Why Middleweight Is Now the Most Exciting Division.

[IDL]

With a champion as dominant as Anderson, any weight division will appear shallow. He sets the bar so high that every contender /prospect just seems to be on a level beneath him. I agree that the division has more depth than 5 years ago, but as long as Anderson is on top, it wil still be perceived as being shallow.

Possibly a factor, but WW hasn't been considered weak and it has had a dominant champ for a long time as well.

Good additions to the MW division though, certainly things are looking up.

Keep in mind that 'weak' is a relative term.

 

[TheComebackKid]

Still, they became top 10 fighters, some even top 5. That couldn't have happened if MW was a strong division. I'm not say that LHW is super stacked, but it's defintely better than MW.

Well yeah I agree with that. MW is weak because it has such a dominant champ and a shit ton of top 10 MWs left the division within 2-3 years. In fact 7 of them have. Show me another time in mma history that has happened. But if you look at a top ten list from around 2008-2010 I think it is a very strong division. And almost everyone who has left has had good success in other divisions.

1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Rich Franklin
4. Chael Sonnen
5. Yushin Okami
6. Nate Marquardt
7. Vitor Belfort
8. Gegard Mousasi
9. Jake Shields
10. Demian Maia

The only way Boetsch, Munoz, or Stann crack this top 10 is through bad decisions or fluke ko's.

 

[Just a username]

Well yeah I agree with that. MW is weak because it has such a dominant champ and a shit ton of top 10 MWs left the division within 2-3 years. But if you look at a top ten list from around 2008-2010 I think it is a very strong division:

1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Rich Franklin
4. Chael Sonnen
5. Yushin Okami
6. Nate Marquardt
7. Vitor Belfort
8. Gegard Mousasi
9. Jake Shields
10. Demian Maia

The only way Boetsch, Munoz, or Stann crack this top 10 is through bad decisions or fluke ko's.

You're using that shitty argument about Anderson chasing top contenders away from the division? I thought i had debunked it and you accepted my argument.

Sure, that list looks great, but Hendo and Mousasi are never coming back and Nate is unlikely to do so as well. It is what is. I don't understand this constant need to hype MW though.

 

[Kurisutofu]

Unfortunately they will make matchups which will tangle the division all over again.

There seems to be a love for fights that make no sense in the MW division.

 

[mike00]

Still, they became top 10 fighters, some even top 5. That couldn't have happened if MW was a strong division. I'm not say that LHW is super stacked, but it's defintely better than MW.

Martin Kampmann. Top 10 at WW after moving down.

 

[Just a username]

Martin Kampmann. Top 10 at WW after moving down.

Kampmann was 4-1 at MW though.

 

[JoseAldoKillaBe]

So? Rashad has developed considerably since then. How do you think Bisping fares against Rashad today?

Yea, and Bisping froze in time and is the same fighter he was back then.
Lol, Please....

 

[Just a username]

Yea, and Bisping froze in time and is the same fighter he was back then.
Lol, Please....

Well Rashad developed into a legit top 5 fighter while Bisping isn's as good, so i would say that Rashad has developed better. Rashad would absolutely tool Bisping if they fought today.

 

[Dark One]

I don't know why people keep insisting 185 is a deep division. There are some very good fighters and matchups but compared to its surrounding divisions it is very shallow. Anderson's dominance has nothing to do with it. GSP is just as dominant as Anderson and nobody thinks 170 is shallow.

 

[Tactitus]

I think WW is more fun than MW.

Welterweight has far too many bland wrestlers for my taste.

 

[youngsteinel]

MW has been so lackluster and boring lately.

 

[mike00]

Kampmann was 4-1 at MW though.

Was he ranked in the top 10 though? I'm not saying mw is better than ww, but it looks pretty good right now and there are definitely some exciting fights that will be made.

 

[Just a username]

Was he ranked in the top 10 though? I'm not saying mw is better than ww, but it looks pretty good right now and there are definitely some exciting fights that will be made.

I don't know if he was, doubt it though. Never said MW sucks, it's just that there are better divisions.

 

[sprucelees]

well there is definitely an improvement will the influx of all these fighters

 

[Saskatoonmike**]

Who are these guys? I'm assuming you're referring to Boetsch, Stann and Munoz. Well they're all pretty irrelevant right now but here's my take.

Boetsch - Lightening struck twice here, he's a powerful fighter who luckily tagged a fresh from Silva KO Okami, then went on for further luck winning a questionable decision against Lombard.

Stann - Well he was the WEC Light Heavyweight champion. Beat Leben and Santiago. Santiago was a good win at the time but a KO artist like Stann was a nightmare match up for glass jaw Santiago. Really I hate this term but Santiago was pretty overrated going into that fight.

Munoz - Beat Leben(I'm seeing a pattern here) and won a questionable decision over now Welterweight Maia. Honestly did nothing else to warrant such praise.

Not to mention Stann and Munoz were still very young in their careers and were losing at light heavyweight in their 6th and 8th fights. They all lost to good fighters from the above division before moving down, guys about the same level as who they lose to at middleweight. Fighters improve and some weight classes just don't suit them. Lets not forget MMA is still young and we're likely to see more of this in the future.

Still this is all irrelevant to what the division is today, right now business is booming here. Those guys, though solid, are quickly finding their way to the undercard.

Boetsch, Stann, Munoz, Sonnen, Bisping, Belfort, have all been considered the top MW's for some time. None of them could cut it at LHW and get in or stay in the top 10and that is why they dropped.

 

[JDawg9]

Still all depends on match making, they've been feeding okami a lot of less than stellar fights, much like Fitch.

 

[rondog6669]

In the past year it looks as though Middleweight has had a sudden rush of top talent coming up. They've quickly made it to the top of the division and now the days of Patrick Cote & Thales Leites fighting for the title are long gone and there are at least 10 good fights to fill out Anderson Silvas 10 fight contract. So right now middleweight has:

- The champions of the top 3 companies in the world(UFC, Bellator and the recently closed Strikeforce)
- Five of the best grapplers in the world(Roger, Jacare, Palhares, Shields and Weidman)
- Great strikers(Anderson, Cung Le, Vitor, Phillipou among others)
- Strong wrestlers(Munoz, Weidman, Sonnen, Okami)
- Fighters who can do everything(Bisping, Lombard, Weidman, Franklin)
- American heroes(Stann and Kennedy)
- Exciting mid level fighters(Belcher, Herman, Larkin)

And with the possible middleweight return of Mousasi I really can't wait to see how this all plays out. You'd be a fool to still call this division 'weak'.

it looks great

 

[darthbotox**]

MW has been so lackluster and boring lately.

still is

 

[Blackbelch**]

MW has been much better since the time Silva beat Sonnen the 2nd time. It's changed a lot since July 2012.

That's why I've been itching to see guys fight him at MW just to see how this old version of Silva can compare to these prime MWs.

 

[pinero]

Still think it's pretty weak. Can't deny the talent of Jacare and Weidman though.

Pretty weak? And you have over 2000 posts? maybe posting in the boxing section?