MMA Fighter Rankings: Heavyweight
David Manning / USA TODAY
On the first Wednesday of every month, theScore's MMA editors compile a list of the top 10 fighters in each of the major weight classes.
Rankings
Heavyweight | Light Heavyweight
Middleweight | Welterweight
Lightweight | Featherweight
Bantamweight | Flyweight
Women: Bantamweight | Strawweight
Heavyweight
| Ranking | Fighter |
|---|---|
| 1 | Fabricio Werdum |
| 2 | Cain Velasquez |
| 3 | Alistair Overeem |
| 4 | Junior dos Santos |
| 5 | Stipe Miocic |
| 6 | Andrei Arlovski |
| 7 | Ben Rothwell |
| 8 | Travis Browne |
| 9 | Mark Hunt |
| 10 | Frank Mir |
- It turns out we're not gonna do this again. The UFC 196 PPV was supposed to be Cain Velasquez's shot at redemption. Instead, both he and defending champion Fabricio Werdum bowed out with injuries, leaving the card without a main event (it has since been changed to a UFC Fight Night on free television). The fate of the match is now unclear as the company waits for both men to recover from their maladies.
- Travis Browne made sure that Matt Mitrione didn't use him as a stepping stone to the top 10 or a new contract. It may have involved some unsavory fingers to Mitrione's eye, but at the end of the day Browne walked away with a TKO victory. "Hapa" has flipped between wins and losses in his last five matches and he now looks to build on this win.
- In the co-main event of UFC on FOX 18, Ben Rothwell became the first fighter to submit Josh Barnett with a choke. The impressive win inched Rothwell closer to a title shot amidst the log jam that is the top of the heavyweight division. The situation is made worse with Velasquez and Werdum out of action. A fight with Stipe Miocic could be in the cards for Rothwell.
- One heavyweight fight to look out for in February is Roy Nelson-Jared Rosholt. "Big Country" Nelson has lost five of his last six fights and this might be the fan favorite's last chance to prove he deserves to keep his spot in the UFC. On the other side is Rosholt, a 29-year-old wrestler with a 6-1 record in the UFC who is still looking to make his mark with a signature win.