Once upon a time, Anderson Silva was thought to be the most polarizing fighter in the UFC. One day, he would mesmerize the world with his finishing ability; the next, he would “slack off” and hardly do anything in the Octagon. His middleweight reign, for as long and legendary as it was, eventually proved rather barren, as he demolished all challengers with ease.
It was not until Chris Weidman knocked out Silva in July 2013 that the division gained some sense of parity. From then on, it was an interesting place until Michael Bisping caused chaos and proceeded to tarnish its image by ducking the top contenders. Georges St. Pierre’s and Robert Whittaker’s reigns were marred by circumstances, and then Israel Adesanya arrived and consolidated his dominance.
Right now, however, 185 feels like anyone’s realm. And recent events have helped to create a new era that is the most exciting it has had for a while.
This coming Saturday at UFC 319, Dricus du Plessis undertakes his biggest challenge yet when he defends the middleweight title against Khamzat Chimaev.
Du Plessis has been nothing but surging ever since he first entered the Octagon in 2020. “Stillknocks” first entered the title conversation after submitting for welterweight challenger Darren Till in an epic brawl in 2022. He then finished Derek Brunson and Robert Whittaker to cement himself as a top contender, then won the belt from Sean Strickland.
Since then, Du Plessis has sought to consolidate his reign. He gave Adesanya the first submission loss of his career, then repeated against Strickland earlier this year. His next challenger, however, may be his most demanding yet.
Chimaev had vacillated between welterweight and middleweight for most of his career, proving himself a future contender in both divisions. However, a notorious weight miss ahead of a supposed showcase against Nate Diaz sent him to the latter permanently. “Borz” has not lost a step since the mishap, outscoring former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and destroying Whittaker with a face crank to secure his shot.
Both men have proven that they can finish their opponents anywhere, making their clash a must-watch for fans. No matter who wins, there will be a plethora of contenders who will salivate at the champion.
Speaking of UFC 319, one of those contenders will apparently be in attendance – Anthony Hernandez. This past Saturday, “Fluffy” put up his most dominant performance to date, mauling veteran Roman Dolidze en route to a fourth-round submission. It was his eighth straight win, a far cry from when he lost two of his first three fights, and it puts him closer to the division’s elite.
Said elite has already been breached by three new names. The first two are Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho, who will clash in Paris next month with a title shot potentially at stake. Then there is Reinier de Ridder, who has had a fast ascension since making his Octagon debut in November 2024.
These four might as well have a mini-tournament in another world, but Dana White would rather line them up, one after the other.
That is not to mention other names like Michael “Venom” Page and Nursulton Ruziboev, both of whom will also fight at UFC 319. Meanwhile, Joe Pyfer has nicely rebounded with two straight wins after Jack Hermansson temporarily halted his rise. Additionally, Bo Nickal and Roman Kopylov are looking to rebound after coming up short in their respective last fights.
Wherever one looks, one thing is clear: the UFC middleweight division is very healthy once again.
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