Since its inception in September 2001, the short history of the UFC middleweight division reads like a newsbrief about a runner that stumbled at the starting line and crashed down nose-first into the track. It’s been over two years since anyone wore the 185-pound title into or out of the octagon, and the belt has been officially vacant longer than anyone actually held it.

Random matches over the last couple of years allowed UFC middleweights to make deserved paydays but failed miserably to clear the muddled title picture created by Murilo Bustamante’s exit. Now, though, it appears that the UFC has decided to pick itself up from the track, ignore the ugly scab on its nose and the confusion in its head, and start running in the right direction again.

They’ve infused 185-pound class with a wealth of potential and continue to do so leading up to UFC 50 next month. Fresh faces like Terrell, Prangley and Riggs join names like Tanner, Lindland, Franklin, Murray, Baroni, Salaverry, Lawler and Rivera to comprise a weight class now teeming with talent and poised to become the strongest division in the UFC.

But what about the best middleweight in Canada? "I’d like to get back in the UFC as soon as possible," says David Loiseau. "Cause I believe that’s where I belong."