MMA Fighter Rankings: Middleweight

On the first Wednesday of every month, theScore's MMA editors compile a list of the top 10 fighters in each of the major weight classes.

Rankings
Heavyweight | Light Heavyweight 
Middleweight | Welterweight
Lightweight | Featherweight
Bantamweight | Flyweight
Women: Bantamweight | Strawweight

Middleweight

• After three failed attempts, middleweight champion Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort will finally (*crosses fingers*) get a chance to unleash violence on each other at UFC 187 in May.
• In a battle of former champions, Luke Rockhold, once a middleweight champion in Strikeforce, will battle with Lyoto Machida, an ex-UFC light heavyweight titlist, at UFC on FOX 15. Should Rockhold emerge victorious, he'll likely get a shot at the winner of Weidman-Belfort.
• Rockhold's title candidacy could change drastically depending on what happens between grappling ace Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and Olympic judoka Yoel Romero in the co-main event at UFC on FOX 15. A stirring victory by Jacare could sway the UFC into granting him a shot at the 185-pound crown.
• After alternating wins and losses for the first year of his UFC tenure, former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi is trying to piece together his considerable skills and make a run into the crowded middleweight title picture. The first step in his championship chase will come against Costas Philippou during the UFC's first foray into the Philippines on May 16.