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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
We’re starting another rotation today in our “Keeping Tabs On…” series, where we break down the UFC’s Top 15 ranked fighters in each division. We'll let you know where we've got them ranked, what they've got coming up, how often they've been competing, what we've said about them recently at MMATorch, and more. We begin today back at the top with the heavyweight division.
Champ: Cain Velasquez
MMATorch Rank: 1 Next Fight: TBA Previous Fight: Junior dos Santos (Win), UFC 166 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 4 Contender Status: Current Champ What We're Saying: "Hopefully Velasquez can be back by July or August at the very latest, but shoulder injuries like his can be tricky to recover from." - Jamie Penick
1. Junior dos Santos
MMATorch Rank: 2 Next Fight: Stipe Miocic, UFC 173, May 24 Previous Fight: Cain Velasquez (Loss), UFC 166 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 4 Contender Status: Falling, will take a while to get another shot at the title What We're Saying: "It's a fight dos Santos called for after Alistair Overeem said he was unable to take a fight right now, and Miocic responded favorably to the call out. Now, the two fighters will indeed square off, and they'll do so on pay-per-view in Las Vegas. Dos Santos is the only man to defeat Velasquez, but the former Champ has since lost to the current Champ twice in a ten month span. That sandwiches a knockout win over Mark Hunt last May, and he'll hope to begin another run over Miocic." - Jamie Penick
2. Fabricio Werdum
MMATorch Rank: 3 Next Fight: Travis Browne, UFC on Fox 11, April 19 Previous Fight: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Win), UFC on Fuel 10 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 3 Contender Status: Current top contender What We're Saying: "Werdum shouldn't put any stock in any training he did with Browne three years ago. Browne is clearly on a much higher level than he was three years ago, and won't be the same fighter Werdum rolled with then. This is going to be a big heavyweight fight, and the winner will be in line for a shot at Velasquez." - Jamie Penick
3. Travis Browne
MMATorch Rank: 4 Next Fight: Fabricio Werdum, UFC on Fox 11, April 19 Previous Fight: Josh Barnett (Win), UFC 168 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 5 Contender Status: Rising, in No. 1 contender fight next What We're Saying: "When it comes to any endeavor, there are those who are simply born with the skills to be elite, there are those who can pick up anything with ease, and there are those who can accomplish great things because of the work they put into something. For Browne, he's falling in the latter category, where he's put in the effort to improve himself to the point he can compete with the elite talent. Beating Josh Barnett at UFC 168 the way he did was incredible, and he finds himself perhaps one win away from a title fight in the UFC." - Jamie Penick
4. Antonio Silva
MMATorch Rank: 6 Next Fight: TBA Previous Fight: Mark Hunt (No Contest), UFC Fight Night 33 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 5 Contender Status: Lost to Champ twice, failed drug test has him out of the picture What We're Saying: "If this is an accurate representation of what happened, Silva's just looking for someone to blame. If he was supposed to take one last injection a week before the fight and then did something else during the week, that's on him. And given how low his levels supposedly were, an injection a week before the fight shouldn't have given a higher reading the day of the fight. That suggests Silva took more than was recommended, and if that's the case then he's got no one to blame than himself. " - Jamie Penick
5. Josh Barnett
MMATorch Rank: 5 Next Fight: TBA Previous Fight: Travis Browne (Loss), UFC 168 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 4 Contender Status: Falling, decisive loss to Browne a step back What We're Saying: "Barnett lasted 60 seconds against Browne. Those elbows brought not only terror into the hearts of all double-leg practitioners, but Barnett's second knockout loss – his first since 2001." - Christian Walsh
6. Alistair Overeem
MMATorch Rank: 7 Next Fight: TBA Previous Fight: Frank Mir (Win), UFC 169 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 3 Contender Status: Stagnant, halted his losing streak but still a few fights from contention What We're Saying: "A rematch between Hunt and Overeem in the UFC could be a lot of fun. Hunt is hoping to get back into the cage sometime in the middle of the year, and a fight with Overeem could be the perfect heavyweight matchup for each of them. We already know Overeem's not returning by May to fight Junior dos Santos, but a fight with Hunt in July or August makes a ton of sense at this stage." - Jamie Penick
7. Stipe Miocic
MMATorch Rank: 10 Next Fight: Junior dos Santos, UFC 173, May 24 Previous Fight: Gabriel Gonzaga (Win), UFC on Fox 10 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 5 Contender Status: Stagnant, needs a more impressive outing in his next fight What We're Saying: "The 31-year-old Miocic entered the UFC with an undefeated record, and defeated Joey Beltran, Phil de Fries, and the late Shane Del Rosario to keep that record intact. However, his run was halted at nine wins when he was stopped by Stefan Struve in 2012, though he bounced back last year with an impressive win over Roy Nelson before adding a decision win over Gabriel Gonzaga in January." - Jamie Penick
8. Mark Hunt
MMATorch Rank: 8 Next Fight: TBA Previous Fight: Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva (Draw), UFC Fight Night 33 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 4 Contender Status: Not likely to contend for a title, but fan favorite status could help him What We're Saying: "A rematch between Hunt and Overeem in the UFC could be a lot of fun. Hunt is hoping to get back into the cage sometime in the middle of the year, and a fight with Overeem could be the perfect heavyweight matchup for each of them." - Jamie Penick
9. Roy Nelson
MMATorch Rank: 13 Next Fight: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, UFC Fight Night, April 11 Previous Fight: Daniel Cormier (Loss), UFC 166 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 6 Contender Status: Falling, consecutive losses have taken him out of the mix What We're Saying: "As for Nelson, he's now lost two straight fights, dropping decisions to Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier. Prior to that, he had won three straight fights by (T)KO." - Jamie Penick
10. Frank Mir
MMATorch Rank: 9 Next Fight: TBA Previous Fight: Alistair Overeem (Loss), UFC 169 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 4 Contender Status: Falling, may be on his way out of the UFC with fourth straight loss What We're Saying: "Frank Mir vs. Alistair Overeem went pretty much as I thought I would. Overeem was too powerful and his striking was too much for Mir. This was not a fun fight to watch for Frank Mir's fans. He was battered in each of the three rounds and in the third round he was brutalized from Overeem's ground and pound. I have said it before and I will say it again, Mir needs to retire." - Eric Hobaugh
11. Antonio Minotauro Nogueira
MMATorch Rank: 11 Next Fight: Roy Nelson, UFC Fight Night, April 11 Previous Fight: Fabricio Werdum (Loss), UFC on Fuel 10 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 2 Contender Status: Falling, former Interim Champ highly unlikely to make another title run What We're Saying: "Nogueira hasn't fought since last June, when he had his arm damaged by an armbar from Fabricio Werdum. It was the second injury he'd suffered by an armlock in the UFC, as he had his arm snapped by a kimura from Frank Mir in their second fight in 2011. He's now swapped wins and losses in his last eight fights dating back to 2008" - Jamie Penick
12. Gabriel Gonzaga
MMATorch Rank: Not Ranked (received votes) Next Fight: TBA Previous Fight: Stipe Miocic (Loss), UFC on Fox 10 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 6 Contender Status: Falling, had a bad performance against Miocic What We're Saying: "Gonzaga gassed hard towards the end of the first round. The first round! It wasn't like he was even doing that much either. Holy hell, that's terrible… Miocic slowed down some, but his cardio was much better than Gonzaga's" - Frank Hyden
13. Stefan Struve
MMATorch Rank: 12 Next Fight: TBA Previous Fight: Mark Hunt (Loss), UFC on Fuel 8 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 4 Contender Status: Stagnant, hoping to return after heart condition diagnosis What We're Saying: "Struve is still so young that it would have been a real shame to have his career cut short on something outside of fighting like that. With the medication apparently doing what he needs, he's getting himself back on track, and it will be good to see him back in the cage early [this] year." - Jamie Penick
14. Brendan Schaub
MMATorch Rank: 14 Next Fight: TBA Previous Fight: Matt Mitrione (Win), UFC 165 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 3 Contender Status: Rising, but several fights away from contendership What We're Saying: "Schaub absolutely bought himself some considerable time with that win over Mitrione. It was arguably as good as he's ever looked, and is the continuation of what he's said has been a change in his training and attributes. He's still improving in the sport, and though he's had those two vicious and decisive KO losses, he could make a climb up the ladder if he can perform consistently as he did against Mitrione." - Jamie Penick
15. Daniel Cormier
MMATorch Rank: Not Ranked (Ineligible at HW, #6 at LHW) Next Fight: TBA Previous Fight: Pat Cummins (Win), UFC 170 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 5 Contender Status: Now competing at 205 lbs. What We're Saying: "These are the two fights that make sense for Cormier, and it all comes down to what happens March 8. If Manuwa pulls off the upset, Cormier's spot as a contender at heavyweight could make him a viable option for the Light Heavyweight Title shot. If Gustafsson gets the title fight next, Cormier vs. Davis/Johnson for the next shot after that is perfect. It's now just on the UFC and what they'd like to do on that front after the Gustafsson-Manuwa fight next week." - Jamie Penick
[Cain Velasquez art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
Interested in joining MMATorch's writing team? Send idea for a theme to your column (for Specialist section) or area of interest (i.e. TV Reporter) along with a sample of writing to mmatorch@gmail.com.
