2017 was a crazy year for the UFC Middleweight division. The division crowned two new champions (under the weirdest of circumstances) and saw longtime veterans of the sport slowly move down in the rankings.
At the end of the year, the fighter with the biggest improvement in the division was Robert Whittaker. Whittaker started the year as the number six-ranked Middleweight in the world. By the end of the year, Whittaker had moved up six spots to the championship position. He did this by defeating Middlweight standouts Jacare Souza and Yoel Romero.