fight for the young kid and he’s already rumored to fight Derek Brunson. Shahbazyan could play the waiting game; he's only 23. However if he does want a test Kevin Holland would be an interesting fight. Holland is coming off back to back losses, one to Brunson as well. Holland wants to return in the summer. A win for Holland would throw him back into the top 10. A win for Shahbazyan will get his confidence back and show he's in the top 10. Shahbazyan has the grappling to beat Holland so if he wants to be active he could fight Holland but if not stay inactive and wait. Kelvin Gastelum’s fight with the 3rd ranked Middleweight Jared Cannonier. Gastelum is 1-4 in his five fights. Losses include Israel Adesanya, Darren Till, Jack Hermanson, and Robert Whittaker. All top contenders. A win over Jared Cannonier would throw a monkey wrench into the MMA math but prove Gastelum could have just been in a slump. He fought all those guys hard expect Hermanson who caught him with a heel hook early in the first. Gastelum is a wrestler who doesn’t use his wrestling. Would like him to start using that ability. Gastelum doesn’t need a win here but in a way he does because then he’s nearly fought everyone in the top 8 and he has a losing record. We have discussed 8th ranked Uriah Hall’s next bout with Sean Strickland. However we haven’t discussed how impressive Hall has been in the last five bouts going 4-1. He’s on a four fight winning streak. Hall at 36 has made himself relevant again. To be honest I thought Hall was going to disappear as a UFC Tuf not bust but not what we thought Hall was. Hall has now put himself to be in a title bout in the next year or two with some more big wins. The next man Darren Till is rumored to be fighting Derek Brunson next in September. Which is an interesting fight considering Brunson is a wrestler and Till is a striker. Brunson can be hurt on the feet we saw Holland do it. However can Till, unlike Holland, stay away from the ground? Who knows that’s why the fight is fun. Also they are two veterans who are a fight or two away from a championship fight. Especially Till since the champ’s team has said he’d be a fun matchup. If Till wins he’ll probably be the next man up. Even after his last four bouts have been canceled. The 6th ranked Middleweight Jack Hermansson is 3-2 in his last five but coming off a good win over Edmen Shahbazyan. He’s back proving he’s elite and his wins aren’t fluke at the moment. Hermansson could be next up for a Marvin Vettori or Paulo Costa. Those fights considering each of those fighters' positions make sense. Neither is booked. Vettori just fought last Saturday and Hermansson fought 3 weeks ago. That’s close enough in time to each other. Hermansson brings a grappling style which could cause problems. Costa hasn’t fought since his loss to the champ months ago in September of 2020. Costa needs to fight to be the number one contender. Hermansson could be a good fight to take. Either way both fights would be pretty exciting to watch. However Hermansson is kind of in a waiting period to see how things shake out. Don’t expect him to fight anytime this summer to be honest. 

The 5th ranked- UFC Middleweight Champion by UFC.com 

5 Derek Brunson 

4 Marvin Vettori 

3 Jared Cannonier 

2 Paulo Costa 

1 Robert Whittaker 

C Israel Adesanya 

Here we are at the cream of the crop, the best of the best, the next to challenge the champion. We start the top 5 with 5th ranked Derek Brunson. Who Adesanya actually beat once a time ago in Madison Square Garden. This was before Adesanya had the title but that win over Brunson in impressive fashion is what started to make Adesanya a superstar. Since losing that fight Brunson is 4-0 with wins over Elias Thedorou, Ian Heinisch, Edmen Shahbazyan, and Kevin Holland. Brunson has the style to beat Adesanya in reality. He has great wrestling. A very similar game plan he could take against Adesanya is the one he had against Holland. Brunson has to get his hands better however. He doesn’t have a great chin. That’s why the matchup in September against Darren Till should happen. Till is great on the feet the matchup will decide who’s a step away from the title shot. Darren Till is the perfect matchup right now for Brunson. The last title contender 4th ranked Marvin Vettori will need a true top 5 fight next. He did get to the top by beating two 15 guys and one top 10. Paulo Costa could be a great matchup for fans and the fighters. Vettori is in a bad spot since he’s lost to Adesanya twice making him in fighter purgatory. The fight would be big time and a win over Vettori would get Costa a title shot. The UFC may not want to take the risk since if Vettori wins you kind of knock out another challenger. However isn’t that what we are here for? Trying to figure out who's the best of the best. Honestly Costa doesn’t deserve a title shot after getting stopped by Adesanya. He needs to prove he’s got the guts still he needs to beat someone. Vettori could be that guy. The 3rd ranked Jared Cannonier will fight again in August after losing to Robert Whittaker. Cannonier will be taking on Kelvin Gastelum as mentioned before. He can win that fight most definitely he should honestly. If Cannonier wins in an impressive fashion he could get the winner of Whittaker vs Adesanya 2. Cannonier just needs to keep winning; he only needs a fight, maybe two, to get a title shot. If he beats Gastelum then beats Costa, Vettori, Brunson, or Till he would get a title shot guaranteed. Cannonier is right there. We just discussed 2nd ranked Paulo Costa and what he needs. Costa needs to fight anyone at this point a lot of the top fighters are filling spots. That’s why he should fight Vettori; he's running out of dudes that will fight him that would throw him into a title shot. He just looked so bad last fight you can’t give him the number one contender shot immediately. Now the number one contender is clear. Robert Whittaker is the Middleweight number one contender. After losing his title to Israel Adesanya he’s on a three fight winning streak beating Jared Cannonier, Darren Till, and Kelvin Gastelum. Not many former champs just got out and fight after losing their belt. Whittaker does and that’s why we appreciate him. He’s definitely Adesanya’s next fight. Maybe this one will be in New Zealand. Israel Adesanya called him out after beating Vettori, and certainly the fight that should be made. It’s not usually that easy finding a number one contender but Whittaker has made it easy for Dana White. 

Matt the Matchmaker 

Now my favorite part of the piece where me Matt get to play matchmaker. The great matchmaker of the north that is myself will book the fighters based on what is best for their career, where they are actually at, and what’s good for the division. Yes sometimes a fun fight will be booked but that’s rare that’s why it’s called a fun fight. No, we don’t book the ones that have already been booked. Have some realistic matter in your imagination.

20 Makhmud Muradov vs Gerald Meerschaert (August 28th, 2021) 

19 Ian Heinisch vs Nassourdine Imavov (July 24th, 2021) 

18 Ronaldo Souza should retire 

17 Andre Muinz vs 14 Kevin Holland 

16 Brendan Allen vs Punahele Soriano (July 24th, 2021)

15 Brad Tavares vs 13 Omari Akhmedov (July 10th, 2021) 

14 Kevin Holland vs 17 Andre Muinz (MM) 

13 Omari Akhmedov vs 15 Brad Tavares (July 10th, 2021)

12 Chris Weidman should take time to recover and see lay of land 

11 Sean Strickland vs 9 Uriah Hall (July 31st, 2021) 

10 Edmen Shahbazyan vs 4 Marvin Vettori

9 Kelvin Gastelum vs 3 Jared Cannonier (August 21st ,2021) 

8 Uriah Hall vs 11 Sean Strickland (July 31st, 2021) 

7 Darren Till vs 5 Derek Brunson (September 9th, 2021) 

6 Jack Hermansson vs 2 Paulo Costa (MM) 

5 Derek Brunson vs 7 Darren Till (September 9th, 2021) 

4 Marvin Vettori vs 10 Edmen Shahbazyan (MM) 

3 Jared Cannonier vs 9 Kelvin Gastelum (August 21st, 2021) 

2 Paulo Costa vs 6 Jack Hermansson (MM) 

1 Robert Whittaker vs Israel Adesanya (MM) 

C Israel Adesanya 

By Matthew Doherty 

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