Recently I took a look at the top fighters in the UFC’s middleweight division. Let’s now examine the top middleweights competing in other MMA promotions throughout the world. This is one of the most scattered weight classes in MMA, even though the UFC maintains a lead with the most top fighters at 185 lbs, which will only strengthen if Zuffa merges the WEC & UFC middleweight divisions as has been rumored. Nevertheless, there are plenty of top-level fighters competing in various organizations, with Japan’s Dream coming the closes to giving UFC a run for its money. Here are the top 15 middleweights outside of the UFC, according to the latest Fightmatrix.com ranking:
[#2] Paulo Filho (WEC Middleweight Champion)
MMA Record: 16-0 (7-0 Pride FC)
Last bout: Defeated Chael Sonnen by submission (armbar) at WEC 31
Current affiliation: WEC
Undefeated in sixteen professional bouts, including seven victories in Pride’s ‘Bushido’ series, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Paulo Filho was one of the most highly regarded middleweights in the world when Pride FC was bought out by Zuffa. Filho ended up in WEC, where he promptly captured the middleweight belt and defended it against Chael Sonnen (thought not without some controversy: the bout was stopped when Sonnen was caught in a deep armbar and screaming in pain, but Chael did not tap.) A rematch was quickly set up, but was postponed as Filho had to undergo treatment for depression and substance abuse. If the planned UFC-WEC middleweight merger happens any time soon, Filho will immediately become a top contender for the UFC title, which is currently held by his training partner Anderson Silva.
[#3] Robbie Lawler (Elite XC Middleweight Champion)
MMA Record: 16-4 (4-3 UFC, 1-0 Pride FC)
Last bout: Defeated Scott Smith by TKO at Elite XC – Unfinished Business
Current affiliation: Elite XC
Robbie Lawler began his MMA career as a welterweight, and rose to notoriety with a string of knockout wins in the UFC. His streak came to an end with a TKO loss to Pete Spratt, and after being knocked out by Nick Diaz, Lawler decided that cutting weight was becoming too hard on his body, and moved up to 185 lbs. After losing his middleweight debut to Evan Tanner, Lawler was out of the UFC. Lawler really came into his own during a stint in the Icon Sports promotion, and eventually ended up in Elite XC where he captured the middleweight belt with a knockout of Pride FC veteran Murillo ‘Ninja’ Rua. His first title defense ended in controversy: his bout with Scott Smith was ruled a No Contest after Robbie accidentally poked Smith in the eye. In a rematch, Lawler knocked out Smith in an impressive fashion, and now awaits his next challenge (a potential rematch with Joey Villasenor.)
[#6] Yoshihiro Akiyama
MMA Record: 11-1
Last bout: Defeated Katsuyori Shibata by submission at Dream 5
Current affiliation: Dream
A mainstay of K-1’s MMA division, Akiyama racked up an impressive 11-1 record (with two No Contests), including victories over Denis Kang and Melvin Manhoef. Though he did not participate in the ongoing Dreams middleweight tournament, he will most likely be the first to challenge the eventual tournament winner for the title.
[#7] Gegard Mousasi
MMA Record: 22-2-1 (2-1 Pride FC)
Last bout: Defeated Dong Sik Yoon by unanimous decision at Dream 4
Current affiliation: Dream
Gegard Mousasi has competed all over the world through his career, including a brief stint in Pride ‘Bushido’. His recent wins over Denis Kang and Dong Sik Yoon earned him his high ranking as well as a spot in the semi-finals of Dream’s middleweight tournament, which he is favored to win. Mousasi will face Melvin Manhoef in his semi-final bout.
[#8] Kazuo Misaki
MMA Record: 20-8-2 (4-4 Pride FC)
Last bout: Defeated Logan Clark by unanimous decision at Sengoku – Third Battle
Current affiliation: WVR
Pancrase and Pride FC veteran Kazuo Misaki is one of Japan’s premier middleweight fighters, with victories over Denis Kang, Dan Henderson, and Phil Baroni on his resume. After Pride’s collapse, Misaki ended up in World Victory Road, where he will participate in an upcoming middleweight GP tournament.
[#11] Jorge Santiago
MMA Record: 17-7 (1-2 UFC)
Last bout: Defeated Yuki Sasaki by submission (armbar) at Sengoku – Second Battle
Current affiliation: WVR
After going 1-2 in UFC back in 2006, Jorge Santiago rebounded nicely by defeating Sean Salmon and Trevor Prangley on the same night in a StrikeForce tournament. He then joined World Victory Road, scoring a submission over Yuki Sasaki in his debut. He too will participate in the upcoming Sengoku middleweight GP.
[#14] Frank Trigg
MMA Record: 16-6 (2-3 UFC, 1-0 Pride FC)
Last bout: Defeated Edwin Dewees by submission (kimura) at HDNet Fights
Current affiliation: Unknown
Frank Trigg is best remembered for his frenetic battles with the former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes (Trigg lost both bouts due to a rear naked choke, which has also been his weakness in several other bouts – including losses to current UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, and the WEC welterweight champ Carlos Condit.) More recently, Trigg rejuvenated his career as a middleweight, with back-to-back wins over Jason Miller and Kazuo Misaki, followed by a brutal knockout loss to Robbie Lawler. Trigg has not yet competed in 2008, instead concentrating on his gigs as a TV & radio commentator and contributor to numerous MMA websites. He will make his return to action in World Victory Road, taking on Makoto Takimoto.
[#15] Vitor Belfort
MMA Record: 17-8 (7-4 UFC, 4-3 Pride FC)
Last bout: Defeated Terry Martin by KO at Affliction – Banned
Current affiliation: Affliction
Vitor ‘The Phenom’ Belfort has had a storied career that started in 1996 and took place mostly in the heavy and lightheavyweight divisions. Belfort had several stints in UFC and Pride FC, with varying success. He even briefly held the coveted UFC lightheavyweight title, defeating then-champion Randy Couture by a cut stoppage, when Belfort’s glove sliced through Couture’s eyelid (Vitor soundly lost the rematch). After capturing the Cage Rage lightheavyweight title, Belfort decided to try his luck in the middleweight division, making his 185-lbs debut with a knockout win of Terry Martin at Affliction: Banned. He is rumored to face Matt Lindland in his next bout to crown Affliction’s first middleweight champion.
[#16] Matt Lindland
Last bout: Defeated Fabio Negao by unanimous decision at Affliction – Banned
Current affiliation: Affliction
Matt Lindland has been a perennial contender in the UFC’s middleweight decision, getting a title shot against Murillo Bustamante back in 2002, which he lost in the infamous ‘double tap’ incident. He has came close to getting another shot several times, but was never able to win the big fights. After his departure from UFC, Lindland competed in various promotions, beating all his opponents with the exception of a lightheavyweight bout with Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and a heavyweight matchup with Fedor Emelianenko. Now back at his usual fighting weight of 185 lbs, Lindland made a successful debut at Affliction: Banned and is scheduled to take on Vitor Belfort for the Affliction middleweight title at their next event.
[#21] Murilo Rua
MMA Record: 16-8-1 (6-7 Pride FC)
Last bout: Defeated Tony Bonello by TKO at Elite XC – Return of the King
Current affiliation: Elite XC
The older brother of UFC lightheavyweight contender Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, Murillo Rua competed in Pride FC for the majority of his career, where he was a respectable contender who never quite reached the elite level. Since Pride’s demise, Rua has fought in Cage Rage and Elite XC, winning all of his bouts except for a TKO loss to Robbie Lawler for the Elite XC middleweight title. He is coming off a very dominant win over the previously undefeated Tony Bonello.
[#22] Melvin Manhoef
Last bout: Defeated Kazushi Sakuraba by TKO at Dream 4
Current affiliation: Dream
The Dutch kickboxer Melvin Manhoef has amassed a respectable record in MMA over the past decade, primarily fighting in Cage Rage and the various incarnations of K-1 MMA. Most recently, he defeated the legendary Kazushi Sakuraba in the quarter-finals of the Dreams middleweight GP tournament, and will face Gegard Mousasi in the semi-finals.
[#23] Chael Sonnen
Last bout: Defeated Brian Baker by unanimous decision at WEC 33
Current affiliation: WEC
After a brief and unsuccessful stint in the UFC, the Team Quest – trained Chael Sonnen went on a winning streak in the now defunct Bodog Fight, and eventually received a shot at the WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho. Sonnen performed admirably, dominating Filho both standing and on the ground until he was caught in an armbar. Though Sonnen never tapped out, the referee interpreted his scream of pain as a verbal submission and stopped the bout. A rematch was set up, but had to be postponed while Filho dealt with health issues; in the meanwhile Sonnen posted a dominant win over Brian Baker. The rematch with Filho is still on the horizon.
[#24] Joey Villasenor
MMA Record: 26-6 (0-1 Pride FC)
Last bout: Defeated Phil Baroni by TKO at Elite XC – Primetime
Current affiliation: Elite XC
Long time King of the Cage veteran Villasenor has recently been competing in Elite XC and Strikeforce. After winning three consecutive fights, including a TKO victory over Phil Baroni, he may soon receive a rematch with the current Elite XC middleweight champion Robbie Lawler (Lawler knocked out Villasenor with a flying knee in Pride 32).
[#26] Dong Sik Yoon
MMA Record: 4-5 (0-4 Pride FC)
Last bout: Lost to Gegard Mousasi by unanimous decision at Dream 4
Current affiliation: Dream
Korean judoka Dong Sik Yoon had a rough start to his MMA career, facing Kazushi Sakuraba, Quinton Jackson, and Murillo Bustamante in three of his first four professional bouts. After going 0-4 in Pride FC, he switched over to K-1’s MMA division, and won his next four bouts – including submission wins over Melvin Manhoef and Zelg Galesic – before losing a decision to Gegard Mousasi in the Dream Middleweight Gran Prix quarterfinals.
[#28] Cung Le
MMA Record: 6-0
Last bout: Defeated Frank Shamrock by TKO at StrikeForce
Current affiliation:StrikeForce
Thought the San Shou legend Cung Le has only six MMA bouts under his belt, his flashy and unorthodox fighting style has earned him many fans, and his most recent TKO victory over Frank Shamrock showed that Cung may indeed be an elite MMA fighter. All of Le’s fights took place in the California-based StrikeForce organization, and though he is still under contract to StrikeForce, there have been rumors of Le negotiating with the UFC for a possible matchup with Anderson Silva. Cung is taking the rest of the year off from fighting to further his acting career, and is expected to return to action in 2009.