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NORMAN: Examining the UFC heavyweight flux and a lack of true contenders to Cain Velasquez's throne
Sep 21, 2014 - 9:20:21 PM NORMAN: Examining the UFC heavyweight flux and a lack of true contenders to Cain Velasquez's throne

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By: Cash Norman, MMATorch Contributor

Cain Velasquez is the King of the UFC's heavyweight division, but outside of the date Fabricio Werdum has with Velasquez on November 15 in Mexico City, there aren't clear cut contenders to challenge the throne. Prior to Werdum establishing himself as the number 1 contender, and the number 2 fighter overall in the heavyweight division, that space belonged to Junior dos Santos. In the last two title matchups he had with the King, dos Santos was obliterated and beaten pillar to post, making the prospect of him ever being a title challenger in the foreseeable future null and void. If Werdum is unable to dethrone the King in their matchup, who will be poised to emerge as the next potential challenger or threat to the kingdom?

Let's review a list of potential opponents within the top 10.

Currently, Travis Browne is third in the divisional rankings, but is returning from a devastating loss at the hands of Werdum, which had been proceeded by a three fight winning streak that saw him dismantle his foes in the very first round. Then ranked behind Browne in fourth place is rising star Stipe Miocic who is set to face dos Santos at UFC on Fox 13. Miocic has been widely considered the second best elite fighter of the division. If Stipe is unable to beat dos Santos, then the UFC has effectively cannibalized a potential contender to someone who is not an anticipated challenger in the near future. Right behind Miocic is an aging Josh Barnett, who at 36 years old with 40 professional fights recently suffered a loss to Browne. Further, the biggest win to his credit since a return to the UFC was beating a rapidly declining Frank Mir.

Now as we cascade outside the top five of the heavyweight division, the waters become murky. Once again the Super Samoan, Mark Hunt, was able to topple another foe in spectacular fashion, but he still was a guy the UFC didn't even want on the roster after their acquisition of Pride. Could it be possible that Mark Hunt, at 40 years of age and with a mixed martial arts record of 10-8-1, is one victory away from a chance to depose the King? After all, Randy Couture became the UFC Heavyweight Champ again at the not so tender age of 43. Then there's Andrei Arlovski, like a Phoenix rising out the ashes of obscurity, who has made his return to the UFC after a seven year stint outside the organization. Currently, Arlovski has only two wins in the promotion since returning, but is already being talked about as an actual title contender. This is the same fighter who went nearly three years without a victory after handing Roy Nelson his first professional knockout loss in the now defunct MMA promotion known as Elite XC.

Speaking of Roy Nelson, he was handed his second career knockout loss after getting caught by a Super Samoan uppercut and then face planting in Saitama Arena in Japan. Although Nelson has had a couple opportunities to knock on the door of a title shot, he's been unable to break on through to the other side. Meanwhile, Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva holds the #9 ranking, but seems to have developed a suspect chin without the use of TRT (or overuse in his case), as he was quickly dispatched by Arlovski in the first round of their recent fight. In addition, Silva has also suffered two losses via pulverizing at the hands of King Velasquez in the very first round of each match. Last, but not least, Ben Rothwell rounds out the top 10 of the heavyweight division with his recent knockout of Alistair Overeem, followed by what I would call a near convulsive frolic (I refuse to refer to that abomination of movement as a dance). Also, keep in mind that Velasquez also holds a TKO victory over Rothwell prior to becoming champion from when the two met in 2009 at UFC 104.

Whereas it may be good to be king, it may prove difficult to find a legitimate rival to challenge him. The heavyweight division is composed of aging fighters, some with unfulfilled potential, and others with diminishing skill sets standing precariously on past hallowed glory. Whom amongst these ranked foes shall be so bold as to seize the kingdom for himself? While anything is possible, especially in a division where one punch can change the course of a bout, which matchups in the current top 10 have you excited to see the outcome?

[Cain Velasquez art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]