The Greatest MMA News Column 07.06.10: UFC Heavyweight Division

Posted by Dan Plunkett on 07.06.2010

411's Dan Plunkett takes a look at the UFC's top four heavyweights - Brock Lesnar, Shane Carwin, Cain Velasquez, and Junior dos Santos - and where they're heading. Also, thoughts on the impending Lesnar vs. Velasquez title match-up, Fedor vs. Overeem, Dana White having no interest in Fedor, and much more!

The last ten days will go down as one of the most important times in the history of MMA's heavyweight division. First, there was the changing of the guard. Fedor Emelianenko had been considered the world's top heavyweight since winning the Pride title from Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on March 16, 2003. On June 26, after a total of 2,660 days atop the division, "The Last Emperor" was forced off his throne at the hands of a suffocating Fabricio Werdum triangle choke. Then on July 3, millions watched as Brock Lesnar took on Shane Carwin for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Following Fedor's loss it was given that the winner of this heavyweight tilt would decide the new best heavyweight in the world. Unsurprisingly, the UFC took full advantage of that and promoted the bout as a clash between the two best heavyweights in the world. Afterward, it was Brock Lesnar who was christened the "Baddest Man on the Planet," a title which would have never been given to him had Fedor defeated Werdum.

The winds of change in the heavyweight division picked up speed in 2008. That year, the UFC introduced four heavyweights that would see a meteoric rise in their own different ways. Brock Lesnar entered at UFC 81 to much hype due to his former career as a prominent WWE Superstar. Cain Velasquez came two months later and was already being hailed as the best fighter to come out of the respected American Kickboxing Academy. The next month Shane Carwin, a powerhouse wrestler from Colorado, entered the fray. While those three had accumulated impressive wrestling credentials, Junior dos Santos was primarily a striker upon his calling to the UFC.

Over the next two years, all four heavyweights developed into contenders and champions. Prior to Saturday, their combined record inside the Octagon was a super impressive 17-1. With a list of victims that includes Heath Herring, Werdum, Randy Couture, Gabriel Gonzaga, Cheick Kongo, Frank Mir, Mirko Cro Cop, and Nogueira, the foursome soon became the elite of the heavyweight division. Saturday night's UFC 116 was the first meeting between two of the fighters. Easily the biggest of the bunch, Lesnar and Carwin stood out for different reasons.

Brock Lesnar is the biggest draw in MMA. When he came into the UFC, he brought along with him a built in fan base from the WWE ready to crossover (at least anytime Lesnar fought) into the world of mixed martial arts. His furious rise, which saw him dominate the likes of Heath Herring and soon after fight for the title, gave him the platform to become a polarizing figure among fans and media. His antics following his UFC 100 win over Frank Mir, on the biggest MMA PPV of all time, drew headlines on sports networks such as the almighty ESPN. Leading up to UFC 116, Lesnar was the sole focus of the media, making it clear who people are paying to see.

Prior to Saturday, Shane Carwin was a relative unknown compared to the ultra-star Lesnar. With an average fight time of 1:08, it's easy to see why Carwin was such a threat to Lesnar. He had destroyed every single one of his opponents in the first round, including Frank Mir and Gabriel Gonzaga. Even with his impressive record, Carwin took a back seat to Lesnar in the promotion of the fight. It's easy to understand given that Lesnar is the proven star of the two, but one would think someone would have at least made an honest attempt to present Carwin as a threat to Lesnar.

The fight itself couldn't have turned out much better for the UFC. Carwin mauled Lesnar in round one and there is an argument to be made for the fight being stopped at a couple points. After round one, Lesnar's face looked as if it had been through a meat grinder, but going into round two it was Carwin who was hurting more. According to the man himself, Carwin couldn't move his legs between rounds. That's how much energy he had spent trying to stop Lesnar in round one. In round two, Carwin was plodding around the Octagon unable to regain the energy lost in the opening frame. The few punches he threw were noticeably slower and when Brock shot in for a takedown, the Colorado native could do little to defend it. It was as if he was fighting underwater. From there, it was all Lesnar as he secured an arm triangle for the submission victory half way through the round.



It was the most exciting big heavyweight fight in years, in either MMA or boxing. Dana White called UFC 116 the best night of his UFC career. On one hand, that could be because there wasn't an unsatisfactory fight on the broadcast, but part of it has to be because the UFC's biggest cash cow can keep on trucking. Up next for Lesnar is another undefeated fighter and another one of the heavyweights that entered in 2008, Cain Velasquez.

At 27-years-old, Velasquez may be the most talented of the UFC's Big Four. The striking ability he displayed against Minotauro Nogueira was swift and brutal. A former two-time Division I All-American, Velasquez has suffocating wrestling as well as relentless ground and pound. However, quite possibly his greatest attribute is his conditioning. Ex-NFL great Herschel Walker, a training partner of Cain, has called him the best conditioned athlete he's ever laid eyes on. Coming from a person that does thousands of sit-ups and push-ups every day, that's quite the compliment.

We saw on Saturday what happens when Brock has a hard time taking someone down. The first round wouldn't have turned out so bad for him if Carwin wasn't so powerful and a better striker than him, but that's the way it happened. While Velasquez may not have the credentials of Lesnar, his accomplishments are good enough and he's less removed from his college days, which makes me think there is a good possibility he could out-wrestle the big man. Should that happen, the Arizona State alum has the technical striking advantage, though he doesn't have the punching power of a Shane Carwin. That makes the match up, which could happen as soon as UFC 119, even more interesting than Lesnar-Carwin. Dating back two years there has been talk that Velasquez is the best heavyweight prospect in the world. Now, it's his time to prove it.

Waiting in the wings for the winner of Lesnar-Velasquez could be Junior dos Santos. The 25-year-old is the youngest of the group and with a win over Roy Nelson will become the number one contender. After bursting onto the scene with a stunning knockout of top ranked contender (and Fedor killer) Fabricio Werdum, "Cigano" has won all four fights, three of which coming by (T)KO. While he doesn't have the wrestling background of Lesnar, Carwin or Velasquez, Junior showed a good ability to get back to his feet against Gabriel Gonzaga. For Dos Santos, that skill set will be a necessity if he wants to emerge victorious against the other top fighters in the division.

As for the future of Shane Carwin, it's hard to tell where he goes from here. A title eliminator bout against the winner of Dos Santos-Nelson would make sense, but the UFC would be hesitant in making such a match-up. Minotauro Nogueira is an option, however with him coming off a knockout loss to Velasquez it doesn't seem like the best fight to make. Mirko Cro Cop is there, but at this stage in his career this isn't the type of fight the Croatian is looking for. Cheick Kongo wouldn't be a terrible choice, but he already has a fight scheduled. Ultimately, I think Carwin's next opponent will be the loser of Dos Santos-Nelson. While it doesn't make the most sense in the world seeing as Carwin should be close to another title shot given his round one performance, it's a passable choice.

The Big Four are spearheading the future of the UFC. It seems as though the UFC will only let them fight each other if it's for the title initially, which does make business sense. All four of them have either one or no losses, which is good for marketing. Plus, once the initial go round of contenders – Carwin, Velasquez, Dos Santos-Nelson – is done, there is the opportunity for lucrative rematches like Lesnar-Carwin 2.

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NEWS!

Lesnar vs. Velasquez could headline UFC 119. This would be a quick turnaround for Brock, especially considering the punishment he took in round one. It will be interesting to see how much media attention this fight gets, seeing as it would be less than three months removed from Brock's last fight.

Randy Couture vs. James Toney will be held at a catch-weight. This could be done because Randy is going to continue fighting at light heavyweight after, a la the Rich Franklin catch-weight fights of 2009. Either way, this is still a really one-sided fight.

Shogun Rua will be out until 2011. This isn't good news, considering we saw last time what knee surgery and a long layoff will do to Shogun.

Dana White has no interest in Fedor after his loss to Fabricio Werdum. Who didn't see this coming? I am a bit surprised Dana has no interest in bringing in a guy he admits is top ten in the world, but then will turn around and tell you he wants the best in the world to fight in the UFC.

Scott Coker pondering making Fedor vs. Overeem instead of Werdum vs. Fedor II. This move could make sense. Fedor has one fight left on his Strikeforce contract. If he beats Werdum, he could just get up and leave the company. However, if he beats Overeem, he would become champion and he presumably has a champion's clause in his contract. If he loses, Overeem vs. Werdum would become a legitimate heavyweight title bout.

Dana White wants Jake Shields to enter the UFC at welterweight. I agree. I feel as though the best fights for him are there. While waiting for the winner of GSP-Koscheck, he could fight Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves, Martin Kampmann, or even Matt Hughes. At middleweight, I think he'll have a tougher time. Plus, I really want to see GSP-Shields and don't want a Shields loss at middleweight to ruin that.

Rampage vs. Rogerio Nogueira possible. This is a really good fight. Then the UFC could match up Franklin-Machida II and Couture-Griffin, though they'll have to talk Randy into taking that fight.

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That's it for this week. Thanks a lot for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Feel free to leave feedback in the comment box or at the e-mail address below. You can follow me on Twitter if you please.