by Nick Meyer, BETUS.COM – BET NOW

The UFC’s middleweight division as a whole hasn’t done a very good job of pushing champ and pound-for-pound elite fighter Anderson Silva, but some promising contenders are finally making themselves known in the division. After Silva faces Forrest Griffin at UFC 101, he just might take on the winner of Demia Maia and Nate Marquardt in his next match and that could finally make for an entertaining title fight.

Here is a ranking of the top five current middleweight fighters in the UFC:

1. Anderson Silva (24-4)-

“The Spider” is the most dominant middleweight the UFC has ever seen and now he will venture back to the 205-pound weight class in his next bout to take on Forrest Griffin.

The hope is that the aggressive Griffin will at least get in Silva’s face and challenge him to actually fight unlike what happened in his UFC title bout with Thales Leites. Silva will be at a size disadvantage against Griffin and that could lead to one of the biggest challenges of his career.

2. Yushin Okami (23-4)-

“Thunder” has been battling injuries for a good part of the last two years. He is rumored to be fighting former title contender Patrick Cote in September which should be an entertaining fight and a good challenge for Okami, who many peers consider to be as physically strong as anyone they’ve faced in the division.

3. Dan Henderson (24-7)-

It’s tough to figure out just where this MMA legend stacks up in the division in terms of a future title shot but he’ll make a good payday against Michael Bisping at UFC 100 in their main card clash. He gets the nod over Nate Marquardt due to longevity and resume. He doesn’t appear to have lost much over the years in terms of skill and ability despite his advancing age.

4. Nate Marquardt (28-8-2)-

The former kingpin of pancrase fighting is now one of the most well-rounded mixed martial artists in the entire UFC and he seems to get better with each fight. Many fans feel that a rematch with Silva would be much closer than their first title fight as Marquardt has diversified his game, greatly improving his stand-up skills.

5. Demian Maia (10-0)-

Maia will face Mardquardt at UFC 102 in August in what is sure to be a purist’s dream fight. His standup is solid but it’s his combination of physical strength and jiu-jitsu prowess that has some thinking he could be the next coming of heavyweight legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, only in a smaller package.

Up-and-comer to watch: Yoshiro Akiyama (12-1)

The UFC’s latest big overseas acquisition will face a tough test against solid middleweight Alan Belcher at UFC 100. If he can get by Belcher he could be on a fast track to a title shot. Akiyama’s judo skills and submission game are a potent combination which should make for an entertaining run in the UFC for fans. Akiyama could help breathe some much-needed life into the UFC’s most pedestrian division.