The Year of The Middleweights

The year 2012 represents the end of a celestial era. Various interpretations of ancient calendars and scriptures have lead some (mostly capitalists in the entertainment or survival supply businesses) to predict the end of the world.  However, the celestial shift is not really up for much debate.  On a different scale another shift is occurring. The dominance of the Heavyweight and Light-Heavyweight divisions is faltering and the emergence of a strong and stable Middleweight division is evident. Granted, big fighters with knockout power are never going to go out of style but it seems that on the tales of introducing three lighter weight classes the MMA giant Ultimate Fighting Championship has also seen a shift downward in its show-stealing performances. Middleweights aren’t just fighting their preverbal asses off out their they are becoming more recognizable, getting their names out, and in the process they are building one of the strongest divisions in the sport.  Anderson Silva sees no less than 5 potential contenders knocking on his door, fighting to earn a title shot or begging for the next, none of which he has fought yet. At their side sits a number of contenders that he has bested.  This comes as Silva finally overcomes his stiffest challenge to date by putting away Chael Sonnen for the second time.  To break down what has made this division the hottest in MMA I will address a number of the top fighters in the division and why they are important the rise of the middleweight division.

Anderson Silva – The King of the Middleweight Mountain did no less than solidify himself as greatest fighter in MMA history when he emphatically finished his arch nemesis Chael Sonnen.  But more than that he shook a huge monkey off his back and stepped out of the shadow of what Sonnen rightly characterized as a 23-minute ass beating. After the dust settled on the Sonnen/Silva rivalry the clamor began for super fights, picking up the “there is nothing left” discourse that has characterized Silva’s career for some time now.  Once everyone took a step back though they seemed to realize the landscape had the potential to completely change and it did.  Silva only has so many fights left in him and it is hard to tell how he will want to use them. Super fights might be desirable and could place an exclamation point at the end of his legendary career. This is echoed by rumors that The Spider is leaning toward taking a fight with Georges St. Pierre. However, a move away from the MW division will not be from lack of talent as there are plenty of very worthy contenders waiting their turn.

Chael Sonnen – It is tough to tell what is next for Chael Sonnen since falling for the second time to Anderson Silva.  Another title shot seems maybe not out of the question but highly unlikely as long as his nemesis has the belt.  Sonnen has left a void at the top, allowing for other contenders to claim the title of “true” number one contender. A move to light heavyweight seems possible but a shift to a more commentary/personality oriented career is far more likely. A glimmer of hope has come from a small spat between “The American Gangster” and “Rampage” Jackson.  Jackson already has his last fight booked but if two of the most entertaining mouths keep running at each other you can never rule out the possibility that Sonnen will take his personality to a heavier weight class.

Chris Weidman – The new bee’s knees, Chris Weidman has emerged as the hottest thing in MMA this summer.  Weidman went from bottom of the top 10 to arguable number one contender in the matter of two rounds as he absolutely dominated and wrecked Mark Munoz - yeah, that Mark Munoz – the one that was on the brink of his own title shot.  Weidman showed off a rare blend of submissions, wrestling, striking, and transitions that even inspired Sonnen to call him the best middleweight in the world – present company included. With highly touted Lombard falling at UFC 149 Weidman might be the front-runner for the next title shot and might represent the most dangerous challenge to The Spider to date.

Alan Belcher – Alan Belcher has slowly but surely solidified himself as one of the top contenders in the division.  His recent first round victory over Rousimar Palhares in May put his win streak at 4, a win streak that could be at 7 if it were not for a controversial decision loss to Yoshihiro Akiyama.  Belcher has proven himself an extremely well rounded fighter, his skill set anchored in his dangerous and technically sound stand up game.  While Belcher’s last win came early in the summer he has been booked for the biggest fight of his career, set to meet Vitor Belfort in Brazil in October. This fight that could put one of them next in line for a title shot if they are able to come away with an impressive finish. It is hard to tell how long it will be before Anderson Silva signs for another fight. Belcher might have a chance to earn the next title shot or clinch a title eliminator.

Tim Boetsch – Tim Boetsch is not the biggest, fastest, or even the most technical fighter in the division. He is one of the toughest though and he presents matchup problems for virtually anyone he runs into.  After scoring two strait upsets over top 10 fighters in Okami and Lombard, he is now, according to Dana White himself, positioned nicely for a title shot.  Boetsch will likely need one more fight though and will undoubtedly have a tough opponent in his way.  The Barbarian was gaining a ton of momentum and loading up his bandwagon before the Lombard fight but a lackluster win following Weidman’s coming out party the week before slowed his hype train a bit.   However, there is no doubt that Boetsch’s fate is in his own hands right now and when you see his name on the marquee next time you can be assured it will be an important fight.  .

Vitor Belfort – Since his memorable knock out loss to Anderson Silva Vitor Belfort has been nothing but successful if not impressive. The Brazilian knockout artist has managed to climb his way back into serious contention. Injury knocked him out of the headlining fight of the UFC’s most recent trip to Brazil, a fight against Wanderlie Silva.  While the setback is unfortunate the rebooking against Alan Belcher might be a boon from the MMA gods, a fight that, depending on Anderson Silva’s next booking, could earn Belfort a title shot.  Belfort’s talents have been on full display over the past few years yet his defeat at the hands of the champion sticks firmly in the memory of most fans making his case a somewhat more difficult one.  However, Belfort’s talent and his experience make him an absolutely paramount piece to the current middleweight puzzle.

Michael Bisping – Anyone who has read my blog before knows that I am not a huge fan of Michael Bisping. The boxing Brit just rubs me the wrong way and almost always seems to be booked in favorable match-ups.  However he won me over a little bit when he took Chael Sonnen to the distance, putting on what I still believe was a winning performance. Unfortunately Bisping was subsequently another victim of the MMA injury bug and forced to pull out of his date with Tim Boetsch.  Bisping isn’t far removed from the title picture though and his upcoming bout with Brian Stann is just the opportunity he needs to look good and regain some momentum.  Bisping’s most powerful weapon in the battle for a title shot might just be his divisive personality. Fans either seem to love him or hate him, usually the later. That means that if all things are equal the UFC will likely favor The Count and give him a title shot. Love him or hate him Michael Bisping sells tickets.  

Hector Lombard – Lombard is in a tough tough spot right now. He has spent years running through lesser competition, looking like the unstoppable monster at the end of all those martial arts tournament movies – you know the one that the clean cut hero should have no chance against. As soon as he stepped into the UFC people were clamoring for a title shot but he was expected to win just one fight before that would be set in motion. Unfortunately he dropped an awkward and close decision to Tim Boetsch who, despite being one of the toughest middleweights in the world, is not a sexy contender.  All is not lost though. Lots of people lose fights. Lots of fighters drop their UFC debut.  However the pressure is on for Lombard to win his next fight and prove that he isn’t the product of soft match-making.  No word has broken to this point about who might take the Brazilian on but whoever it is will have a chance to steal the last bit of thunder Lombard carries around, thunder Lombard will need if he hopes to remain relevant. 

Mark Munoz – I, like many fans, were extremely high on Mark Munoz coming into his headlining fight against Chris Weidman.  I wouldn’t say I have so much lost faith in him but it is really hard to look at any fighter the same way after being wrecked in such a profoundly convincing way.  Munoz is a highly skilled young man all the same and the future is very bright for him.  He strikes me as the kind of guy who is going to get a big fight before years end, perhaps against the likes of Lombard or Sonnen.  He took a huge step back but he will have an opportunity to jump back into the top tier soon and eliminate someone else in the process.

Rich Franklin – Who can hate this guy? Seriously? Who can hate Rich Franklin? If there is anyone in the business who has saved more MMA cards and in turn UFC brass more often I don’t know who it is. After taking some time to test his metal at 205 pounds Ace looks like he is back to the Middleweight division to make one more run at the champion.  For his part, Silva’s camp seems to be quite open to the idea, no surprising considering how dreamily Franklin matches up with the champion. Franklin has pleased enough people to probably be a lot closer to a title shot than he should be. On top of that the guy is just legit good. There isn’t anyone on this list outside of perhaps Silva that I would expect to run through Franklin and if he says he wants to be relevant at Middleweight I fully believe he will be.  A fight with Hector Lombard, Mark Munoz, or – most compelling – Tim Boetsch would make a lot of sense at this point and could line Rich Franklin up for one final shot at the Middleweight Title.