UFC: What's Next for the Middleweight Division in 2017?
As the year winds down, we look at what’s next for the UFC middleweight division in 2017.
Of all the titles to change hands in 2016, none was more shocking than when Michael Bisping won the UFC middleweight championship with a victory over Luke Rockhold in a bout he took on just two weeks’ notice.
Under such circumstances, that would be enough to make a division impossible to predict. Instead, “The Count” has capped off a career year and has plenty of challengers awaiting their shot at his title. Despite the level of competition, taking the belt from Bisping will be a tall order. The Englishman defeated Anderson Silva, Rockhold, and Dan Henderson to cap off a stretch of nine months that will likely have many regarding him as the most successful fighter of the year.
The first challenger in line for Bisping is Yoel Romero. The “Soldier of God” finished serving a six-month suspension and returned with a spectacular knockout victory over former champion Chris Weidman at UFC 205. Now riding an eight fight win-streak, Romero is tentatively scheduled to face Bisping in the Spring of 2017.
Arguably, Romero’s knockout victory over Weidman likely stole a title-shot from fellow surging contender Jacare Souza. Souza rebounded from a razor close loss to Romero in December with a resounding victory over Vitor Belfort in May.
Souza was scheduled to face Luke Rockhold earlier this month before the latter suffered a knee injury that pulled him from the bout. Despite remaining active during Romero’s absence, it appears that Jacare will be forced to wait or take one more fight in the interim before getting his deserved shot at the belt.
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While the immediate title-picture appears set, two fighters who have battled their way into contention are Robert Whittaker and Gegard Mousasi. Whittaker has put himself in line for a big fight after an impressive 2016, capping it off with his electric first round knockout over Derek Brunson. Similarly, Mousasi has had an impressive year in going 4-0, including back-to-back wins since October over Vitor Belfort and Uriah Hall. While neither may compete for a title-shot next year, both have the potential to emerge as a top-contender by the end of 2017.
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Finally, there are several big names coming off losses that will be at a critical juncture next year. Former UFC Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold was poised to catapult himself back into title contention with a victory over Jacare prior to the bout being scrapped due to injury. As the most recent champion before Bisping, he remains a victory or two away from challenging for the title again.
Chris Weidman, having only competed once in 2016, finds himself in a precarious position. After starting his career 13-0, he has now dropped two-straight and desperately needs a victory if he wants to stay near the top of the middleweight division.
Former champion Anderson Silva also remains an X-factor at middleweight. “The Spider” remains a huge draw despite losing a close decision to Bisping in March. While his loss to Daniel Cormier on two days notice at light heavyweight leaves him without a victory since 2012, Silva’s legacy of dominance continues to command the respect of the division. Silva’s 2016 left plenty to be desired, but next year will tell a lot about exactly how much “The Spider” still has in the fight game.
After an exciting 2016, the middleweight division looks to be more active than ever before. For fight fans everywhere, the new year can’t arrive soon enough.
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