UFC’s Top 10 Heavyweights Following UFC 160
UFC 160 was a huge event in all aspects, the card was stacked full of awesome fighters, the match making was insane, and the main/co main event boasted some serious heavy hitters. As well as that, UFC 160 had some big implications for the Heavyweight division. The recent acquisition of Josh Barnett also has an effect on the big men of the promotion.
So here’s my take on the top 10 of the UFC‘s Heavyweight division:
10. Mark Hunt.
I was rooting for Mark Hunt in the lead up to UFC 160, and a little part of me died when Junior dos Santos damn near kicked Hunt’s head in to the front row. Needless to say, the knockout was incredible and it will have some implications for Mark Hunt. His ranking drops to number 10 in the division, the fact that he is 4-2 overall and 4-1 in his last five for the UFC keeps ‘The Super Samoan’ up there with the elite. A win over Antonio Silva (You there Joe Silva?) would easily put Hunt back in the mix.
9. Frank Mir
It wasn’t so long ago that Frank Mir was the number one contender at Heavyweight, facing JDS at UFC 146. The resulting ugly TKO loss to Junior dos Santos, followed by a recent dropped decision to Daniel Cormier, has sent Mir skidding to the perimeter of the top 10 at 205+. The news that he will welcome Josh Barnett back to the UFC mean that Mir (16-7) will get a chance of redemption, and possibly another title run.
8. Josh Barnett
Although Barnett only holds a 1-1 UFC record, ‘The Warmaster’ needs to be given his due in the rankings. He holds an impressive 32-6 overall record, and despite all the steroid/Affliction drama, Barnett is a very dangerous Heavyweight. He most definitely needs to prove his worth in the UFC‘s elite, but consider that he is 9-1 in his last 10 and also that he made the finals of the Strikeforce GP. I think 8 is a fair spot for BFA,and a win over Mir at UFC 164 would raise Barnetts stock massively.
‘Big Country’ is looking more and more impressive each time we see him out. He has strung together three wins on the bounce, all by knockout in round one. Since dropping a nasty decision to Fabricio Werdum, Nelson has clobbered Dave Herman, Matt Mitrione and Cheick Kongo-all with relative ease. A win over fringe top 10 HW Stipe Miocic may not do much for Nelson’s ranking, but it will likely set him up for a pretty big fight. I would expect Nelson to find himself in a top five matchup, should he beat Stipe Miocic at UFC 161.
Vai Cavalo holds a win over Roy Nelson, at UFC 143, and the Brazilian also beat fellow contryman Antonio Silva, as well as Fedor Emelianenko during the Strikeforce GP. With his next bout scheduled against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Werdum stands to solidify his top 10 status, as well as making a serious claim to a top five fight should he win. A win over Werdum will likely put Big Nog back in the frame in the top 10.
The Reem was unbeaten in the five years prior to UFC 156 bout with Bigfoot. ‘The Demolition Man’ came in to the UFC with some serious hype and a spot in the top 10, but was quickly blasted by Antonio Silva. Silva leapfrogged Overeem in the rankings, but the situation could change with Overeem scheduled to face Travis Browne at UFC on Fox Sports 1: Boston. Browne is another fringe top 10 fighter, and could easily find himself with a huge name fight-if he can get past the Dutchman.
Bigfoot had a pretty rough time at UFC 160, after promising to KO Cain Velasquez the Brazilian giant was walked over by the champ. Velasquez is just too slick for Silva, and his loss takes him down a few pegs. This isn’t to say that he may not be right back in the mix very soon though, he is extremely dangerous. A win over any of the guys behind him in the rankings could restart Bigfoot’s title aspirations.
Although his win over Frank Mir was kind of lackluster, it proved that DC can hang with the UFC‘s tough top 10. Mir has been a long time top 10 contender, as well as the champion, and Cormier’s winning performance was great just on that merit. Factor in this being Cormier’s first UFC fight, his recent domination of Bigfoot and Josh Barnett, and you see the reasoning behind my number three spot for DC. The problem Cormier faces is that his friend and training partner, Cain Velasquez, is holding the title and the two will not fight. Unless he drops to 205lbs., a fight with Junior dos Santos is probably the best DC can hope for at Heavyweight.
Junior dos Santos‘ record speaks for itself. He is 10-1 in the UFC, with KO wins over Cain Velasquez, Frank Mir, Mark Hunt, Gabriel Gonzaga, Fabricio Werdum, Gilbert Yvel and Stefan Struve. Take in to account the fact that he is the only man to beat/KO Cain Velasquez and his only UFC loss is to the champion Velasquez-and there is no argument against the number two spot for Dos Santos. His expected rubber match with Cain Velasquez is going to separate the men from the boys.
1. UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez
What more can you say about Cain Velasquez? He is an incredibly talented, clever, strong, fast and scary fighter. He pasted Junior dos Santos in their second match, flattened Antonio Silva again, and solidified his top spot in the division. A rubber match with JDS would, at worst ,leave Velasquez at number two in the rankings-meaning Velasquez could well fight in the three for years to come. In my mind there is only Dos Santos that can come close to matching Cain’s power and speed, but none of that means a thing if CV has you mounted. 10-1 in the UFC, 12-1 overall, and pretty much a total badass-Velasquez has earned his spot atop the giants of the UFC.
