(This article was originally published on Saturday, August 7)
Everybody loves the heavyweights. No love for the little man. Doesn’t matter the sport; heavyweights capture the public’s imagination. MMA is no different. The two biggest stars in the world, depending on the criteria one uses, are Brock Lesnar and Fedor Emelianenko. You guessed it, heavyweights. Lesnar, a former professional wrestler for Vince McMahon’s WWE, appeals to the casuals. Emelianenko, the inscrutable, reclusive, stoic Russian is the favorite of the hardcores. It’s fascinating that two complete opposites could wind up in such similar spots.
THE BEST HEAVYWEIGHT IN THE WORLD
Brock Lesnar (5-1)
Fights for: UFC
Next fight: vs. Cain Velasquez, UFC 121, October 23
Synopsis: Where to begin? Brock Lesnar might not be hated by the most MMA fans, but he is the most passionately hated fighter by those who do hate him. Some people hate him because of his WWF/E background. Some people hate him because he had no MMA resume before getting a huge money UFC contract which had him debuting on PPV in a co-main event. Some people hate him because he’s a good ol' boy. Some people hate him because he really is the best heel personality in MMA. Some people hate him because they’re ignorant enough to think he’s just some big galoot with no talent, just lots o’ big ol’ muscles.
Lesnar is pure muscle, and has to cut weight to get down to the 265 lb. weight limit. He’s more than just muscle, however, as he is a former NCAA D-1 Wrestling Champion at Minnesota, and moves on the ground as fast as a welterweight. He has devastating power on the mat (ask Frank Mir and Heath Herring) and also has huge power in his fists (ask Randy Couture and Heath Herring).
There’s also an ever growing segment of fans who love Lesnar (a group which includes this author). In his last fight, Lesnar weathered a hellacious onslaught from the previously undefeated powerhouse Shane Carwin, and won the fight with a second round choke. As if the Carwin fight wasn’t impressive enough, one needs to realize that between UFC 100 and UFC 116 he was diagnosed with diverticulitis, and came close to retirement, a permanent colostomy bag and even death.
Lesnar is one of the most powerful, influential, courageous, and remarkable fighters of all time. That said, being as new to the sport as he is, he has serious questions to answer about his game. While powerful, his striking is rudimentary at best. His stand up defense seems to be flawed. He showed good defensive jiu-jitsu against Frank Mir at UFC 100 and won with a choke at UFC 116, but it’s yet to be seen just how good his BJJ game really is. He’s never seen a fourth round, much less a fifth round, so we don’t know if he’s likely to gas after twenty-five minutes of fighting in a Championship fight.
Notable Victories: Heath Herring, Randy Couture, Frank Mir, Shane Carwin
Conclusion: If Lesnar retired tomorrow, he’d go down as one of the four or five most influential people in the history of MMA. Lesnar is the undisputed biggest draw in MMA. He headlined the biggest selling MMA PPV of all time (UFC 100, 1.6M buys), and was the only draw on the UFC 116 card, and that show sold between 1.1M to 1.3M buys. His second victory in the UFC earned him the UFC HW Championship, thereby guaranteeing that he will never face an easy opponent. He’s an unprecedented and unrepeatable force of nature. However much Zuffa pays him, it isn’t enough.
THE BEST HEAVYWEIGHT OF ALL TIME
Fedor Emelianenko (32-2, 1 NC)
Fights for: Strikeforce/M1-Global
Next fight: TBA
Synopsis: Fedor Emelianenko has been fighting professionally since 2000. In that time, he has only lost twice. He went nine and a half years between losses, and during that time he beat everybody. He’s cold, stoic and devoid of emotion. He has devastating one punch KO power. He has won half of his fights by submission. He has taken shots and slams from opponents that would end careers of lesser men. He won twenty eight fights in a row (with a NC thrown in there, mind you).
He has an unprecedented resume that even high level hall of famers would kill for. So, why have you, the new fan, never heard of him? Why is he not a celebrity? Shouldn’t he be partying with Paris Hilton and drinking with Colin Farrell?
For starters, he lives in Stary Oskol, Russia, a city of less than 250,000 which is a thirteen hour train ride south from Moscow. He lives in virtual isolation (from the western world I mean, not like in a cave with the Unabomber or something stooopid like that), he eschews fame and money, and he likes his life exactly the way it is.
Fedor is highly humble, extremely religious and he does not consider himself the legend that he, in reality, is. At barely six feet tall and 230 lbs., slightly pudgy even, Fedor is not the specimen that one would expect his resume to indicate. And until he was choked out by Fabricio Werdum on June 26, many people never once contemplated the idea that he could actually lose a fight.
The one loss on his resume to that point was only a loss due to a technicality. He got cut from an illegal blow in the opening seconds of a fight in a one-night tournament, so the promoters awarded the victory to his opponent. The incredible thing is to compare the two divergent paths that Brock Lesnar and Fedor Emelianenko have taken, not just in their careers but in their lives. And despite being opposites in every possible way, they have both arrived in 2010 as the two most important fighters in MMA today.
Notable Victories: Ricardo Arona, Renato Sobral, Semmy Schilt, Heath Herring, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (x2), Mark Coleman (x2), Kevin Randleman, Mirko Cro Cop, Mark Hunt, Matt Lindland, Tim Sylvia, Andrei Arlovski, Brett Rogers
Conclusion: Fedor’s not a draw; Americans don’t know who he is, and he prefers it that way. Fedor wants to train, fight, and go home. And he’s not the fighter he used to be. Even before he lost to Werdum people had started to notice small chinks in his game. But he’s probably 90% the fighter he was in his prime, which means he’s still an elite fighter, and the best fighter in the history of MMA.
STRIKEFORCE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION
Alistair Overeem (33-11, 1 NC)
Fights for: Strikeforce
Next fight: TBA
Synopsis: The Heavyweight division certainly features the most interesting stories. First you have Brock, then you have Fedor, and now the fascinating Alistair Overeem. “The Demolition Man” looks like he was sculpted out of granite, which is actually possible since his fists, knees, and feet hit like a ton of granite.
He is hands down the best striker in the heavyweight division; not just in terms of power but also in accuracy and in technique. Overeem dabbles in K-1 (professional kickboxing, based in Korea and Japan) and has beaten the absolute best K-1 fighters in the world (Badr Hari, Peter Aerts, Ewerton Teixeira).
In MMA, nobody can stand with him and expect to stay conscious. But it gets more interesting than the mere fact that he succeeds in the highest level of K1 and MMA. Despite Overeem’s legendary power, he made his name as a submission guy, as 19 of his 33 wins come by way of submission. Overeem bounced between LHW and HW for a couple of years before settling in at HW for good in 2007.
Once he committed to being a Heavyweight, his weight skyrocketed to over 250 lbs., leading many observers to believe that steroids and HGH had to be the cause (they don’t test for PEDs anywhere but in America).
Overeem defeated Paul Buentello in 2007 to become the Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, and then didn’t fight for Strikeforce again until May, 2010. Despite taking seven fights in Japan and the Netherlands during his time as Strikeforce’s nominal Heavyweight Champion, Strikeforce saw fit to leave the belt on him, as they didn’t have any quality heavyweights to challenge him anyhow. While Strikeforce built up their HW division, Overeem went 6-0 (with 1 NC) against six cans and Mirko Cro Cop (the No Contest), and also started to focus on K1. He returned to Strikeforce with a dominant victory over Brett Rogers in May of this year.
Notable Victories: Vitor Belfort (x2), Igor Vovchanchyn, Sergei Kharitonov, Paul Buentello, Mark Hunt, Brett Rogers
Conclusion: Overeem’s an enigma. Phenomenally gifted, but content to fight cans, and loving K1, it remains to be seen whether he can focus on MMA long enough to build himself a legacy worthy of his talents. A career defining bout with Fedor Emelianenko was snatched away from him when Fabricio Werdum choked Fedor out in 69 seconds. Now he’s in limbo. Fedor just lost, and Werdum just underwent surgery. It’s going to be several months before we see Overeem against a credible HW, and that is a damn shame.
THE ELITE
Fabricio Werdum (14-4-1)
Fights for: Strikeforce
Next fight: TBA
Synopsis: So this is the guy that beat Fedor. Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum is the best BJJ practitioner in MMA, period. Werdum made his name in PRIDE during the last decade, and came to the UFC in 2007. Unfortunately, he laid a total egg in his UFC debut, losing a decision to the vastly overrated Andrei Arlovski in the most thoroughly boring fight I have ever seen. Werdum did rebound enough to get on the fringe of title contention, but he showed up to UFC 90 in October of 2008 overweight and out of shape and got knocked out cold by a debuting Junior Dos Santos. At 2-2 in the UFC, he was asked to renegotiate his contract. He refused, and was promptly cut by the organization. Quickly snatched up by Strikeforce, Werdum hasn’t lost a fight since.
Notable Victories: Gabriel Gonzaga (x2), Alistair Overeem, Aleksander Emelianenko, Brandon Vera, Antonio Silva, Fedor Emelianenko
Conclusion: He wouldn’t be in “The Elite” without the Fedor win. But no other fighter can say they beat Fedor, and no other fighter is as good at BJJ in MMA competition as Werdum. It’s going to be a while until we see him fight again as he claims to be looking at elbow surgery in the near future. He wants to fight Fedor, in a fight which would be the biggest mistake Strikeforce could possibly book. So, knowing Strikeforce, expect the rematch before the end of the year.
Junior dos Santos (11-1)
Fights for: UFC
Next fight: vs. Roy Nelson, UFC 117, August 7
Synopsis: In 2007/2008, Randy Couture tried to leave the UFC while he was HW Champion, so that he could fight Fedor Emelianenko in a mega-fight. The fight never happened. When Couture decided to come back, the UFC booked Couture against Brock Lesnar for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Fabricio Werdum was bypassed for the title shot by Lesnar, who at that time was 1-1 in the organization and 2-1 overall. Werdum responded by getting fat, not training, and getting knocked into next year by the completely unknown Junior Dos Santos, in the UFC debut for “Cigano.” Werdum got cut, and Dos Santos became a star overnight. Training with the Nogueiras, Lyoto Machida, and Anderson Silva, Cigano has massive KO power, and possesses a Brown Belt in BJJ.
Conclusion: A win on August 7 against Roy Nelson will lock up a title shot for Dos Santos. Along with Lesnar, Shane Carwin, and Cain Velasquez, the UFC’s HW division is as top heavy as it has ever been.
Cain Velasquez (8-0)
Fights for: UFC
Next fight: vs. UFC HW Champion Brock Lesnar, UFC 121, October 23
Synopsis: Velasquez is a dominant wrestler and a freak athlete. He just never gets tired. Word got out early about Velasquez, as he had to wait sixteen months after his second fight to get a third fight, because no one would take a fight against him. He made his UFC debut with a 2-0 record and has rattled off six consecutive, and impressive, victories. An elite college wrestler at Arizona State, Velasquez is developing a fantastic boxing game, and currently holds a purple belt in BJJ. Velasquez is widely renowned as having the best cardio in the division as well. He’s a lean 245 lb. fighter, has the power of a larger man, and the technique and skills of a much more seasoned veteran.
Notable Victories: Cheick Kongo, Ben Rothwell, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Conclusion: Training with the guys at American Kickboxing Academy has been a godsend for Velasquez. He poses the scariest challenge to Brock Lesnar. Of Mexican descent, he’s also vastly important to the UFC’s plans to expand into Mexico.
Shane Carwin (12-1)
Fights for: 10 minute intermissions between rounds
Next fight: vs. Lactic Acidosis
Synopsis: Shane Carwin is a monster. He’s 280 lb. of muscle and aggression. He has more power than anyone in the sport, bar none. If he touches you with his fist, you lose, unless you’re Brock Lesnar, but we’ll get to that. Carwin started his career 12-0, and all of his twelve wins were first round stoppages. His last two victories were dominant KOs over Gabriel Gonzaga and former HW Champion Frank Mir.
Those victories earned him the Interim HW Championship, and a shot at Brock Lesnar to unify the belts. So, that’s good news. In the first round of the Lesnar fight, Carwin unleashed hell, knocking down the mammoth Lesnar with ease, and pounding the hell out of him on the canvas. Now the bad news. Lesnar was fortunate to position himself in a manner that lessened the impact of most of the blows, and Carwin punched himself out. Lesnar got to his feet with a minute left in the first, and then choked him out on the second. Simply put, Carwin gassed. Carwin describes it as his body locking up from lactic acidosis, which, interestingly enough, is German for GASSING OUT!
Notable Victories: Gabriel Gonzaga, Frank Mir
Conclusion: Really simple. If he learns to pace himself, he can be the HW Champion. If not, it’s unlikely.
THE NEXT LEVEL
Frank Mir (13-5)
Fights for: UFC
Next fight: vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, UFC 119, September 25
Synopsis: Frank Mir is one of the most complex and confounding figures in MMA. Mir is easy to hate, easy to love, and easy to forget about, all at the same time. Mir has been around to the point where the old-timers remember him before he got big, and relevant enough now where most newcomers to the sport know about him as well.
Mir debuted with the UFC in 2001 at UFC 34, and became the UFC Heavyweight Champion at UFC 48 in 2004. He never got the chance to defend the title because of a horrific motorcycle accident. A broken femur and torn knee ligaments forced him to abdicate the belt, and he didn’t return to the octagon for nearly 20 months.
The arm breaking killer of old didn’t return, however; Mir was out of shape, depressed, and sluggish upon his return, going 1-2 in his first three fights back. And the win over Dan Christison was one of the least impressive victories in history. A submission over kickboxer Antoni Hardonk earned him a fight opposite Brock Lesnar in Lesnar’s UFC debut fight, which was Lesnar’s second MMA fight ever. Lesnar dominated the first 84 seconds of the fight, but gave Mir his leg and was submitted by a Mir kneebar ninety seconds in.
Mir struck while the iron was hot by then upsetting Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for the Interim Heavyweight Championship. Leading up to that fight, Mir and Nogueira coached against each other in TUF, and Mir came off as the heel, reviled by most. After the fight, Mir broke down in tears and gave one of the great emotional speeches in UFC history. It was a truly wonderful moment, and the high point of his comeback, and his career.
His next match was the Lesnar rematch, which was the main event at UFC 100, the highest selling MMA PPV of all-time. The trash talk flew hot and heavy in both directions, with Mir constantly belittling every facet of Brock’s game and life. Lesnar had the last word, thrashing Mir to unify the UFC HW Championship. Mir followed that by killing Cheick Kongo, and getting killed by Shane Carwin, thus denying Mir a third crack at Lesnar.
Notable Victories: Tim Sylvia, Brock Lesnar, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Cheick Kongo
Conclusion: There’s no denying Mir’s place in MMA lore. He’s extremely dangerous on the ground, is developing huge punching power, and knows how to sell a fight as well as damn near anybody in MMA. Mir’s next fight will be a UFC 119 main event rematch with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-6-1, 1 NC)
Fights for: UFC
Next fight: vs. Frank Mir, UFC 119, September 25
Synopsis: Speaking of again hard punching jiu-jitsu master MMA fighters, we come to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Nogueira was the best HW in the world until Fedor Emelianenko defeated him in 2003. Nogueira has been part of some of the most memorable fights in MMA history.
His 2002 fight with Bob Sapp is one of the best performances of all time. His 2003 fight with Mirko Cro Cop features one of the great come from behind submissions ever. His first two UFC fights, Heath Herring and Tim Sylvia, cemented his legacy as the most resilient fighter in the history of the sport.
Heading into his UFC debut in 2007, Nogueira had never been finished in his career. In the first round of that fight, Herring landed a head kick that had Nogueira down and reeling, but not out. Herring was unable to finish off Nogueira, and Nogueira was able to win the last two rounds and squeak out a hard earned decision. The Sylvia fight saw Nogueira get dominated for the first eleven minutes of the fight. But Sylvia left his neck out, and Nogueira tapped him out an a split second. Nogueira has since been knocked out twice, by Frank Mir and Cain Velasquez, which only goes to highlight how hard the man was to finish for such a long amount of time.
Notable Victories: Mark Coleman, Heath Herring (x3), Bob Sapp (notable for being one of the most memorable fights of all time. Stop reading and go to youtube. RIGHT NOW, I’ll wait... Waiting... OK, welcome back), Semmy Schilt, Dan Henderson, Ricco Rodriguez, Mirko Cro Cop, Sergei Kharitonov, Fabricio Werdum, Josh Barnett, Tim Sylvia, Randy Couture
Conclusion: Nogueira is slowing down. Nogueira is only 34, but he’s had forty fights in his professional career, and has absorbed even more punishment than one could ever imagine. His last chance to reclaim relevance in the MMA world comes in the form of Frank Mir at UFC 119. Nogueira, and his twin brother Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, will be featured in the top two fights of UFC 119.
Roy Nelson (15-4)
Fights for: UFC
Next fight: vs. Junior dos Santos, UFC 117, August 7
Synopsis: Roy Nelson’s talents outshine his MMA record. His popularity and personality, along with exposure on winning TUF during the season Kimbo Slice was on the show, have put him on the UFC’s fast track.
Nelson is fat. Not like, he’s got a couple pounds of love handles, but legit, sits on his couch, fearing a heart attack, loves cheese way too much fat. Smart as hell, and aware of his look, he plays it to the hilt with a killer mullet, and by walking to the cage to Weird Al Yankovic singing “Fat.”
Always regarded as a really top notch HW, Nelson surprisingly has no major names in his win column. He almost notched Andrei Arlovski in the last EliteXC show, but while working for a kimura submission on the ground, the referee had both fighters stand up in a completely stupefying lack of judgment. One round later, Arlovski found Nelson’s chin and knocked him out.
He is a world class grappler, possessing a black belt in BJJ under Renzo Gracie. He also has massive KO power, having won both of his UFC fights by quick first round KO. Because of his look, it took Nelson years to get into the UFC, and he had to get there by going through TUF in order to get there.
During the show he defeated Kimbo Slice in a fight that drew a mind boggling six million viewers. The fight was ugly, as Nelson played it safe, dominating the overmatched and overrates Slice. Nelson earned scorn from his coach Rashad Evans for not being a team player, and from Dana White for fighting such a boring fight.
But considering that Nelson was 42 times better than anyone else on the show that season, there was no reason for him to be a ‘team player’. And considering that he had to win three fights in order to make the finale, he was very wise to fight as conservatively as possible so as to minimize the amount of damage he would take. His two UFC victories have been exciting, dominant, and fan pleasing, so all’s well that ends well for Roy “Big Country” Nelson.
Nelson now faces the toughest fight of his career against Junior dos Santos at UFC 117.
Notable Victories: Brendan Schaub, Stefan Struve
Conclusion: Big Country is a gifted fighter, despite his bar room brawler physique. He knows how to use his big belly to his advantage on the ground, using his weight to control his opponents on the ground. He’s going to need every trick in his arsenal to defeat dos Santos. The winner of this fight gets the next HW Championship shot after Cain Velasquez gets his turn in October. The idea of Brock Lesnar and Roy Nelson staring each other down gives me the giggles, just thinking about the visual of that staredown.
Josh Barnett (26-5)
Fights for: the legalization of performance enhancing drugs
Next fight: As soon as the needle comes out of his ass
Synopsis:
I hit the city and
I lost my band
I watched the needle
take another man
Gone, gone, the damage done.
Barnett is a phenomenal fighter. He has massive power, fantastic wrestling, an overwhelming top game, and can work submissions with the best of them. After defeating Randy Couture at UFC 36 in 2002, he failed a steroid test, was stripped of the title, and left the UFC.
He went to Japan where he did professional wrestling for New Japan Pro Wrestling, before transitioning back to MMA, fighting for Pancrase and then Pride. In Japan, Barnett won ten out of thirteen fights, the three losses all being to Mirko Cro Cop. He then lost one more fight in Pride, this one to legendary HW Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, whom he had defeated three months prior.
Barnett eventually made his way to the fledgling Affliction promotion, where he defeated Pedro Rizzo and Gilbert Yvel in consecutive fights. Barnett was then scheduled to face Fedor Emelianenko in August of 2009. The fight was canceled ten days before the scheduled fight date, due to Barnett failing another steroid test.
The PPV was canceled, and the company folded as a direct result. Barnett's failed test marked the third in his career. Relegated to fighting in Japan, there are occasional rumors of him fighting Fedor in Dream, or even for Strikeforce if he can ever get licensed in the States. But frankly, .
Notable Victories: Dan Severn, Semmy Schilt (x2), Randy Couture, Aleksander Emelianenko, Mark Hunt, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Jeff Monson, Gilbert Yvel
Conclusion:
I've seen the needle
and the damage done
A little part of it in everyone
But every junkie's
like a settin' sun.
Mirko Cro Cop (27-7-2, 1 NC)
Fights for: UFC
Next fight: TBA (possibly retiring)
Synopsis: Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, along with Fedor, Barnett, and Nogueira, formed the elite of the most top heavy division in MMA history, the Pride HW division. Cro Cop came to MMA after a successful career as a kickboxer with K-1. His KO over Bob Sapp is one for the highlight reels.
He fought both MMA and K-1 for a couple years before dedicating himself to MMA full time in 2003. He was without doubt the most dominant striker in the history of MMA. Right leg, hospital. Left leg, cemetery, that was his motto. He has a string of KOs that cannot be matched by anybody. His head kick on Igor Vovchanchyn is as good as it gets.
YouTube is rightfully littered with scores of Crop Cop KO victories. Personally, my three favorites are Sapp (K1), Vovchanchyn, and Hidehiko Yoshida, whom he knocked out via leg kick. Cro Cop never won the Pride HW Championship, but he did win the 2006 Open-Weight Grand Prix tournament, which featured one of the most prestigious fields in history.
After getting through to the semi finals, he defeated Wanderlei Silva and Josh Barnett in the same night to win thr tournament. The head kick KO over Silva (another personal favorite) was the first time he had been finished in eight years. And it was the official beginning of the end for Silva’s run of immortality in Pride.
Later in the same night, he defeated Barnett for the third time in his career, ending the fight by breaking Barnett’s face, forcing a submission to strikes from one of the toughest sob’s the sport has ever featured (say what you want about Barnett, he’s a bad, bad man). Coming off the crowning achievement of his career to date, Cro Cop left Pride for the UFC at the conclusion of this tournament.
Unfortunately for Cro Cop, he hasn’t come close to replicating those highs in the UFC. His second UFC fight, with a title shot on the line, saw Cro Cop get knocked out by the most vicious head kick in UFC history, at the hands (right shin, actually) of Gabe Gonzaga. Talk about irony, there you go. Cro Cop went back to Japan for a short spell, and has since returned to the UFC. He defeated fellow kick boxer Pat Barry at UFC 115 in June of 2010, and has since stated that he’s leaning towards retirement.
Notable Victories: Kazushi Sakuraba, Heath Herring, Igor Vovchanchyn (go to youtube, find this KO right now), Aleksander Emelianenko, Josh Barnett (x3!!!), Kevin Randleman, Mark Coleman, Hidehiko Yoshida (Youtube this one as well. He knocked him out with leg kicks), Wanderlei Silva (another youtube classic, the beginning of the end of the Axe Murderer), Pat Barry
Conclusion: Cro Cop is one of the all time greats. Most people say he’s nowhere near the fighter he used to be. Patrick Barry says that Cro Cop is as good as he’s ever been still, but the rest of the sport has just gotten better. I like to think that Barry is right.
THE POOL
Brett Rogers has massive power, and put in a good showing against Fedor Emelianenko in a fight on CBS in November of 2009. He was unable to follow up on the positives that came out of that loss, getting slaughtered by Alistair Overeem in his next fight. Antonio Silva is another hard hitting Strikeforce HW. Andrei Arlovski is a former UFC HW Champion, whose reputation becomes more tarnished every time he steps foot in the cage. He needs to figure out the mental game fast. Gabriel Gonzaga became a star with one swing of his right leg, knocking out Cro Copin at UFC 70 in 2007. He has been terribly inconsistent ever since, never being able to defeat a top fighter since beating Cro Cop. He’s way too talented to be a gate keeper, but gate keeper he has become. Speaking of UFC gate keepers, Cheick Kongo is the epitome of that term. If you can beat the French striker with the body of an Adonis, you’re good. If you can’t, you aren’t.
MY CURRENT HEAVYWEIGHT RANKINGS
1. Brock Lesnar
2. Cain Velasquez
3. Alistair Overeem
4. Junior dos Santos
5. Fabricio Werdum
6. Fedor Emelianenko
7. Shane Carwin
8. Frank Mir
9. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
10. Roy Nelson
UFC HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONS
1. Mark Coleman
a. Defeated Dan Severn at UFC 12 to become first UFC HW Champion
2. Maurice Smith
a. Defeated Mark Coleman at UFC 14 to become UFC HW Champion
3. Randy Couture
a. Defeated Maurice Smith at UFC Japan (UFC 15.5) to become UFC HW Champion (Couture vacated the HW title and then left the UFC)
4. Bas Rutten
a. Defeated Kevin Randleman at UFC 20 to win vacant UFC HW Champion (Rutten vacated HW Championship and retired due to injuries in training)
5. Kevin Randleman
a. Defeated Pete Williams at UFC 23 to win vacant UFC HW Championship
b. Defeated Pedro Rizzo at UFC 26
6. Randy Couture (x2)
a. Defeated Kevin Randlemanat UFC 28 to become UFC HW Champion
b. Defeated Pedro Rizzo at UFC 31
c. Defeated Pedro Rizzo at UFC 34
7. Josh Barnett
a. Defeated Randy Couture at UFC 36 to become UFC HW Champion (Stripped of title after UFC 36 fight for failing a drug test)
8. Ricco Rodriguez
a. Defeated Randy Couture at UFC 39 to become UFC HW Champion
9. Tim Sylvia
a. Defeated Ricco Rodriguez at UFC 41 to become UFC HW Champion (Stripped of title after UFC 41 fight for failing a drug test)
10. Frank Mir
a. Defeated Tim Sylvia at UFC 48 to win vacant UFC HW Champion
11. Andrei Arlovski
a. Defeated Tim Sylvia at UFC 51 to win Interim UFC HW Champion (Promoted to undisputed HW Champion when Mir could not recover in a timely fashion)
b. Defeated Paul Buentello at UFC 55
12. Tim Sylvia (x2)
a. Defeated Andrei Arlovski at UFC 61 to become UFC HW Champion
b. Defeated Jeff Monson at UFC 65
13. Randy Couture (x3)
a. Defeated Tim Sylvia at UFC 68 to become UFC HW Champion
b. Defeated Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 74 (Couture left UFC in contract dispute, but was not stripped of the title. While he was gone, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira defeated Tim Sylvia at UFC 81 to become UFC Interim HW Champion and then Frank Mir defeated Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira defeated at UFC 92 to become UFC Interim HW Champion)
14. Brock Lesnar
a. Defeated Randy Couture at UFC 91 to become UFC HW Champion
b. Defeated Frank Mir at UFC 100 to unify UFC HW Championship (Shane Carwin defeated Frank Mir at UFC 111 to become UFC Interim HW Champion while Lesnar was recuperating from illness)
c. Defeated Shane Carwin at UFC 116 come UFC Interim HW Champion
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