[h=1]MMA10: Top all-time middleweights[/h][h=3]UFC champion Anderson Silva is in a class by himself[/h]By TR Foley | ESPN Insider
Editor's note: Insider presents MMA10, a weekly top-10 poll of MMA fighters, trainers and coaches on a variety of topics. This week: top 10 all-time middleweights.
Anderson Silva is the top middleweight in UFC history. Not surprisingly, the Brazilian front-kicked his way to our poll's first unanimous selection, but while his dominance is historic, it's also troublesome when sussing out which remaining middleweights should be listed. Unlike the heavyweight division where turnover allows for greatness in intervals, Silva's eight-year reign at middleweight has created a talent vacuum where few competitors could create traction or marketability.
Despite Silva's continued dominance, other champions and contenders of merit have made an impression on those we polled. Somehow amid the glow of Silva's fame our panel was able to cobble together nine more names, though none enjoyed the unanimity of "The Spider."
So here are the 10 names that stood out as the biggest stars according to our voters, who elected them the top 10 MMA middleweights of all time.
[h=3]1. Anderson Silva | Record: 33-4-0[/h]
Silva
The Spider's dominance can be measured in a myriad of ways. The 37-year-old Brazilian has been fighting for 13 years, and in that time has accrued an unbelievable string of records including 16 consecutive wins in the Octagon and a promotional best 10 straight title defenses. He's unbeaten since 2004 and has finished an incredible 14 of 16 opponents in the Octagon.
It's not just numbers, but Silva's aptitude for expanding the possible -- playfully dodging Forrest Griffin's fists before delivering a knockout punch, or crippling Vitor Belfort with a front kick to the jaw -- that have earned him mention as the overall greatest of all time. But if you still like facts, consider that Silva also owns the most knockdowns in UFC history (17) and has a promotional-best 67 percent striking accuracy inside the Octagon, a full 8 percent better than the second-place fighter.
[h=3]2. Dan Henderson | Record: 29-8-1[/h]
Henderson
Though he knocked out Fedor Emelianenko at heavyweight and put up a "Fight of the Year" performance in a light heavyweight battle with Maurcio "Shogun" Rua, Dan Henderson remains one of the most respected middleweights in MMA history. The former Olympic wrestler won the UFC 17 middleweight tournament winner in 1998, but instead of sticking around for the slow and litigious maturation of the UFC, he jetted to Japan where he fought for seven years in PRIDE, accumulating multi-divisional wins over Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. He wrapped up his middleweight career with a knockout of Michael Bisping in 2009 at UFC 100 that earned several "Knockout of the Year" honors.
The 42-year-old former champion isn't done fighting. Now settling in at light heavyweight, Henderson is riding a four-fight win streak and faces Lyoto Machida in a title elimination bout next month.
[h=3]3. Chael Sonnen | Record: 28-12-1[/h]
Sonnen
This might be one of the more controversial of our inclusions. The most talked about man in MMA is more than just words and fake belts. In the buildup to Silva versus Sonnen 1, the All-American wrestler from the University of Oregon defeated Dan Miller, Yushin Okami and Nate Marquardt in three straight fights with a total takedown margin of plus-13, and a significant striking tally of 176-45. Though Sonnen earned three statistical takedowns against Silva and landed 89 significant strikes, he was unable to upend the champ, losing by triangle late in the fifth round.
Sonnen's takedowns score often, but since he keeps opponents pinned to the mats he often doesn't need to repeat the task. In fact, he's on top so often that he's recorded an incredible 1,356 strikes in the UFC, ranking him seventh all-time, just ahead of Hall of Famer Randy Couture.
[h=3]4. Rich Franklin | Record: 29-7-1[/h]
Franklin
In the UFC middleweight period known as "Before A.S.," Rich Franklin was the face of the division and one of the promotion's most marketable stars. After defeating Evan Tanner to win the middleweight belt at UFC 53, Franklin held the strap for the second-longest period of any UFC middleweight, defending his belt twice in 14 months, outslugging Nate Quarry and David Loiseau. Silva took the belt from him at UFC 64. He'd win two more fights before losing his title rematch against Silva in 2007 and moved up to light heavyweight.
The former math teacher racked up big numbers when it came to closing out fights, finishing 25 of his 29 fights with 15 by KO and 10 by submission. He also ranks among the most knockdowns in UFC history with 10, and his 2.18 strike differential -- how much he got hit versus how much he hit others -- is impressive; he ranks among the 10-best all-time in UFC history.
[h=3]5. Vitor Belfort | Record: 21-10-0[/h]
Belfort
Belfort gained notoriety for being one of the youngest UFC champions in history, but he gained credibility with fans for his hard-charging fighting style that offered no surrender to his opponents. One of the most powerful punchers in MMA, the Brazilian has earned an impressive 66 percent of his wins by knockout, including middleweight UFC veterans Terry Martin, Matt Lindland and Yoshihiro Akiyama.
This weekend's UFC on FX fight against Michael Bisping will be Belfort's third middleweight bout in the UFC, and a win would possibly earn him a rematch against Silva and the chance to win an astonishing third championship belt in the UFC.
[h=3]6. Yushin Okami | Record: 29-7-0[/h]
Okami
A stalwart of the division, Okami has been in the UFC for almost seven years and has notched an impressive 12-4 record. The most successful Japanese fighter in UFC history, Okami has improved every year, first by focusing on his stamina, then his striking and now his wrestling. Okami ranks fifth all-time in takedown defense with a success percentage of almost 84 percent.
But it's Okami's division-best strength and ground positioning that reduces unnecessary scrambles, avoids freak knockouts (except against Tim Boetsch), and opens him up to do damage from the ground. Okami did all this and more in his last fight against Alan Belcher, when he took the jiu-jitsu black belt to the mat and scored significant strikes in all three rounds to earn a decision, and another possible path to the middleweight title shot.
[h=3]7. Hector Lombard | Record: 32-3, 1 NC[/h]
Lombard
A former Bellator champion and onetime owner of a 24-fight unbeaten streak, Hector Lombard's Olympic-level judo and menacing overhand right have made him one of the most feared fighters in MMA. Technically, it's his judo overhooks (which he converts to whizzers in defending shots from his feet) that help keep him standing against traditional leg attacks, but it's the rage behind his right hand (comparable to that of Henderson's) that keeps opponents on their heels.
Though the Cuban-Aussie dropped a split-decision loss to Tim Boetsch at UFC 149, the lightning-quick striker re-emerged with a knockout of knee-snatcher Rousimar Palhares in Australia in December. Next up is a fight with Yushin Okami in Japan on March 3 -- a win could mean Bisping, or the chance to fight for the title against Anderson Silva.
[h=3]8. Evan Tanner | Record: 34-8-0[/h]
The accurate and hard-hitting middleweight was beloved by fans, and for several years respected as an innovator by fighters. Though his death in 2008 stopped any potential comeback, Tanner's legacy lives on in the UFC record books. The former middleweight champ registered the second-highest significant strike percentage in promotional history (59 percent) behind only Anderson Silva.
[h=3]9. Michael Bisping | Record: 24-4[/h]
Bisping
Known for his powerful striking and big mouth, Bisping's most recent success has actually come from improved wrestling. Against Sonnen it was Bisping's pummeling against the cage and effective single-leg defense that turned what could have been a lopsided fight into a stand-and-trade battle fought against the cage.
Bisping is one of the UFC's best-ever pugilists, landing a total of 840 significant strikes in his UFC career, good enough for fourth all-time. But against Sonnen it wasn't enough. Should the Brit beat Belfort this weekend at UFC on FX, he'll be within a fight of competing for the middleweight belt.
[h=3]10. Matt Lindland | Record: 15-3-0[/h]
An Olympic silver medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling, Lindland is the co-founder of Team Quest and along with friend Dan Henderson has earned a legendary reputation for toughness. The Oregon native appeared in his first UFC bout just six months after the Sydney Games, defeating Yoji Anjo by TKO. He ended up tallying an impressive 9-3 record in the UFC mostly through relentless pressure on this feet and upper-body clinches he intended to convert into takedowns. By the end of his career, Lindland had ended 15 of his 22 wins by submission or knockout and fought in one middleweight title bout.
Editor's note: Insider presents MMA10, a weekly top-10 poll of MMA fighters, trainers and coaches on a variety of topics. This week: top 10 all-time middleweights.
Anderson Silva is the top middleweight in UFC history. Not surprisingly, the Brazilian front-kicked his way to our poll's first unanimous selection, but while his dominance is historic, it's also troublesome when sussing out which remaining middleweights should be listed. Unlike the heavyweight division where turnover allows for greatness in intervals, Silva's eight-year reign at middleweight has created a talent vacuum where few competitors could create traction or marketability.
Despite Silva's continued dominance, other champions and contenders of merit have made an impression on those we polled. Somehow amid the glow of Silva's fame our panel was able to cobble together nine more names, though none enjoyed the unanimity of "The Spider."
So here are the 10 names that stood out as the biggest stars according to our voters, who elected them the top 10 MMA middleweights of all time.
[h=3]1. Anderson Silva | Record: 33-4-0[/h]
Silva
The Spider's dominance can be measured in a myriad of ways. The 37-year-old Brazilian has been fighting for 13 years, and in that time has accrued an unbelievable string of records including 16 consecutive wins in the Octagon and a promotional best 10 straight title defenses. He's unbeaten since 2004 and has finished an incredible 14 of 16 opponents in the Octagon.
It's not just numbers, but Silva's aptitude for expanding the possible -- playfully dodging Forrest Griffin's fists before delivering a knockout punch, or crippling Vitor Belfort with a front kick to the jaw -- that have earned him mention as the overall greatest of all time. But if you still like facts, consider that Silva also owns the most knockdowns in UFC history (17) and has a promotional-best 67 percent striking accuracy inside the Octagon, a full 8 percent better than the second-place fighter.
[h=3]2. Dan Henderson | Record: 29-8-1[/h]
Henderson
Though he knocked out Fedor Emelianenko at heavyweight and put up a "Fight of the Year" performance in a light heavyweight battle with Maurcio "Shogun" Rua, Dan Henderson remains one of the most respected middleweights in MMA history. The former Olympic wrestler won the UFC 17 middleweight tournament winner in 1998, but instead of sticking around for the slow and litigious maturation of the UFC, he jetted to Japan where he fought for seven years in PRIDE, accumulating multi-divisional wins over Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. He wrapped up his middleweight career with a knockout of Michael Bisping in 2009 at UFC 100 that earned several "Knockout of the Year" honors.
The 42-year-old former champion isn't done fighting. Now settling in at light heavyweight, Henderson is riding a four-fight win streak and faces Lyoto Machida in a title elimination bout next month.
[h=3]3. Chael Sonnen | Record: 28-12-1[/h]
Sonnen
This might be one of the more controversial of our inclusions. The most talked about man in MMA is more than just words and fake belts. In the buildup to Silva versus Sonnen 1, the All-American wrestler from the University of Oregon defeated Dan Miller, Yushin Okami and Nate Marquardt in three straight fights with a total takedown margin of plus-13, and a significant striking tally of 176-45. Though Sonnen earned three statistical takedowns against Silva and landed 89 significant strikes, he was unable to upend the champ, losing by triangle late in the fifth round.
Sonnen's takedowns score often, but since he keeps opponents pinned to the mats he often doesn't need to repeat the task. In fact, he's on top so often that he's recorded an incredible 1,356 strikes in the UFC, ranking him seventh all-time, just ahead of Hall of Famer Randy Couture.
[h=3]4. Rich Franklin | Record: 29-7-1[/h]
Franklin
In the UFC middleweight period known as "Before A.S.," Rich Franklin was the face of the division and one of the promotion's most marketable stars. After defeating Evan Tanner to win the middleweight belt at UFC 53, Franklin held the strap for the second-longest period of any UFC middleweight, defending his belt twice in 14 months, outslugging Nate Quarry and David Loiseau. Silva took the belt from him at UFC 64. He'd win two more fights before losing his title rematch against Silva in 2007 and moved up to light heavyweight.
The former math teacher racked up big numbers when it came to closing out fights, finishing 25 of his 29 fights with 15 by KO and 10 by submission. He also ranks among the most knockdowns in UFC history with 10, and his 2.18 strike differential -- how much he got hit versus how much he hit others -- is impressive; he ranks among the 10-best all-time in UFC history.
[h=3]5. Vitor Belfort | Record: 21-10-0[/h]
Belfort
Belfort gained notoriety for being one of the youngest UFC champions in history, but he gained credibility with fans for his hard-charging fighting style that offered no surrender to his opponents. One of the most powerful punchers in MMA, the Brazilian has earned an impressive 66 percent of his wins by knockout, including middleweight UFC veterans Terry Martin, Matt Lindland and Yoshihiro Akiyama.
This weekend's UFC on FX fight against Michael Bisping will be Belfort's third middleweight bout in the UFC, and a win would possibly earn him a rematch against Silva and the chance to win an astonishing third championship belt in the UFC.
[h=3]6. Yushin Okami | Record: 29-7-0[/h]
Okami
A stalwart of the division, Okami has been in the UFC for almost seven years and has notched an impressive 12-4 record. The most successful Japanese fighter in UFC history, Okami has improved every year, first by focusing on his stamina, then his striking and now his wrestling. Okami ranks fifth all-time in takedown defense with a success percentage of almost 84 percent.
But it's Okami's division-best strength and ground positioning that reduces unnecessary scrambles, avoids freak knockouts (except against Tim Boetsch), and opens him up to do damage from the ground. Okami did all this and more in his last fight against Alan Belcher, when he took the jiu-jitsu black belt to the mat and scored significant strikes in all three rounds to earn a decision, and another possible path to the middleweight title shot.
[h=3]7. Hector Lombard | Record: 32-3, 1 NC[/h]
Lombard
A former Bellator champion and onetime owner of a 24-fight unbeaten streak, Hector Lombard's Olympic-level judo and menacing overhand right have made him one of the most feared fighters in MMA. Technically, it's his judo overhooks (which he converts to whizzers in defending shots from his feet) that help keep him standing against traditional leg attacks, but it's the rage behind his right hand (comparable to that of Henderson's) that keeps opponents on their heels.
Though the Cuban-Aussie dropped a split-decision loss to Tim Boetsch at UFC 149, the lightning-quick striker re-emerged with a knockout of knee-snatcher Rousimar Palhares in Australia in December. Next up is a fight with Yushin Okami in Japan on March 3 -- a win could mean Bisping, or the chance to fight for the title against Anderson Silva.
[h=3]8. Evan Tanner | Record: 34-8-0[/h]
The accurate and hard-hitting middleweight was beloved by fans, and for several years respected as an innovator by fighters. Though his death in 2008 stopped any potential comeback, Tanner's legacy lives on in the UFC record books. The former middleweight champ registered the second-highest significant strike percentage in promotional history (59 percent) behind only Anderson Silva.
[h=3]9. Michael Bisping | Record: 24-4[/h]
Bisping
Known for his powerful striking and big mouth, Bisping's most recent success has actually come from improved wrestling. Against Sonnen it was Bisping's pummeling against the cage and effective single-leg defense that turned what could have been a lopsided fight into a stand-and-trade battle fought against the cage.
Bisping is one of the UFC's best-ever pugilists, landing a total of 840 significant strikes in his UFC career, good enough for fourth all-time. But against Sonnen it wasn't enough. Should the Brit beat Belfort this weekend at UFC on FX, he'll be within a fight of competing for the middleweight belt.
[h=3]10. Matt Lindland | Record: 15-3-0[/h]
An Olympic silver medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling, Lindland is the co-founder of Team Quest and along with friend Dan Henderson has earned a legendary reputation for toughness. The Oregon native appeared in his first UFC bout just six months after the Sydney Games, defeating Yoji Anjo by TKO. He ended up tallying an impressive 9-3 record in the UFC mostly through relentless pressure on this feet and upper-body clinches he intended to convert into takedowns. By the end of his career, Lindland had ended 15 of his 22 wins by submission or knockout and fought in one middleweight title bout.
