Looking at the UFC's champions at the beginning and end of the decade (2010-2019)

Middleweight: Anderson Silva and Israel Adesanya

Anderson Silva's epic title reign ended in 2013

As 2010 began, Anderson Silva was going into his fourth year as UFC Middleweight champion, and the first quarter of the year saw him make his 6th successful defense against Demian Maia. Silva would go onto a further 4 defenses before his epic reign was finally ended by Chris Weidman in the summer of 2013.

The division went into flux after Silva was dethroned; Weidman managed 2 successful defenses before being beaten by Luke Rockhold, who in turn lost the title to Michael Bisping in his first defense. Bisping managed one before dropping to Georges St-Pierre, who retired and vacated the title before he made a single defense.

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Interim champion Robert Whittaker was then upgraded to be considered the undisputed champion, becoming the UFC’s first Australian champion in the process, but despite beating Yoel Romero in a non-title bout, he dropped it to Israel Adesanya in his first official defense. Adesanya therefore will take the title into the new decade, where he’s expected to defend against either Romero or Paulo Costa in 2020.

About the author

Scott is a veteran MMA writer with over two decades of experience, including his ongoing tenure in Sportskeeda, which began seven years ago. He has written over 3000 pieces for the organization, while also covering football. Before joining Sportskeeda, Scott wrote articles for websites like The Oratory and Inside Pulse MMA.

Scott has a degree in history, which drives his research skills and helps him compile accurate information. His long stint in the field helps Scott provide a clear take on important topics, such as the criticism of promotions regarding fighter pay. While he feels fighters deserve a bigger revenue share, he doesn’t want MMA to suffer with purse-split issues.

Scott’s work has been previously reshared by the former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman. He uses credible sources, such as the UFC’s official website, during the writing process.

His dedication to MMA writing won him the Feature Writer of the Month award for Sportskeeda in November 2021.

Outside of work, Scott likes to go to the gym, walk his dog, and travel.

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Edited by Anurag Mitra