The middleweight division has been in the spotlight as of late, with both the UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and his Strikeforce counterpart Luke Rockhold making successful title defenses this month, and Chris Weidman emerging as a possible contender to the UFC gold. Another high profile bout is coming up this weekend as Hector Lombard takes on Tim Boetsch at UFC 149, and a bout between [#12] Brian Stann and [#13] Michael Bisping has been slated for UFC 152.
Here are fifteen other middleweight matchups I would like to see in UFC and Strikeforce:
[#2] Chael Sonnen vs [#25] Wanderlei Silva
While Sonnen remains the #2 middleweight, going 0-2 against the champion sends him to the back of the proverbial line when it comes to title contention. Given the animosity which exists between Chael and Wanderlei Silva, this should make for some epic smack talk and an entertaining matchup without title implications.
[#3] Chris Weidman vs the winner of [#6] Hector Lombard / [#9] Tim Boetsch
After an impressive win over Mark Munoz, Weidman is pushing for a shot at the champion. However it is not likely that Anderson will fight again this year, and sitting on the bench waiting for a title shot will do no favors to Weidman’s career. Pit Weidman against Lombard or Boetsch and you have a legitimate #1 contender for Anderson Silva’s next fight.
[#4] Luke Rockhold vs [#20] Lorenz Larkin
It’s dificult to find a true contender on Strikeforce’s anemic roster. Luke Rockhold expressed interest in rematching Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza, and Roger Gracie is quickly moving up the rankings. However I believe Souza and Gracie are better off fighting each other next. Rockhold should instead take on Lorenz Larkin, who made an solid divisional debut with a unanimous decision win over Robbie Lawler.
[#5] Vitor Belfort vs [#7] Alan Belcher
Alan Belcher looked like a monster since returning to action from an injury layoff, finishing Jason MacDonald and Rousimar Palhares in the first round. Vitor Belfort also racked up two first-round stoppages over Yoshihiro Akiyama and Anthony Johnson since suffering a knockout courtesy of Anderson Silva. Guaranteed fireworks, and a win will move one of these middlweights into the title picture.
[#8] Rich Franklin vs [#46] Cung Le
Former champion Rich Franklin was as scrappy and resilient as ever in his return to the middleweight division, and spoke of making one last run at the title. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately?) for ‘Ace’, a third matchup with Anderson Silva remains an impossibly tough sell even 5 years after they last met in the Octagon. For now Franklin is relegated to big-name, low-significance ‘superfights’. He was slated to meet Cung Le in his most recent fight before injuries forced card changes. With both guys coming off hard-fought victories, this remains an intriguing matchup.
[#11] Mark Munoz vs the loser of [#6]Hector Lombard / [#9] Tim Boetsch
Mark Munoz was gearing up for a shot at the title but that plan was thwarted when he suffered a brutal TKO at the hands of Chris Weidman. Facing the loser of Lombard / Boetsch will provide a high-profile matchup and allow one of the fighters to remain in the spotlight.
[#14] Ronaldo Souza vs [#16] Roger Gracie
A grappler’s dream – what more needs to be said? This matchup will also create a sorely needed top contender for the Strikeforce middleweight belt.
And a few more fun bouts to make:
[#15] Tim Kennedy vs [#41] Keith Jardine
[#17] Yushin Okami vs [#19] Chris Leben
[#21] Constantinos Philippou vs [#30] Francis Carmont
[#24] Robbie Lawler vs [#39] Derek Brunson
[#22] Rousimar Palhares vs [#56] Alessio Sakara
[#26] Andrew Craig vs [#31] Ronnys Markes
[#27] Ed Herman vs [#47] Tom Lawlor
[#48] CB Dollaway vs the winner of [#40] Nick Ring / [#55] Court McGee