WORLD MIDDLEWEIGHT RANKINGS (as of 5/8/04)
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MIDDLEWEIGHTS
171 - 185 pounds
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WORLD CHAMPION: vacant
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UFC CHAMPION: vacant
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PRIDE CHAMPION: vacant
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SHOOTO CHAMPION: Masanori Suda (SHOOTO LHW Champ)
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PANCRASE CHAMPION: Ricardo Almeida (PANCRASE MW Champ)
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TOP TEN
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1. Matt Lindland
Record: 10-2
Weight: 185
Affiliation: Team Quest
Birthplace: Milwaukie,OR
Home: Eagle Creek,OR,USA
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2. Murilo Bustamante
Record: 9-3-1
Weight: 184
Weight Range: 182-200
Affiliation: Brazilian Top Team
Home: Rio de Janeiro,Brazil
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3. Kazushi Sakuraba
Record: 14-8-1
Weight: 183
Weight Range: 183-203
Affiliation: Takada Dojo
Home: Akita Pref,Japan
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4. Akihiro Gono
Record: 19-10-7
Weight: 183
Affiliation: Pancrase Grabaka
Home: Tokyo,Japan
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5. Masanori Suda
Record: 20-8-2
Weight: 183
Weight Range: 183-192
Affiliation: Club J
Home: Sumoto,Hyogo,Japan
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6. Dustin Denes
Record: 9-1-2
Weight: 185
Affiliation: American Top Team
Home: FT. Lauderdale,FL,USA
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7. Evan Tanner
Record: 28-4
Weight: 185
Affiliation: Team Quest
Home: Amarillo,TX/Gresham,OR,USA
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8. Lee Murray
Record: 8-1-2
Weight: 180
Affiliation: Peacock's Gym
Home: London,England
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9. Phillip Miller
Record: 16-0
Weight: 182
Weight Range: 182-205
Affiliation: Williams Combat Grappling
Home: Salt Lake City,UT/Hesperia,CA,USA
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10. Phil Baroni
Record: 5-3
Weight: 184
Home: Long Island,NY,USA
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FRINGE CONTENDERS
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Falaniko Vitale
Record: 17-3
Weight: 185
Weight Range: 185-205
Affiliation: Grappling Unlimited
Home: Honolulu,HI,USA
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Dave Menne
Record: 34-11-3
Weight: 185
Weight Range: 169-195
Affiliation: Menne's Combat Academy
Home: Forest Lake,MN,USA
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Anderson Silva
Record: 10-2
Weight: 185
Affiliation: Chute Boxe Academy
Home: Curitiba,Parana,Brazil
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Ivan Salaverry
Record: 10-3
Pro Record: 8-3
Am Record: 2-0
Weight: 185
Affiliation: AMC Pankration
Birthplace: Toronto,ONT,Canada
Home: Seattle,WA,USA
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Trevor Prangley
Record: 6-1
Weight: 185
Weight Range: 185-205
Affiliation: Lion's Den
Birthplace: Cape Town,South Africa
Home: Coeuer D alene,ID,USA
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Andrei Semenov
Record: 21-5-2
Weight: 184
Weight Range: 180-187
Affiliation: Red Devil Sportsclub
Home: St-Petersburg,Russia
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Jorge Rivera
Record: 13-2
Pro Record: 7-2
Am Record: 6-0
Weight: 185
Affiliation: Team Elite
Home: New England,MA,USA
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Murad Chunkaiev
Record: 5-1
Weight: 185
Affiliation: Golden Glory Team
Home: Grozny,Chechnya(Russia)
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Ricardo Almeida
Record: 7-2
Weight: 185
Affiliation: Team Renzo Gracie
Home: Manhattan,NY,USA
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David Loiseau
Record: 9-4
Weight: 185
Weight Range: 178-185
Affiliation: Tri-star Gym
Home: Montreal,Que,Canada
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Joe Doerksen
Record: 24-5
Weight: 184
Affiliation: Team Extreme
Home: Winnipeg,MAN,Canada
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Rodrigo Gracie
Record: 5-0
Weight: 185
Affiliation: Team Renzo Gracie
Home: Rio de Janeiro,Brazil
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Ryan Gracie
Record: 3-2
Weight: 176
Affiliation: Team Renzo Gracie
Home: Rio De Janeiro,Brazil
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Antonio Schembri
Record: 3-1
Weight 176 lbs/80 kg
Affiliation: Gracie Barra
Home: Brazil
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Daniel Acacio
Record: 5-1
Weight: 190
Home: Brazil
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Ryo Chonan
Record: 7-3
Pro Record: 6-3
Am Record: 1-0
Weight: 185
Affiliation: U-File Camp
Home: Japan
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Diego Sanchez
Record: 7-0
Weight: 185
Weight Range: 170-185
Affiliation: Jackson Fight Team
Home: Alburqurque,NM,USA
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Flavio Moura
Record: 10-2
Weight: 175
Affiliation: Gracie Barra
Home: Rio de Janeiro,Brazil
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Alex Karalexis
Record: 4-0
Am Record: 4-0
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Denis Kang
Record: 12-7-2
Weight: 184
Affiliation: Marcus Soares Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Home: Vancouver, B.C.,Canada
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Jason Miller
Record: 10-3
Weight: 184
Affiliation: Team Oyama
Home: Huntington Beach,CA,USA
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Mike Pyle
Record: 6-2-1
Pro Record: 6-1-1
Am Record: 0-1
Weight: 181
Weight Range: 180-195
Affiliation: Mikenta Gym
Home: TN,USA
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Tony Bonello
Record: 7-0
Weight: 173 lbs/78 kg
Home: Panama/Bondi Beach,NSW,Australia
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Spencer Fisher
Record: 9-0
Weight: 167-180 lbs/82 kg
Affiliation: Miletich Martial Arts
Home: USA
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Daryl Guthmiller
Record: 15-3
Pro Record: 11-2
Am Record: 4-1
Weight: 185 lbs/84 kg
Affiliation: Menne Combat Academy
Home: Plymouth,MN,USA
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Tony Fryklund
Record: 10-2
Weight: 185
Affiliation: Miletich Martial Arts
Home: Bentendorf,IA,USA
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Gideon Ray
Record: 6-0-1
Weight: 175
Affiliation: Chicago Fitness Center/Hackney's Reality Combat
Home: Roselle,IL,USA
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Miikka Lahtinen
Record: 5-0-1
Weight: 176 lbs/80 kg
Affiliation: Finnfighters Gym
Home: Turku,Finland
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Chris Leben
Record: 9-0
Pro Record: 4-0
Am Record: 5-0
Weight: 185
Affiliation: Team Quest
Home: Portland,OR,USA
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Kazuo Misaki
Record: 11-3-2
Weight: 185
Affiliation: Pancrase Grabaka
Home: Japan
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Patrick Fortrie
Record: 4-0
Weight: 187 lbs / 85 kg
Home: France
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Aaron Rafferty
Record: 7-1
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Tim McKenzie
Record: 9-0
Pro Record: 6-0
Am Record: 3-0
Weight: 184
Weight Range: 184-205
Affiliation: Cesar Gracie
Home: Lodi,CA,USA
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Eiji Ishikawa
Record: 13-8-1
Weight: 183lbs/83kg
Affiliation: Team Grabaka
Home: Chiba,Japan
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Hidetaka Monma
Record: 8-2-1
Weight: 185lbs/84kg
Affiliation: A3 Gym
Home: Japan
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Moacir de Oliveira
Record: 5-1
Pro Record: 4-1
Am Record: 1-0
Weight: 185
Affiliation: American Top Team
Birthplace: Brazil
Home: FT Lauderdale,FL,USA
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Pete Sell
Record: 5-0
Weight: 184
Affiliation: Team Renzo Gracie
Home: USA
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Shane Davis
Record: 4-1-1
Pro Record: 3-1-1
Am Record: 1-0-0
Home: Castle Rock,WA,USA
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Ed Herman
Record: 7-2
Pro Record: 2-0
Am Record: 5-2
Weight: 185
Affiliation: Team Quest
Home: OR,USA
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Gregory Bouchelaghem
Record: 2-0
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Yushin Okami
Record: 12-1
Pro Record: 8-1
Am Record: 4-0
Weight: 180
Affiliation: Wajyutsu Tokyo Hombu
Home Country: Kanagawa,Japan
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Joe Riggs
Record: 16-5
Weight: 185
Weight Range: 185-245
Affiliation: Arizona Combat Sports
Home: Phoenix,AZ,USA
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Kevin Christopher
Record: 4-2
Weight: 185
Affiliation: Lion's Den
Home: San Diego,CA,USA
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Danny Lafever
Record: 1-0
Weight: 180
Weight Range: 170-185
Home: Kelso,WA,USA
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WHAT!?!?! Why is Danny LaFever in there? He's a one shot wonder (boxer) who caught a top 20 MW (Benji Radach) slipping and refuses a rematch. He'll never fight MMA again.
Benji Radach (12-2-0), Gustavo Machado (7-2-1) and even Shane Davis (4-1-1, with a 1st round submission of TQ's Ed Herman) belong on that list before LaFever, Herman or Leben and some of the other names you've seemingly pulled out of a hat.
lol@Almeida not being top ten while Miller is top 3. Maybe someone can match these two up? :)
Miller at #3?!?!?!
Put the pipe down.
Danny LaFever is in there just because he won big against a top name opponent...these are not really official rankings...they're only fringe contenders and top prospects. If he deosnt fight again then eventually he'll be dropped from the list...it's not really a big deal...one reason i make these lists is to help give the fighters more exposure...but i wouldnt expect whiney, immature pricks like you to understand that.
Benji Radach was KO'd by a nobody...just because he was dropped from my list doesnt mean he still isnt top material...i only have room for so many fighters...and i cant keep track of them all! Besides, Radach is a welterweight.
Gustavo Machado is a middleweight...he was KO'd by Radach, a welterweight. Again, it does not mean he wont ever be on the list...it's not easy to make room for all of them...and it's not easy keeping track of all of them either.
Dont know why i didnt have Shane Davis up there...thanks for pointing that out to me. Sometimes i forget. I am human ya know.
Yes, i meant to bring Miller down last time...again, i do forget sometimes...but you guys sound like total assholes.
Almeida got his ass handed to him by Semenov (who, ever since, has had very poor showings)...and since then who has a beat?
A welterweight?
And a bunch of PANCRASE punching bags?
With the exception of Misaki (who is way down the list), he really hasnt done much to deserve a top ten ranking.
You dont even give a reason why, you just open your big ignorant mouths and start barking.
whadda a bunch of maroons!
How is Lindland rated higher than Bustamente?
Where is Jeremy Horn?
cuz Busta has been doing nothing but losing lately and Horn is a LHW
anymore stupid questions?
"Horn is a LHW"
he has fought at 185 1 or 2 times already. Tanner fought 1 time at 185. Sak fights lhw and hw. How many fights did almedia have at 185?
why isn't horn ranked at 185 again?
is tito a hw then?
Horn's a Middleweight. Horn's last 3 fights have been at 185.
"cuz Busta has been doing nothing but losing lately and Horn is a LHW"
You are a tard.
Busta subbed Matt twice in one match & has only lost at 205. Matt has done nothing to be ranked above Busta.
See above posts for Horn.
Almeida has beaten Sasaki, Minowa(at his own weight) and Nathan Marquart since losing to Semenov. He was dominated Semenov in round 1 and gassed in round two. He is a different fighter now.
Miller or Baroni is ranked above him is a joke. Phil has lost his last 2 fights. He should be a contender but not top 10.
Ok, let's take the bus to school.
Almeida beat Pancrase punching bags? Let's bring the facts:
- Shibuya drew Gono ( your #4), Almeida beat Shibuya.
-Sasaki beat Shibuya, Almeida beat Sasaki.
-Minowa was OFFICIALLY RANKED top 10 when Almeida beat him.
-Almeida beat Misaki ( that one you seem to know about)
-Marquardt was 4 times defending champion and was beat by Almeida, round 1.
-Dustin Denes ( your #6) lost to Shoji, Almeida beat Shoji.
Now, let's talk about something else...
Murray's wins against Pele and Jorge Rivera(not even top 20) put him up there, #8? I don't think so. Those are his biggest wins.
Who has Miller beat, bigger names that the ones Almeida beat? Put the pipe down.
Dustin Denes record? More impressive than Almeida's? Talk about wins against punching bags...
Now, Lindland...has he beat anybody from your top 10 list to deserve to be #1 on your list?(besides Baroni, 3-3 on UFC?) Nope. He was beat(twice) by your #2 guy, Bustamante( who I happen to respect).
Another thing, you said yourself:
"Almeida got his ass handed to him by Semenov (who, ever since, has had very poor showings)..."
So what is Semenov doing 2 spots above Almeida, who actually seems to be doing way better than Semenov ever since they fought?
There, you wanted the facts. Looks like you dislike Almeida for some reason to deny his accomplishments.
That doesn't give much credibility to your top 10 list.
undrground2004- Good post. Could not have said it better myself. It sucks that Ricardo does not get his due respect.
Groundcontrol,
Do you know who he's been training with for his return to Pride?
With the way Ricardo is fighting I think he should be top ten.
Two fighters who should be on the fringe list that just fought each other are Kikuta and Rockel.
Ricardo trains with many people. His strength and conditioning coach is Martin Rooney. His boxing coach is Edgar from Gleason's Gym.
At his academy he trains with his students such as Rob Scheier, Kurt Pelligrino, James Gabert, George Castranova, Brian McPhereson, Steve Kim, etc. Sorry to any of the guys I forgot.
He also trains at Renzo's atleast twice a week because now Renzo has PRo Training days for our team to get together at his academy. All the guys you would expect are there plus many teammates in from Brazil.
Thanks, man.
Massbjj, according to MMA Weekly and ADCC he already is officially top 10. Also MMA Ranks has him as #1 MW statisticaly.
Almeida is arguably Top 5 at the moment.