UFC’s Heavyweight Division

In boxing and many other combat sports, the heavyweight division has traditionally produced the biggest stars and attracted the most attention.  Not so in mixed martial arts, where lightheavyweights have been the focal point of the sport ever since the inception of weight classes.  This has been especially true in UFC, where the biggest names have fought at 205 lbs while the heavyweight division suffered from the lack of talent and competition. 

Things were looking up for the heavyweights when Zuffa purchased Pride FC; however UFC failed to sign most of Pride’s biggest heavyweight stars in Fedor Emelianenko, Sergei Kharitonov, and the former UFC champion Josh Barnett; while Mirko ‘Cro-Cop’ Filipovic’s excursion into the Octagon ended with a whimper.  Of all the Pride heavys, only Antonio ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira thrived in the UFC.

In addition to the lack of quality contenders, UFC has also suffered from a string of bad luck with their heavyweight title holders: from Barnett’s and Tim Sylvia’s steroid scandals, to Frank Mir’s motorcycle accident, to Randy Couture’s resignation – they have been unable to establish a proper lineage, crowning interim champions on numerous occasions when the previous title holders left the organization without losing their belts.  After Couture resigned from his contract and former champions Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski left UFC for the new rival Affliction,  the heavyweight division was at its lowest point in a long time.

Recently, Couture announced that he will be returning to the UFC after a year-long legal battle.  Couture’s return, in addition to Brock Lesnar’s debut in the top 20 after defeating Heath Herring, shifted the balance of HW division slightly into UFC’s favor.  According to the latest Fightmatrix.com ranking, 3 of the Top 5, 5 of the Top 10, and 7 of the Top 20 heavyweights are currently competing in the UFC.

Here is an in-depth look at UFC’s heavyweight division:

The Champions:

[#2] Interim HW Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

MMA Record: 31-4-1 (2-0 UFC)

Last Bout: Defeated Tim Sylvia by submission (guillotine choke) at UFC 81

Next Bout: Against Frank Mir at UFC 92

Former Pride FC champion ‘Minotauro’ has long been considered one of the best heavyweights in the world, second only to Fedor Emelianenko, whom Nogueira was not able to defeat in three attempts.  Nogueira’s toughness and submission skill have become his hallmark as a fighter; on many occasions he looked to be on the brink of defeat just to come back and pull out a win when least expected.  Such was the case in both of his UFC bouts: in his debut, Minotauro was dropped by a head kick from Heath Herring, but survived and went on to win a decision.  When Randy Couture announced his resignation, Nogueira faced Tim Sylvia for the interim title, and submitted Sylvia in the third round after being badly hurt and knocked down in the first.

Nogueira was then slated to appear as a coach on the upcoming season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ reality series, and to defend his interim belt against the opposing coach Frank Mir at UFC 92.  Couture’s return did not change those plans; and should Nogueira defeat Mir he will then face the winner of the upcoming Couture-Lesnar bout to unify the belts.

[#3] HW Champion Randy Couture

MMA Record: 16-8 (13-5 UFC)

Last Bout: Defeated Gabriel Gonzaga by TKO at UFC 74

Next Bout: Against Brock Lesnar at UFC 91

UFC Hall of Fame inductee Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture is one of the most recognized MMA fighters in the world.  He has held the championship gold at both HW and 205 lbs, and after a short-lasting retirement Couture decided to have another run at heavyweight, taking on then-champion Tim Sylvia for the title.  Couture defeated Sylvia with a dominating decision, then TKO’d the seemingly unstoppable Gabriel Gonzaga in his first defense.  Though Couture had two more bouts remaining on his contract he inexplicably announced his resignation from the UFC, citing insufficient pay and desire to face Fedor Emelianenko, who was not able to come to an agreement with UFC after Pride’s demise.

A year later, Couture is back and reinstated as the heavyweight champion. To resolve the conundrum of having two champions, UFC set up a four man tournament, with Randy Couture taking on Brock Lesnar in the first round, then unifying the belts with the winner of Mir – Nogueira in the finals.  The winner of this tourney could possibly overtake Fedor Emelianenko as the #1 ranked heavyweight in the world.

The Contenders:

[#4] Fabricio Werdum

MMA Record: 11-3-1 (2-1 UFC)

Last Bout: Defeated Brandon Vera by TKO at UFC 85

Next Bout: Against Junior dos Santos at UFC 90

After a lackluster decision loss to Andrei Arlovski in his UFC debut, Pride veteran Fabricio Werdum posted impressive victories in his next two fights, pounding out Gabriel Gonzaga and Brandon Vera (who moved down to 205 after the controversial loss).  Werdum rightfully deserves a title shot at this, but he is stuck behind the logjam of the unification tournament, and will instead take on fellow Brazilian Junior dos Santos in the meanwhile.

[#7] Gabriel Gonzaga

MMA Record: 9-3 (5-2 UFC)

Last Bout: Defeated Justin McCully by submission (kimura) at UFC 86

Next Bout: Against Josh Hendricks at UFC 91

Gabriel Gonzaga began his UFC career on a four-win streak, culminating with a brutal knockout of Mirko ‘CroCop’ which earned Gonzaga a shot at the title.  Despite breaking Couture’s arm with a kick early in the fight, Gonzaga could not keep up the pace and was TKO’d in the third round.  Gonzaga then rematched Werdum, who held a TKO loss over Gabriel early in his career.  After dominating the first round with brutal leg kicks, Gonzaga seemed to run out of gas in the second and was once again pounded out. 

The two losses derailed his momentum and left fans questioning Gabriel’s gas tank and ability to recover from bad situations.  Since then Gonzaga stepped down in the level of competition, defeating Justin McCully with a quick submission and is scheduled to take on the UFC newcomer Josh Hendricks next.  Gonzaga’s deadly kicks and superb jiu-jitsu make him a legit threat to anyone in the division, and with improved conditioning and a few wins under his belt, he may once again be competing for the title within the next year.

[#10] Cheick Kongo

MMA Record: 12-4-1 (5-2 UFC)

Last Bout: Defeated Dan Evensen by TKO at UFC 87

Next Bout: Unknown

Despite an imposing physical appearance and a respectable 5-2 record in the UFC, French kickboxer Cheick Kongo has been inconsistent and held back at times by his lack of wrestling, which is responsible for the two decision losses.  With an improved sprawl game, Kongo could become a serious contender.  He recently switched training camps and is now a part of England’s Wolfslair, along with Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Michael Bisping.  It remains to be seen whether the new training partners can push Cheick to the next level.

[#12] Brock Lesnar

MMA Record: 2-1 (1-1 UFC)

Last Bout: Defeated Heath Herring by unanimous decision at UFC 87

Next Bout: Against Randy Couture at UFC 91

Former NCAA Division I champion & WWE performer Brock Lesnar burst onto the MMA scene like a freight train, stepping up to fight former champion Frank Mir with only one professional MMA bout on his record.  Though Lesnar was submitted in the first round, he redeemed himself with a dominant decision victory over the veteran Heath Herring.  Due to Lesnar’s immense name recognition, he quickly received an opportunity to rise to the highest level of competition when he takes on Randy Couture for the heavyweight title in his next bout.

[#13] Heath Herring

MMA Record: 28-14 (2-3 UFC)

Last Bout: Lost to Brock Lesnar by unanimous decision at UFC 87

Next Bout: Unknown

The long time Pride FC heavyweight gatekeeper Heath Herring was looking to rejuvenate his somewhat stalled career in the UFC, but did not rise to the occasion as he is now 2-3 in the Octagon, all five bouts going to decision.  Herring was outstruck, outgrappled, and outpaced by the rookie Lesnar in his most recent outing.  A well rounded fighter without a real strong point, Herring once again falls into a gatekeeper role, struggling against top competition.

[#25] Frank Mir

MMA Record: 11-3 (9-3 UFC)

Last Bout: Defeated Brock Lesnar by submission (kneebar) at UFC 81

Next Bout: Against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 92

Frank Mir has once shocked the MMA world when he snapped then-undefeated Tim Sylvia’s forearm in half with a well-executed armbar, winning the UFC heavyweight championship in process.  He was forced to relinquish his belt without ever getting a chance to defend it after a motorcycle accident left Frank with severe injuries and forced him to take a long layoff from fighting. 

Mir did not look good in the first few fights after his return, however he looks to be back to his old self with first-round submission victories in his last two fights, including a win over the monstrous Brock Lesnar.  Frank now has the opportunity to regain the title he once held when he takes on the interim champion Nogueira at UFC 92.  Should he win, he will go on to face the winner of Lesnar – Couture matchup in the finals of UFC’s heavyweight title tourney.

The Up-and-Comers:

[#28] Cain Velasquez

MMA Record: 4-0 (2-0 UFC)

Last Bout: Defeated Jake O’Brien by TKO at UFC Fight Night

Next Bout: Unknown

Former all-American wrestler Cain Velasquez made his UFC debut with only 2 professional fights, but is already one of the hottest prospects in the division after two wins in the Octagon, including a quick TKO stoppage of Jake O’Brien in Cain’s first televised bout.

[#35] Shane Carwin

MMA Record: 9-0

Last Bout: Defeated Christian Wellisch by KO at UFC 84

Next Bout: Against Neil Wain at UFC 89

Undefeated at 9-0, Shane Carwin impressed in his first UFC bout with a brutal first-round knockout win over Christian Wellisch.  He will face another UFC rookie – Neil Wain – in his next bout.

Other Notables:

[#36] Jake O’Brien

MMA Record: Lost to Cain Velasquez by TKO at UFC Fight Night

Last Bout: 10-2 (3-2 UFC)

Next Bout: Unknown

O’Brien was on a hot streak: 10-0: including three wins in UFC and coming off a huge upset of Heath Herring in Herring’s UFC debut, when he suffered a back injury that forced him to take over a year off from fighting.  O’Brien was pounded out by Andrei Arlovski in his return to action, then cut from the UFC but brought back to fight Cain Velasquez and once again suffered a first round TKO stoppage, putting the fate of his UFC career in question. 

[#37] Antoni Hardonk

MMA Record: 7-4 (3-2 UFC)

Last Bout: Defeated Eddie Sanchez by TKO at UFC 85

Next Bout: Unknown

Dutch kickboxer Hardonk went 1-2 in his first three UFC bouts, showing a lack of ground game that cost him a submission loss to Frank Mir, and an ugly decision loss to Justin McCully.  Since then, he knocked out both of his opponents in preliminary bouts, which will likely earn him a spot on the main card in his next UFC outing.

[#55] Justin McCully

MMA Record: 8-4-2 (1-1 UFC)

Last Bout: Lost to Gabriel Gonzaga by submission (kimura) at UFC 86

Next Bout: Unknown

A long time MMA veteran who has been rather inactive in recent years, BJJ blackbelt and Tito Ortiz’s training partner McCully is 1-1 in the Octagon, with an uneventful decision over Hardonk and a one-sided loss to Gonzaga. McCully at this point in his career is a journeyman who will not make any impact on the division.

[#70] Josh Hendricks

MMA Record: 14-4

Last Bout: Defeated James Powell by KO at Legends of Fighting 21

Next Bout:  Against Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 91

With nine wins and no losses over the past three years, Josh Hendricks is facing a tall task in his UFC debut, taking on the BJJ blackbelt and the man with perhaps the hardest kicks in the sport, Gabriel Gonzaga.

[#81] Eddie Sanchez

MMA Record: 8-2 (3-2 UFC)

Last Bout: Lost to Antoni Hardonk by TKO at UFC 85

Next Bout: Unknown

Sanchez is best remembered for being CroCop’s first and only victim in the Octagon.  He has a winning record in the UFC, with a stoppage ending to every fight: a hard-scrapping brawler who looks to knock out his opponent or be knocked out, and will likely never hold a title but will remain a gatekeeper of the division.

[#90] Christian Wellisch

MMA Record: 8-4 (2-2 UFC)

Last Bout: Lost to Shane Carwin by KO at UFC 84

Next Bout: Unknown

With a .500 UFC record and more remembered for his highlight-reel knockout losses than his victories, only the lack of competition at heavyweight is keeping Wellisch in the UFC ranks.

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Next week, we will take a look at the state of the heavyweight division outside of the UFC!