How Each of the Top UFC Middleweights Would Fare Against Anderson Silva

Hello there! Raise your hand if you think that Anderson Silva has completely finished the Middleweight division. Even though I can’t see anyone’s hands, I would imagine that you believe it to be true. Well, I’m here to say otherwise.As a disclaimer, I …

Hello there! Raise your hand if you think that Anderson Silva has completely finished the Middleweight division. Even though I can’t see anyone’s hands, I would imagine that you believe it to be true. Well, I’m here to say otherwise.

As a disclaimer, I must say that Vitor Belfort and Yushin Okami will not be on this list, seeing as they were both one-sided fights within the past year. Anyway, continue to the rest of the article!

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UFC on FOX 2 Fight Card: Evans vs. Davis

Filed under: UFCThe UFC on FOX 2 fight card headlined by Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis is fast shaping up for the Jan. 22, 2012 event from the United Center in Chicago, Ill.

After hosting a heavyweight championship bout in November, the second live FOX …

Filed under:

Rashad Evans takes on Phil Davis on the UFC on FOX 2 fight card.The UFC on FOX 2 fight card headlined by Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis is fast shaping up for the Jan. 22, 2012 event from the United Center in Chicago, Ill.

After hosting a heavyweight championship bout in November, the second live FOX event will feature two No. 1 contender bouts. Evans meets Davis for the next shot at the UFC light heavyweight title against the winner of UFC 140’s Jon JonesLyoto Machida. Meanwhile, Chael Sonnen and Mark Munoz will battle for a future shot against middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

The current lineup is below.

Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis
Chael Sonnen vs. Mark Munoz
Evan Dunham vs. Paul Sass
Michael Johnson vs. Cody McKenzie
Cub Swanson vs. George Roop
John-Olav Einemo vs. Mike Russow
Demetrious Johnson vs. Eddie Wineland

 

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B/R MMA Official Rankings for December: Top 10 Middleweights in MMA

Bleacher Report MMA now brings you our official rankings for the month of December.For the remainder of the month, things in the middleweight division will be relativity quiet. We will not see any of the higher ranked fighters in action, but all of tha…

Bleacher Report MMA now brings you our official rankings for the month of December.

For the remainder of the month, things in the middleweight division will be relativity quiet. We will not see any of the higher ranked fighters in action, but all of that will change in early 2012 when we see Chael Sonnen face off against Mark Munoz at UFC on FOX 2.

Then, there is the ever-present question of when we will see Anderson Silva back in action and who he will face once he recovers from his injury. 

So, who make the Top 10 for the month of December? Continue on to find out.

 

These rankings are the combined effort of some of Bleacher Report MMA‘s best writers, as we continue to try and provide you with the best content on the web.

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TUF 14 Finale Results: 4 Fights Michael Bisping Should Take Next

The Ultimate Finale 14 is in the books, and Michael Bisping proved to be the better coach. After a bad first round, Bisping was able to out strike  and outlast Jason “Mayhem” Miller, earning the victory when the ref stopped the fight in …

The Ultimate Finale 14 is in the books, and Michael Bisping proved to be the better coach. 

After a bad first round, Bisping was able to out strike  and outlast Jason “Mayhem” Miller, earning the victory when the ref stopped the fight in the third round.

The UFC’s top British star has now earned his fourth straight victory and should be looking to take a step up in competition.

Here are some fights he should take next if he wants to be a serious contender.   

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Sonnen vs. Munoz Confirmed for ‘UFC on FOX 2? Co-Headliner; Winner to Receive Title Shot


(“For my next trick, I’m going to saw these women in half, then bury them in my backyard and steal their disability checks.” / Photo via Zimbio)

While Michael Bisping’s dominant win over Jason Miller this weekend put the Count even deeper “in the mix” at middleweight, he still won’t be next in line for a title shot. The UFC confirmed yesterday afternoon that despite conflicting reports, Chael Sonnen and Mark Munoz will indeed be facing off at UFC on FOX 2 (January 28th, Chicago), with the winner earning a shot at Anderson Silva’s coveted 185-pound belt.


(“For my next trick, I’m going to saw these women in half, then bury them in my backyard and steal their disability checks.” / Photo via Zimbio)

While Michael Bisping’s dominant win over Jason Miller this weekend put the Count even deeper “in the mix” at middleweight, he still won’t be next in line for a title shot. The UFC confirmed yesterday afternoon that despite conflicting reports, Chael Sonnen and Mark Munoz will indeed be facing off at UFC on FOX 2 (January 28th, Chicago), with the winner earning a shot at Anderson Silva‘s coveted 185-pound belt.

Sonnen won his first post-suspension fight at UFC 136 in October, choking out Brian Stann in the second round. Last week he hosted the World MMA Awards, and successfully charmed Ronda Rousey into giddiness on the red carpet. Munoz has won four straight fights in the Octagon, most recently scoring a corner stoppage TKO over Chris Leben at UFC 138.

Sonnen and Munoz will join UFC on FOX 2 headliners Rashad Evans and Phil Davis in a press conference this Wednesday at the United Center in Chicago to discuss the event. We’ll see if Munoz brings up the fact that Sonnen wrestled him dirty back in college.

Chael Sonnen Only Has His Wrestling Going vs. Muñoz, or Maybe Not

Chael Sonnen’s dream rematch against UFC Champion Anderson Silva has met a recently-announced pre-condition at UFC on Fox 2 that will be held next year: a fight versus Mark Muñoz that will decide who is the real numero uno middleweight contender…

Chael Sonnen‘s dream rematch against UFC Champion Anderson Silva has met a recently-announced pre-condition at UFC on Fox 2 that will be held next year: a fight versus Mark Muñoz that will decide who is the real numero uno middleweight contender.

A match whose outcome will bring the victor closest to possibly snatching the UFC belt from MMA‘s pound-for-pound kingsomething that Sonnen almost pulled off in UFC 117.

Sonnen, based on comments from various MMA online forums, appears to be the favorite over Muñoz. This is mainly because, statistically, The Unnatural has proven to be the better wrestler and the more effective takedown artist inside the Octagon compared to The Filipino Wrecking Machine.

His relentless style and boundless energy—natural or otherwise—are also impressive. Factor in his “near-win” against Silva and subsequent trouncing of Brian Stann, and it becomes clearer why most will place their bets on Sonnen.

 

Still, eveybody knows that, just like Sonnen, Muñoz is first and foremost a first-class wrestler. Sonnen’s advantage in takedown percentage notwithstanding, it remains to be seen who of the former top amateur collegiate and Olympic-style wrestlers is the better wrestler in MMA.

 

Some may say that Chris Leben successfully took down Muñoz, proof that the latter is inferior to Sonnen in the rassling department. But let’s not forget that Demian Maia also did the same to Sonnen, before immediately sinking the game-winning triangle choke afterward. (Well, this is MMA. And as a side note, who is the better wrestler between Leben and Maia?)

 

 

Sonnen may carry more submission-hold wins in his fight record—the most recent being his arm triangle choke win over Stann—but Muñoz survived and beat world submission-grappling champion Maia, who in turn submitted Sonnen.

 

 

In short, Sonnen’s grappling is not a discernible threat against Muñoz.

 

When it comes to stand-up striking, they appear to be equally skilled, but Muñoz without a doubt unloads the heavier hands. And it’s a no-brainer who has the more lethal ground-and-pound game.

 

Sonnen’s chances of getting that dream rematch lies in being able to deliver to Muñoz what he dished out against The Spider: effective takedowns, ground control and non-stop ground-and-pound…until the final bell rings.

 

It’s unlikely that Muñoz will eventually slap a triangle armbar from his back, but it’s also unlikely that the Filipino-American will be knocked unconscious by Sonnen’s punches (if we can call them that). So for Sonnen, it must be ground-and-paw en route to a decision win in their fight expected to happen on January 28, 2012.

 

Otherwise, if Muñoz keeps the fight on their feet, or worse, takes down Sonnen as often as he needs to rain down his devastating power bombs, then the dream rematch will have to wait a little longer—if not for eternity.

 

Or he might end up calling for a rematch versus Muñoz to be crowned, finally, as “the new UFC Middleweight Champion!”

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