Five Best Middleweights of All-Time
If you enjoy stability, then MMA's middleweight division is the place for you. For four years running, the same man has ruled the roost, with no end in sight. And if you're a fan of mediocrity, this is the weight class for you, also. Well, to be fair, mediocrity probably is too strong a word, but other than the King of the Middleweights - the man who comes in first on our list of MMA's Five Best Middleweights of All-Time - the rest of the crop is rather, well, mediocre. That's not to say there aren't some legendary names on the list, but for most of them, their greatest triumphs have come outside the 185 lb weight class. Nonetheless, we present to you the five best middleweights (185 lbs) in MMA history.
Voting panel: Jeff Fox from The MMA Manifesto, speeds from Sports Two's MMA Forum, hoops writer and MMA fan College Wolf from TWolves Blog and a couple of top performers from our MMA Pick 'Em Contest, Dave H and Chris MC.
Honourable Mention: Demian Maia, Nate Marquardt, Chael Sonnen
5) Kazushi Sakuraba
Record: 26-14-3
Middleweight Titles Held: None
Notable Wins: Royce Gracie, Renzo Gracie
"With 43 MMA bouts under his belt, Sakuraba made an early name for himself in Pride, earning himself the nickname "The Gracie Hunter" with wins over Royler, Ryan, Renzo, and, most notably, Royce in the ninety minute MMA match which stands today as the longest MMA fight in history. Coming from The Land of the Rising Sun, Sakuraba has gone about his career in typical Japanese fashion, respecting every one of his opponents with little smack talk in between. At the age of 41 Sakuraba has pretty much done it all, fighting a who's-who of MMA fighters over in Japan, and although he has been sheltered in a sense by not fighting in North America, Sakuraba, like many others, put fights on for the fans, and he wouldn't have it any other way." - Dave H
"He probably could have ended up higher on this list if he hadn't jump around weight classes so much and had stuck at 185. Oh, and if he had only fought Gracies for his whole career, that would probably help his ranking too!" - Jeff Fox
4) Jake Shields
Record: 25-4-1
Middleweight Titles Held: Strikeforce (2009-2010, one successful defense)
Notable wins: Yushin Okami, Robbie Lawler, Jason Miller, Dan Henderson
"Boring, but can't argue the record." - Chris MC
"The first fighter to make our top five in two different weight classes (he came in fifth spot on the Five Best Welterweights list), Jake Shields is on an incredible roll as he prepares to make his UFC debut at UFC 121 - he's won 14 straight fights over the past six years, part of it spent as Strikeforce's 185 lb champ." - Jeff Fox
3) Dan Henderson
Record: 25-8
Middleweight Titles Held: PRIDE Welterweight (under 184lbs) (2005-2007, no defenses)
Notable wins: Renzo Gracie, Murilo Bustamante (twice), Michael Bisping
"With a pedigree as an Olympian Greco-Roman and NCAA Division 1 Wrestler, Dan Henderson was the final Pride Welterweight and Middleweight champion. Going 13-5 over his seven-year run with PRIDE, defeating the likes of Renzo Gracie, Ninja Rua, Murilo Bustamante, Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva along the way. Henderson managed to either knockout his opponent in quick and furious fashion, or ground his opponent into playing his game. Although his career in the UFC the second time around started off rather rocky, losing both his Middleweight and Welterweight titles to Rampage Jackson and Anderson Silva, respectively, one would have thought that the future would be bright for Henderson, who finished his five-fight contract with three straight wins, including his last over Michael Bisping, which will no doubt go down in everyone's memories as one of the best KO's of all-time." - Dave H
"It says a lot of Dan Henderson's career that he can be ranked the third best middleweight of all-time, yet he probably has enjoyed more success fighting as a light heavyweight." - Jeff Fox
2) Rich Franklin
Record: 28-5-1
Middleweight Titles Held: UFC (2005-2006, two successful defenses)
Notable wins: Evan Tanner (twice), Yushin Okami
"Finds ways to win." - Chris MC
"A hero to school teachers world wide, Rich Franklin made his transition from high school teacher to MMA and would never look back. Franklin has made an impression throughout his entire career, but made his biggest imprint at 185. When your only two losses in your middleweight career come to Anderson Silva, you are doing pretty good for yourself. Franklin over the years has been a fan favorite for continuing to bring the fight and rarely being in a lackluster match. The peak of his middleweight career came in 2005 and 2006 before he decided he wanted to smell Anderson Silva's kneecap and subsequently end his UFC Middleweight Championship reign. At the age of 36, "Ace" might not be around that much longer, however his legacy as a 185'er will forever be remembered." - Dave H
1) Anderson Silva
Record: 27-4
Middleweight Titles Held: Cage Rage (2004-2006, three successful defenses), UFC (2006-present, seven successful defenses)
Notable wins: Jeremy Horn, Rich Franklin (twice), Nate Marquardt, Dan Henderson
"Although his legacy was created and cemented in the UFC, one has to think that starting an MMA career at the age of 14 was the actual beginning of this legacy we've all known to come and love. Earning himself black belts in Tae Kwon Do, judo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, as well as a Yellow Belt in Capoeira, Silva became well versed with a ground game as well as an excellent standing game complemented by his Muay Thai, judo and boxing training. His growth throughout the years, I believe, can be attributed to the outstanding training partners he has had, such as Wanderlei Silva, Lyoto Machida, Vitor Belfort, Assuerio Silva, and the Nogueira Brothers. The final result to all of this is the reigning, defending, UFC Middleweight Champion of the world, and the man who I also believe is an alternating number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world, alongside Georges St-Pierre and Jose Aldo. Silva has no doubt proven himself in the UFC, clearing out his entire division, capping it off with the heart of a champion defeating Chael Sonnen." - Dave H
"No offense to middleweights of the past, but it's pretty safe to call this a pretty "weak" division. Despite what some may call recent struggles lately, he still has a 27-4 career record, with seven title defenses. No one else in this division can touch that. And he has been considered one of the best pound-per-pound fighters in the world. I think that cements him at #1 on this list." - College Wolf
"The greatest fighter ever? Quite possibly, and he doesn't appear to be done quite yet." - Jeff Fox
