5 fighters most likely to challenge for the UFC Middleweight title in 2018
2017 ended with a flurry of activity in the UFC's middleweight division. One of the greatest ever to step foot inside the Octagon, Georges 'Rush' St Pierre, returned after a 4-year hiatus, in a weight class above his own and defeated the then champion, Michael Bisping to become the Middleweight Champion.
What followed was what many fans expected; GSP vacated the title and Robert 'The Reaper' Whittaker was promoted from Interim Middleweight Champion to the undisputed champion. With his first title defense scheduled against Luke Rockhold at UFC 221 in his home country of Australia, let's have a look at five other middleweights who are most likely to fight for the belt in 2018.
#5 Derek Brunson
Derek Brunson isn't the first name that would come to mind when discussing potential contenders but he is quietly putting in the work and rising up the ranks to pose a challenge for the champion.
He is currently on a 2-fight win streak having viciously knocked out Dan Kelly and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Lyoto Machida, in the first round. His last loss was a controversial decision against Anderson Silva but his stock is rising ever since.
His next fight is against the dangerous Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza on January 27th and a win there would certainly help his cause.