The UFC middleweight rankings have been a place where many of the best MMA fighters over the last decade have resided. From Rich Franklin to Anderson Silva, and on to Israel Adesanya, the 185-pound division has been a place where many legendary competitors have plied their trade.
Here you will be able to find the most up-to-date look at the 10 best middleweights on the UFC roster, and who they will be facing next.
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10. Paulo Costa (14-4)
There was a time when Paulo Costa looked like the second coming of Vitor Belfort, however, the Brazilian power striker has begun to settle into more of a rankings stalwart than a title contender again. In February he had a chance to start a new winning streak and push his name into the championship conversation but came up short versus Robert Whittaker. He then followed that up with a co-main event loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 302.
Costa is now a year and a win streak away from serious title contention.
9. Marvin Vettori (19-6-1)
Marvin Vettori is one of the most underappreciated fighters in the UFC middleweight rankings. He is a skilled grappler, a solid boxer, and as tough as any of his top 10 contemporaries. He constantly seems right on the cusp of title contention and is a tall task for any fighter at 185 pounds.
However, he suffered a major setback in June when he came up short against Jared Cannonier. He was soundly defeated, and in a battle between a pair of former title challengers, he showed he still has some work to do if he hopes to compete for the division crown in the near future.
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8. Jared Cannonier (17-8)
Jared Cannonier is not the flashiest fighter in the UFC middleweight rankings, but he is as well-rounded as any competitor in the division. “The Killa Gorilla” had his shot to take down two-time champ Israel Adesanya in 2022 but came up short. Since then he has split his next four fights and has tumbled down our top 10 after a pair of main event losses on UFC Fight Night cards in 2024.
Caio Borralho is the fastest-rising fighter in the UFC’s middleweight division. Since a pair of wins on the Contender Series, the Brazilian has won seven straight inside the Octagon. While he had several notable wins on his way to landing a spot in our rankings, his victory over Jared Canonier at UFC Vegas 96 made his case for a top 10 position undeniable.
6. Brendan Allen (24-6)
After losing twice in four bouts, there were some doubts that Brendan Allen could be a contender at middleweight. However, since that last loss in 2021, he went on an eight-fight tear and scored submission wins in all but two of them.
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That outstanding momentum earned him a co-main event slot at UFC Paris. Unfortunately, he found out there are levels to this and he was out skilled by Frenchman Nassourdine Imavov in September. Now, he will have to restart his climb to get back in the top five.
5. Nassourdine Imavov (15-4)
Nassourdine Imavov continues to quietly creep up our UFC middleweight rankings and is now a top five fighters after his co-main event victory at UFC Paris. He has won three straight over other top 15 talents like Roman Dolidze, Jared Cannonier, and most recently Brendan Allen. The French star is deserving of a top five foe next.
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4. Israel Adesanya (24-2)
Israel Adesanya is not only one of the best UFC middleweights ever, but when all is said and done, he will be viewed as one of the greatest fighters to ever compete in the Octagon in general. However, his shocking defeat to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 forever ended the debate about him being the best fighter the division has ever seen.
He has lost three of his last four definitively and there are questions of whether his prime is officially over at just 35.
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3. Sean Strickland (29-6)
Wildman Sean Strickland may not be the flashiest fighter in UFC middleweight history but at UFC 293 he showed he has a championship skillset when he did the unthinkable and scored one of the biggest upsets in promotion history by defeating weight class legend Israel Adesanya.
The win extended his streak to three straight and proved many doubters wrong. However, his title run was short-lived when he came up just short by split decision to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297. But he was able to bounce back and get back into title contention with a definitive win over Paulo Costa at UFC 302.
2. Robert Whittaker (26-7)
Robert Whittaker will go down as one of the greatest UFC middleweights ever. Unfortunately for him, he competes in an era with the man some see as the best 185-pounder ever in Adesanya. After falling to the champ a second time in 2022, he split his next two. His loss came to current champ Dricus Du Plessis.
Since then he scored a decisive victory over former title challenger Paulo Costa, then crushed Ikram Aliskerov in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia. Whittaker still remains one of the elite fighters at 185 pounds.
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1. Dricus Du Plessis (21-2)
Dricus Du Plessis has put South African MMA on the map during his short career in the UFC. The rising star has been victorious in every one of his fights and scored finishes in five of the seven. The most impressive came at UFC 290 when he stunned many observers by scoring a shocking knockout win over middleweight great Robert Whittaker.
However, he topped that at UFC 297 when he challenged Sean Strickland for the middleweight crown. Over five hard-fought rounds, DDP delivered South Africa their first UFC title and extended his unbeaten streak in the MMA world leader to seven. He then extended it to eight at UFC 305 with a surprise submission win over division legend Israel Adesanya.
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