Posts with the tag "middleweight"

Quick, name 5 UFC middleweight fighters. Can't do it? Most of you probably can't even name 3 fighters. Let's see, there is Anderson Silva, Rich Franklin, and ...

The real problem with the middleweight division is that there are two dominant fighters atop the division and together they have defeated all challengers.

Combined, Anderson Silva and Rich Franklin have defeated Travis Lutter (both), Yushin Okami (Franklin), Dan Henderson (Silva), Jason MacDonald (Franklin), Nate Marquardt (Silva), David Loiseau (Franklin), Nate Quarry (Franklin), Chris Leben (Silva), Evan Tanner (Franklin) ...

Where does that leave us? Without much excitement in the middleweight division. The only up and coming fighter I can think of is Demian Maia. He looked awesome at UFC 83 where he submitted Ed Herman. Still, he needs to win a couple more fights to prove he is a true contender.

Still, the middleweight division must go on. The most logical challenger for Anderson Silva is Yushin Okami. He is coming off back-to-back wins and actually owns a win over Silva, although it came by disqualification due to an illegal kick. Rich Franklin should probably fight Nate Marquardt next, but don't be surprised to see a fight with Dan Henderson.