411 MMA Rankings 12.01.09: Heavyweight Division

Posted by Jonathan Solomon on 12.01.2009

The 411mania heavyweight MMA rankings are back. Is Brett Rogers still a top-ten fighter after his loss to Fedor? Plus, see where Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum now rank after their recent wins. Does Josh Barnett still deserve to be considered one of the best heavyweights? Check out where Frank Mir and Chieck Kongo rank before their UFC 107 bout.


Welcome to the final month of 2009 and the last heavyweight rankings of the year. Several top fighters have seen action recently but everyone knows the top of the list remains the same. Fedor Emelianenko was victorious in his first fight inside a cage with a knockout of Brett Rogers. "The Grim" Rogers put up a hell of a fight and definitely earned respect, although a win would probably have been more fulfilling. Meanwhile, the top UFC heavyweight is still trying to fight his way back to health. Brock Lesnar is still inactive as he's seen more doctors than trainers recently. Despite the fact he is 1-0 in 2009, let's hope for a MUCH improved 2010 for the heavyweight champion.

I think it's fair to say most consider the elite UFC fighters in this division to be Lesnar and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. I wonder where you see the second tier fighters like Shane Carwin, Frank Mir and Cain Velasquez. Which of the three is best?

The controversy at 411 HQ last week revolved around Alistair Overeem. Where does he really deserve to be ranked? The knock on Overeem is the fact that he has not fought any top level heavyweights. Since becoming Strikeforce heavyweight champion (he has never defended the belt) in 2007, his most difficult opponents would be considered Mirko Cro Cop and Paul Buentello. Overeem defeated Buentello with strikes and the fight with Cro Cop was ruled a no contest.

Is Overeem a top-ten heavyweight?




Now we'll go back to last week for your feedback to the welterweight rankings.




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Here's some feedback to last week's welterweight rankings.

From Fear_Inc.:
Really?... Paulo Thiago, below Swick & Kampman... Come On, give the guy a litle more love! + How Awesome is Josh Koscheck's recent, "Auto Self promoted title Push"...?
Koscheck is an awesome personality (although his twittering could use some common sense) and if he wins another fight or two, he definitely should get a title shot. Swick loses one fight and you want to drop him under Thiago? Granted, Thiago did lose to Fitch but he beat Koscheck, too. Right now, there is not much to differentiate between Thiago, Swick and Kampmann.


From johnny:
personally i think everyone in the top 15 below dan hardy is better than him. Wins over swick and davis in 2 close decisions (1 of which i believe he lost) shouldnt get you ranked.
I believe Hardy was ranked prior to those two fights, the man was on quite a run prior to his UFC stint (and now even more so). Frankly, I'm not sure "everyone" below Hardy could easily beat him. Paul Daley, Kampmann and even Nick Diaz love to throw. At number five, I think Hardy may be a bit high, but it's no crime.


From wylun:
Paulo>>Swick and Kampmann

I would have Dan switch with Kos just for their recent records

5-0 and 3-2 respectively

ya u CAn say that. but you have to also look at the competition... i think KOSH has had wayy higher level of competition than Dan Hardy has... i think its going to be another Thiago Alves situation.. where dan hardy beats alot of ppl.. and looks undefeatable.. and gets murdered by GSP... but the difference is.. Alves actually went thru TOP LEVEL competition.. dan hardy has not yet.. and he is given the title shot... the HIGHEST level i'd say he has faced is swick..
What's with the Thiago love after a decent performance against a UFC noob?

I think any welterweight who fights GSP is going to get whooped. He's too good right now. That's the problem because GSP has run through the names (Fitch, Alves, Koscheck, Hughes and Serra), so they have to create new challengers. Hence why the Swick/Hardy winner received the title shot.


From A. Coolman:
Can we please drop Matt Hughes off the list due to his unwillingness to fight anyone remotely relevant? I think even *I* am too relevant in the division for him to fight me.
Ouch. Why do you say his 'unwillingness?' Who is a 'relevant' fighter who poses a solid match-up for Hughes? Certainly not wrestlers like Fitch or Koscheck.


From GeeSpotter:
What?! No Killa B? Ben Saunders made a statement when he destroyed Marcus Davis!

I kid, I kid.

Great list. Looks like nothing has really changed. Wish Kampmann was a little higher, but he'll rebound
You better kid. Davis is tough but nowhere near the top of the division these days.


From AdamS:
I think Anthony Johnson's drop completely out was a tad muc, though not unusual I guess.
Not sure I buy Koschek over Hardy simply due to the level of fighters Hardy's beaten. Sure, Koschek's beaten fighters, but Hardy's beaten contenders.
I'm pretty certain that Rumble Johnson was never a top-15 ranked welterweight.

Big names Hardy has beaten (in last five fights): Gono, Davis and Swick. For Koscheck: Rumble, Trigg and Yoshida. However, Koscheck has also lost to Thiago and Alves who are both very game competitors.


From Adam:
I wanna see Anthony Johnson vs Mike Swick.
Assuming it's a stand-up battle, Johnson would certainly have a better chance to win.



From Brian:
Jonathan Solomon

I called you out last time during the 170 rankings saying you had a hard on for Kos or something to the effect as you ranked him above Alves. You made a good response as to why you felt Kos should be above Alves (if I recall corretly I think your point was that Alves came in over weight when the two of them fought and I believe you had another point that I cannot remember). Whatever the points were (I am too lazy to go back and try to find them), there were valid and supported your ranking choice.

My question is what changed that would make you put Alves higher in the rankings this time than Kos? Kos has had two wins since his fight with Alves yet Alves hasn't fought anyone. I would think if anything, two wins for Kos would strengthen his ranking at welterweight.

Could you explain? Did you and Kos have a "falling out"? : )
Last time, I had: 3) Koscheck, 4) Swick and 5) Alves. This month I had: 3) Alves, 4) Koscheck and 5) Hardy.

Perhaps I should have kept Kos at 3 and just moved Alves to 4. I'll admit, I went back & forth on that issue a few times before settling. Perhaps the fact we are longer removed from UFC 100, I didn't hold that performance against him plus his weight issue against Koscheck.

Thanks for bringing this up because if one should be higher than the other, should it be the more active fighter? Perhaps. Koscheck certainly seems to be back on track after the Thiago loss with his dominant wins over Trigg (granted, Trigg is on the other end of the slide) and Johnson.



From Tubby:
Not having Rumble in the ranks is wrong. So he lost to Koscheck. Big deal. That fight needs to be redone IMO
Johnson's biggest win is against Yoshida. Should he be at the lower end of the rankings? Perhaps, but he certainly did not go about changing anyone's minds in the Koscheck fight.

Why should it be redone?

Johnson gassed and could do nothing once Koscheck took him to the ground. It's a big weakness in Johnson's game that will likely be exploited in future fights.

I still think Rumble needs a bigger win to be a top-15 welterweight.


From K. Bett:
It's good to see you guys include fighters that aren't part of UFC or Strikeforce, but I'm surprised Zaromskis is ranked so high for beating fighters that wouldn't make a top 20 list.
The man is on a hell of a run and may be one of the best strikers in the division. While he doesn't have a list of opponents like the UFC guys (there aren't many top welterweights outside the UFC), he is on the scene. Should he be so high though? Perhaps not, but the feeling I get right now is he can be successful against the "second tier" of UFC welterweights.


From saerbarnet:
How can Zaromskis be ranked that much higher than Jay Hieron? They have pretty much the same credentials (except that Hieron didn't almost lose to Ross Pointon and actually lose to Che Mills).

And wasn't Nick Diaz last 2 fights at MW? Which would make it 1,5 years since he last fought at WW?
Hieron has some bad luck? I had Hieron at #7 and Zaromskis at #8, but my colleagues do not think of Hieron as highly...apparently.

I'm pretty sure Diaz's last two fights were at a catchweight. Yes, we have the 1-year rule but with Diaz fighting at a catchweight, he doesn't really have a division, so we consider him a welterweight. Should we not rank him entirely until he dedicates himself to a specific division?



From Jon:
North America will implode as the entire continent simultaneously eats it's own head if Dan Hardy so much as drops GSP.

Aside from the fact his fights have gone the distance, why isn't Hardy as good as Koscheck again? Okay, Hardy tends to go to the judges, but he's beaten everyone the UFC has asked him to beat, including the fancied Mike Swick. Of course he hasn't beaten GSP or Alves or Fitch, but you DO realize he hasn't had a chance to fight them right? Instead of writing off a guy that hasn't lost recently and has beaten what's been put in front of him, why not give him the benefit ahead of a guy that's already lost a bunch of times in the UFC to both names and nobodies. Paulo Thiago?!

And who has Kos beaten that's better than Hardy's opponents? Lytle? Trigg? Yoshida?! Top level names, REALLY?! Hazelett is one dimensional and not top level, and Rumble was overrated just because he was big and exciting.

Hardy's wins are bigger than Kos's according to the rankings, but hey, because Kos has fought and lost to bigger names than Hardy's had the chance to, he's ranked higher.

Yeah, okay, that's fair.
If Hardy drops GSP, it will be the same 'ol, been there, done that deal.

Again, Hardy had a massive jump up the rankings after he defeated Swick. He went from a bottom of the list fighter to a top-five guy. This isn't a case of Hardy not getting any respect. Quite the contrary, Hardy is recognized as an improved fighter.

Knocking Koscheck's record? When he fought Yoshida, he was a top challenger coming off a win over Dan Hardy (although it was a DQ win) and a nice win over War Machine. Koscheck did beat Diego Sanchez and fought/beat tough competition like Lytle and Hazelett. Besides the flash KO loss to Thiago, his only defeats since 2005 are against GSP and Alves. Not too shabby.

I don't understand how you can say Hardy's opponents since coming to the UFC are bette than Koscheck's opponents. Hardy beat Gono, Rory Markham, Davis and Swick. All solid fighters no doubt, but the only one who was considered a top of the division fighter was Swick.

Let's not forget, this is just a one spot difference between Koscheck and Hardy.



From Patrick:
Overall, these are really good rankings. Swick dropping to 8 and Fitch staying solid at second is very appropriate for them both. But there are 2 that I dont understand.

I dont personally agree with Kos being above Hardy. Kos has fought some better names, sure. But he seems to have a win win lose win win lose kind of record. 2 of his last 3 losses were his last 5 fights. After Brock and Shogun, I'm beginning to hate the 1-2 fight win streaks that earn a title shot.

And my second point of contention, why is Nick Diaz so low on the list? I know he hasnt had a fight in a while, and we dont know when he will in the forseeable future, but rampage is "retired" and he's still making the top 10.
I'm of the opinion that Koscheck is above Hardy because of competition. While Hardy has recent wins over the likes of Davis and Gono, Koscheck was fighting GSP and Thiago Alves. You could argue Swick was Hardy's biggest test to date.

Nick Diaz never seems to be too high in our rankings. If I recall, even at the time he fought Frank Shamrock, he barely cracked the top ten. His inactivity has not helped him, especially with the fact he's perceived as a flaky guy in terms of the marijuana issue.



Thank you all for the words/questions/feedback/comments from last week. As always, they are much appreciated.

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Heavyweight Rankings from Last Year (11/27/2008)

1. Fedor Emelianenko

2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria

3. Andrei Arlvoski

4. Josh Barnett

5. Brock Lesnar

6. Randy Couture

7. Gabriel Gonzaga

8. Alistair Overeem

9. Frank Mir

10. Tim Sylvia


Mirko Cro Cop, Cheick Kongo, Antonio Silva, Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum were "On The Bubble."

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THE CREW

The 411 MMA staff has decided to pull back the curtain and reveal the great 411 Oz. After some consideration, for the the first time in the soon-to-be two-year history of 411 MMA Rankings that you will be able to see which knucklehead put which fighter where.

So here are the nuts and bolts, the breakdown of the rankings from your favorite 411 MMA personalities:

Samer Kadi 1-Fedor 2-Lesnar 3-Nogueira 4-Mir 5-Barnett 6-Overeem 7-Carwin 8-Velasquez 9-Dos Santos 10-Werdum 11-Rogers 12-Arlovski 13-Gonzaga 14-Kongo 15-Silva	Scott Kuczkowski 1. Fedor 2. Lesnar 3. Noguiera 4. Mir 5. Carwin 6. Dos Santos 7. Velasquez 8. Rogers 9. Werdum 10. Gonzaga 11. "Bigfoot" Silva 12. Sylvia 13. Arlovski 14. Kongo 15. Rothwell	Daniel Bonnizzio 1) Fedor Emelianenko 2) Brock Lesnar 3) Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria 4) Frank Mir 5) Josh Barnett 6) Cain Velasquez 7) Shane Carwin 8) Brett Rogers 9) Junior dos Santos 10) Fabricio Werdum 11) Andrei Arlovski 12) Antonio Silva 13) Gabriel Gonzaga 14) Ben Rothwell 15) Jeff Monson
Jeffrey Harris 1. Brock Lesnar 2. Fedor Emelianenko 3. Shane Carwin 4. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira 5. Cain Velasquez 6. Junior dos Santos 7. Frank Mir 8. Fabricio Werdum 9. Brett Rogers 10. Gabriel Gonzaga 11. Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva 12. Cheick Kongo 13. Andrei Arlovski 14. Jeff Monson 15. Ben Rothwell	Jonathan Solomon 1. Fedor 2. Lesnar 3. Big Nog 4. Carwin 5. Velasquez 6. Dos Santos 7. Mir 8. Werdum 9. Barnett 10. Overeem 11. Rothwell 12. Rogers 13. Monson 14. Gonzaga 15. Herman

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411's MMA Ranking Rules

- If a fighter hasn't fought in a year, he can not be ranked. It's not fair to people who are fighting to not be ranked because a fighter is taking a year off. The rule also applies to specific divisions. If a fighter hasn't fought in a weight division in a year he is no longer eligible to be ranked. However, if a fighter schedules a fight he is still eligible for being ranked.

- If a fighter appears on just one single ballot, and in the top ten, five points shall be deducted to balance out between other fighters who may have been ranked lower, but appeared on more total ballots.

- If you wish to complain about a fighter's ranking in the comments section, then please include an objective reason as to why you don't like the ranking, and remember "if u rite lik thiss" then your opinion doesn't matter.

- 411's MMA Rankings are voted on by the MMA staff of 411mania. So if you are an MMA fighter and hate where you are ranked, beating just me up would be unnecessary. You would have to beat us all up, and when we are all together.....we are not dangerous at all, I won't lie to you.





411's Official MMA Rankings

Heavyweight Division





1) Fedor Emelianenko (30-1)

Height: 6'0

Weight: 233

Currently fighting with: Strikeforce

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Brett Rogers - Win via TKO (strikes) - Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers - November 7, 2009

- vs. Andrei Arlovski - Win via KO (punch) - Affliction: Day of Reckoning - January 24, 2009

- vs. Tim Sylvia - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - Affliction: Banned - July 19, 2008

- vs. Hong Man Choi - Win via submission (arm bar) - Yarennoka - New Year's Eve 2007 - December 31, 2007

- vs. Matt Lindland - Win via submission (arm bar) - BodogFight: Clash of the Nations - April 14, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- Injured

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2) Brock Lesnar (4-1)

Height: 6'2

Weight: 265

Birthday: July 12, 1977

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Frank Mir - Win via TKO (punches) - UFC 100 - July 11, 2009

- vs. Randy Couture - Win via TKO (punches) - UFC 91: Couture vs. Lesnar - November 15, 2008

- vs. Heath Herring - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 87: Seek And Destroy - August 9, 2008

- vs. Frank Mir - Loss via submission (kneebar) - UFC 81: Breaking Point - February 2, 2008

- vs. Min Soo Kim - Win via submission (strikes) - K1 HERO's - Dynamite!! USA - June 2, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- Injured

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3) Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1)

Height: 6'3

Weight: 231

Currently fighting with: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Randy Couture - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira - August 29, 2009

- vs. Frank Mir - Loss via TKO (punches) - UFC 92: Ultimate 2008 - December 27, 2008

- vs. Tim Sylvia - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - UFC 81: Breaking Point - February 2, 2008

- vs. Heath Herring - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 73: Stacked - July 7th, 2007

- vs. Josh Barnett - Win via decision (unanimous) - PRIDE - Shockwave 2006 - December 31, 2006

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Cain Velasquez - UFC 109 - February 6, 2010

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4*) Frank Mir (12-4)

Height: 6'1

Weight: 240

Currently fighting with: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Brock Lesnar - Loss via TKO (punches) - UFC 100 - July 11, 2009

- vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - Win via TKO (punches) - UFC 92: Ultimate 2008 - December 27, 2008

- vs. Brock Lesnar - Win via submission (knee bar) - UFC 81: Breaking Point - February 2, 2008

- vs. Antoni Hardonk - Win via submission (kimura) - UFC 74: Respect - August 25, 2007

- vs. Brandon Vera - Loss via TKO (strikes) - UFC 65: Bad Intentions - November 18, 2006

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Cheick Kongo - UFC 107 - December 12, 2009

Comment: A loss for Mir against Kongo will knock him down this list, the question is how far will he drop in the rankings? I am interested to find out who Mir fights if he can beat Kongo (and I fully expect him to do just that).

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4*) Shane Carwin (11-0)

Height: 6'1

Weight: 259

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Gabriel Gonzaga - Win via KO (punch) - UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine - March 7, 2009

- vs. Neil Wain - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben - October 18, 2008

- vs. Christian Wellisch - Win via KO (punch) - UFC 84: Ill Will - May 24, 2008

- vs. Sherman Pendergarst - win via TKO (strikes) - Ring of Fire 31: Undisputed - December 1, 2007

- vs. Rex Richards - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - Art of War 4 - October 27, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- Unknown

Comment: Carwin is waiting for what the UFC decides to do with Lesnar's championship. Reports said the UFC planned for Carwin to fight in February but his wife is scheduled to give birth that month (best of luck and health).

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6) Cain Velasquez (7-0)

Height: 6'2

Weight: 242

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Ben Rothwell - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC 104 - October 24, 2009

- vs. Cheick Kongo - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 99: The Comeback - June 13, 2009

- vs. Denis Stojnic - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC Fight Night 17 - February 7, 2009

- vs. Jake O'Brien - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC: Silva vs. Irvin - July 19, 2008

- vs. Brad Morris - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC 83: Serra vs. St. Pierre II - April 19, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - UFC 109 - February 6, 2009

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7) Junior dos Santos (9-1)

Height: 6'4

Weight: 243

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Mirko Cro Cop - Win via submission (strikes) - UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort - September 19, 2009

- vs. Stefan Struve - Win via TKO (punches) - UFC 95: Sanchez vs. Stevenson - February 20, 2009

- vs. Fabricio Werdum - Win via KO (uppercut) - UFC 90: Silva vs. Cote - October 25, 2008

- vs. Geronimo dos Santos - Win via TKO (cut) - Demo Fight 3 - May 24, 2008

- vs. Joaquim Ferreira - Loss via submission (armbar) - MTL: Final - November 10, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- Unknown

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8) Fabricio Werdum (13-4-1)

Height: 6'4

Weight: 242

Currently fighting with: Strikeforce

Last 5 wins:

- vs. Antonio Silva - Win via decision (unanimous) - Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers - November 7, 2009

- vs. Mike Kyle - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg - August 15, 2009

- vs. Junior dos Santos - Loss via TKO (punches) - UFC 90: Silva vs. Cote - October 25, 2008

- vs. Brandon Vera - Win via TKO (punches) - UFC 85: Bedlam - June 7, 2008

- vs. Gabriel Gonzaga - Win via TKO (punches) - UFC 80: Rapid Fire - January 19, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- Unknown

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9) Brett Rogers (10-1)

Height: 6'5

Weight: 265

Currently Fighting With: Strikeforce

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Fedor Emelianenko - Loss via TKO (strikes) - Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers - November 7, 2009

- vs. Andrei Arlovski - Win via TKO (strikes) - Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields - June 6, 2009

- vs. Abongo Humphrey - Win via TKO (strikes) - Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz - April 11, 2009

- vs. Jon Murphy - Win via TKO (strikes) - EliteXC: Primetime - May 31, 2008

- vs. James Thompson - Win via KO (punch) - EliteXC: Street Certified - February 16, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- Unknown

Comment: Rogers impressed most in his defeat to Fedor last month. He took The Last Emperor into the second round and roughed him up pretty badly in the process. Rogers was frustrated with the loss and guaranteed he would not be knocked out again. He wants a rematch with Fedor and even has challenged Alistair Overeem. What's next for Rogers now that people may have expectations? We shall find out in 2010.

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<
10) Josh Barnett (27-5)

Height: 6'3

Weight: 250

Currently fighting with: Free Agent

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Gilbert Yvel - Win via submission (strikes) - Affliction: Day of Reckoning - January 24, 2009

- vs. Pedro Rizzo - Win via KO (punch) - Affliction: Banned - July 19, 2008

- vs. Jeff Monson - Win via decision (unanimous) - World Victory Road: Sengoku 2 - May 18, 2008

- vs. Hidehiko Yoshida - Win via submission (heel hook) - World Victory Road: Sengoku - March 5, 2008

- vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - Loss via decision (unanimous) - PRIDE - Shockwave 2006 - December 31, 2006

Next scheduled appearance:

- Currently Unknown

Comment: Barnett's representation was able to secure a second delay (the hearing was set for early December) to try and plead his case in front of the California State Athletic Commission. Barnett insists he did not take a banned substance while his two positive tests say otherwise (his B sample tested positive). Interestingly enough, rumors have popped up that Barnett and Fedor Emelianenko may fight each other in Japan before next summer. I doubt that happens, strongly.

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11) Gabriel Gonzaga (11-4)

Height: 6'2

Weight: 252

Currently fighting with: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Chris Tuchscherer - Win via TKO (punches) - UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira - August 29, 2009

- vs. Shane Carwin - Loss via KO (punch) - UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine - March 7, 2009

- vs. Josh Hendricks - Win via KO (punches) - UFC 91: Couture vs. Lesnar - November 15, 2008

- vs. Justin McCully - Win via submission (kimura) - UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin - July 5, 2008

- vs. Fabricio Werdum - Loss via TKO (punches) - UFC 80: Rapid Fire - January 19, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- Injured

Comment: Gonzaga was set to fight Dos Santos in January at UFC 108, but he developed a staph infection recently and was forced to pull out.

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12) Alistair Overeem (30-11)

Height: 6'5

Weight: 205

Birthday: May 17, 1980

Currently Fighting With: DREAM, Strikeforce

Last 5 fights:

- vs. James Thompson - Win via submission (guillotine choek) - DREAM 12 - October 25, 2009

- vs. Tony Sylvester - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - Ultimate Glory 11: A Decade of Fights - October 17, 2009

- vs. Gary Goodridge - Win via submission (kimura) - Glory 10: Battle of Arnhem - November 9, 2008

- vs. Mirko Cro Cop - No Contest (knee to the groin) - DREAM 6 - September 23, 2008

- vs. Mark Hunt - Win via submission (keylock) - DREAM 5 - July 21, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- Unknown

Comment: Will Overeem ever fight in the United States again? Strikeforce said after their CBS show they intended to bring Overeem stateside early in 2010. There have been rumors that DREAM has been working on an Overeem/Fedor fight in Japan, but I doubt Fedor fights anywhere but Strikeforce next year.

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13*) Andrei Arlovski (13-7)

Height: 6'4

Weight: 240

Currently fighting with: Free Agent

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Brett Rogers - Loss via TKO (strikes) - Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields - June 6, 2009

- vs. Fedor Emelianenko - Loss via KO (punch) - Affliction: Day of Reckoning - January 24, 2009

- vs. Roy Nelson - Win via KO (punch) - EliteXC: Heat - October 4, 2008

- vs. Ben Rothwell - Win via KO (punches) - Affliction: Banned - July 19, 2008

- vs. Jake O'Brien - Win via TKO (punches) - UFC 82: Pride of a Champion - March 1, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- Currently Unknown

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13*) Antonio Silva (13-2)

Height: 6'4

Weight: 263

Currently fighting with: Strikeforce

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Fabricio Werdum - Loss via decision (unanimous) - Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers - November 7, 2009

- vs. Jim York - Win via submission (Arm Triangle choke) - Sengoku 10 - September 23, 2009

- vs. Yoshihiro Nakao - Win via TKO (injury) - Sengoku no Ran 2009 - January 4, 2009

- vs. Justin Eilers - Win via TKO (strikes) - EliteXC: Unfinished Business - July 26, 2008

- vs. Ricco Rodriguez - Win via decision (split) - EliteXC: Street Certified - February 16, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- Currently Unknown

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15) Ben Rothwell (30-7)

Height: 6'5

Weight: 265

Currently fighting with: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Cain Velasquez - Loss via TKO (strikes) - UFC 104 - October 24, 2009

- vs. Chris Guillen - Win via TKO (strikes) - Adrenaline MMA 2: Miletich vs. Denny - December 11, 2008

- vs. Andrei Arlovski - Loss via KO (punches) - Affliction: Banned - July 19, 2008

- vs. Ricco Rodriguez - Win via decision (unanimous) - IFL: 2007 Team Championship Final - September 20, 2007

- vs. Krzysztof Soszynski - Win via TKO (strikes) - IFL: 2007 Semifinals - August 2, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Mirko Cro Cop - UFC 110 - February 21, 2010





Closing Comments: Others receiving votes include Cheick Kongo, Jeff Monson, Tim Sylvia and Dave Herman.


Randy Couture is now ineligible to be ranked as a heavyweight. After his UFC 105 fight with Brandon Vera, Captain America himself insisted he is content fighting at light heavyweight. So, unless he bounces back up, we will now rank him as a light heavyweight fighter (only).