411's MMA Rankings 1.10.08: Heavyweight Division

Posted by Dustin James on 01.10.2008

Come inside for 411's first MMA rankings of 2008! This time around we rank the Heavyweights! Can anybody pass Fedor for the #1 spot? Does Brock Lesnar make his first appearance in the rankings? And which fighter in the Top 5 dropped completely off the rankings? You will have to read to find out!

Welcome to 2008 411 MMA fans! That's right, it is now time for the first 411 MMA Rankings of the new year. The countdown to who will win 411's 2008 MMA Fighter of the Year has officially started! Can Brock Lesnar come out and have a huge 2008 for the UFC? Will Randy Couture ever fight in the UFC again? And can the UFC keep expanding it's fan base? All questions that will be answered in 2008 I'm sure. Before we move onto the rankings however, I'm going to bless you guys with a few MMA predictions for 2008. Will they come true? Probably not, but only time can tell!

Dustin's 2008 MMA Predictions

(Side note: I don't really expect some of these to happen, I just wish they would)

- Frank Mir will defeat Brock Lesnar in Brock's UFC debut. Brock will then go into very extensive training with Xtreme Couture and come out s-c-a-r-y.

- Forrest Griffin will win the UFC Light Heavyweight Title.

- Randy Couture vs. Fedor Emelianenko will happen in late 2008.

- Cro Cop will bounce back with 2 straight victories and earn a UFC Heavyweight Title shot by year's end.

- The UFC video game will kick ass.

- Takanori Gomi will sign with M-1.

- Georges St. Pierre will go undefeated in 2008 and win 411's 2008 Fighter of the Year.

- Matt Hughes will fight Matt Serra, then retire....win or lose.

- Anderson Silva will dominate the UFC's Middleweight Division, again.

- Kurt Angle will continue to say he's going to fight in an MMA fight, but continue to be full of shit.

- Rich Franklin will decide to switch weight classes.

- BJ Penn will dominate the UFC's Lightweight Division.

- I will attend a live UFC event and choke out Tito Ortiz, then I will kidnap Jenna Jameson and take her back to my hotel and play Scene It! The Porn Edition.

- 411mania's MMA coverage will continue to expand making it the best website on the Internet for MMA information!

Now, with the reason you clicked on this......

But first, a few new rules for the rankings for the new year........

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. (For instance, Josh Barnett is not ranked now due to his inactivity for over a year.)

- 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 include your own set of rankings if you wish.

- Randy Couture is not ranked in the Heavyweight ranking's due to his current career limbo. Once 411 gets something concrete on Randy's future we will continue to rank him.

411's Official MMA Rankings

Heavyweight Division


1. Fedor Emelianenko (27-1)

Last ranking: 1st

Last 3 fights:

- 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

- vs. Mark Hunt - Win via submission (kimura) - PRIDE - Shockwave 2006 - December 31, 2006

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Currently unknown

Comments: The phenom known as Fedor finished 2007 strong with a fairly easy victory over Hong Man Choi at M-1's Yarennoka show on New Year's Eve. 2008 should be a huge year for Fedor as many people are expecting the Couture/Fedor showdown to happen in late 2008. Will it? We will know by year's end. Either way, Fedor is still the #1 Heavyweight in the World and continues to dominate.

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2) Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria (30-4-1)

Last ranking: 2nd

Last 3 fights:

- 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

- vs. Josh Barnett - Loss via decision (split) - PRIDE - Final Conflict Absolute - September 10, 2006

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Tim Sylvia - UFC 81: "Breaking Point" - February 2, 2008

Comments: The UFC finally made it official! Big Nog will be stepping into the Octagon with fellow #1 contender Tim Sylvia and battle for the vacant UFC Heavyweight Title that was vacated by Randy Couture. Some people hate this match-up and some people love it. Big Nog has only had one fight in the UFC but that didn't stop them from giving Big Nog a shot at the title just based on reputation from year's past. There is a very good chance that you are looking at the next UFC Heavyweight Champion.

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3) Gabriel Gonzaga (9-2)

Last ranking: 4th

Last 3 fights:

- vs. Randy Couture - Loss via TKO (strikes) - UFC 74: Respect - August 25, 2007

- vs. Mirko Cro Cop - Win via KO (head kick) - UFC 70: Nations Collide - April 21, 2007

- vs. Carmelo Marrero - Win via submission (arm bar) - UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz II - December 30, 2006

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Fabricio Werdum - UFC 80: "Rapid Fire" - January 19, 2008

Comments: Gonzaga gets to move up in the rankings due to the fact that Josh Barnett is now off the rankings due to his inactivity over the last year. Gonzaga still remains one of the scariest fighters in the UFC due to how great of a BJJ artist he is. Gonzaga will look to revenge a loss to Fabricio Werdum this month at UFC 80!

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4) Tim Sylvia (23-3)

Last ranking: 5th

Last 3 fights:

- vs. Brandon Vera - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 77: Hostile Territory - October 20, 2007

- vs. Randy Couture - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC 68: Uprising - March 3, 2007

- vs. Jeff Monson - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 65: Bad Intentions - November 18, 2006

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - UFC 81: "Breaking Point" - February 2, 2008

Comments: Tim Sylvia will get a chance to win back his UFC Heavyweight Championship that he lost a year ago to Randy Couture at UFC 81. Can the The Maine-iac win back his coveted title and become a 3 time UFC Heavyweight Champion? One thing is for sure, Tim Sylvia's mouth sure is running. He recently came out and said that Fedor was a "pussy" for not signing with the UFC and facing the top competition in the Heavyweight Division. Then he said that Brock Lesnar was a "baby" during training, and THEN he said that the Nevada State Athletic Commission wouldn't allow a fight between Frank Mir and Tim Sylvia because the NSAC was afraid that Mir wasn't good enough to face Sylvia......even though Mir has beaten Sylvia in the past. Doesn't make sense, but if Tim says so......IT HAS TO BE TRUE!

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5) Andrei Arlovski (12-5)

Last ranking: 6th

Last 3 fights:

- vs. Fabricio Werdum - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 70: Nations Collide - April 21, 2007

- vs. Marcio Cruz - Win via KO (strikes) - UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz II - December 30, 2006

- vs. Tim Sylvia - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC 61: Bitter Rivals - July 8, 2006

Next scheduled appearance:

- Currently unknown

Comments: Ummm Andrei? You still alive? Just making sure. You do know that you have a pretty big fan base that is dying to see you fight again, right? OK. Just checking.

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6) Mirko Cro Cop (22-6-2)

Last ranking: 7th

Last 3 fights:

- vs. Cheick Kongo - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion - September 8th, 2007

- vs. Gabriel Gonzaga - Loss via KO (head kick) - UFC 70: Nations Collide - April 21, 2007

- vs. Eddie Sanchez - Win via TKO (punches) - UFC 67: All or Nothing - February 3, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

-Currently unknown

Comments: Nothing new on Cro Cop, but I did predict that he would get a title shot by year's end! C'mon Cro Cop!!

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7) Cheick Kongo (11-3-1)

Last ranking: 8th

Last 3 fights:

- vs. Mirko Cro Cop - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion - September 8, 2007

- vs. Assuerio Silva - Win via decision (majority) - UFC 70: Nations Collide - April 21, 2007

- vs. Carmelo Marrero - Loss via decision (split) - UFC 64: Unstoppable - October 14, 2006

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Currently unknown

Comments: I feel sorry for Kongo. At first it was announced that he would be fighting Big Nog for the vacant UFC Heavyweight Title, but then Tim Sylvia comes out and beats Brandon Vera, and now Sylvia gets the fight while Kongo gets to sit on the sidelines. The good news for Kongo is that if he gets another victory, there is a great chance that he will be next in line for a UFC Heavyweight Title shot. When will that be? No idea.

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8) Ben Rothwell (27-5)

Last ranking: 9th

Last 3 fights:

- 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

- vs. Travis Fulton - Win via submission (kimura) - IFL - Chicago - May 19, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- Currently unknown

Comments: Rothwell moves up in the rankings just due to the fact that he had such a tremendous year (5-0) and 2008 doesn't look to be any different for the grizzly bear. Will this be the year that Rothwell joins the UFC and makes an impact? Tune in to find out!

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9) Fabricio Werdum (9-3)

Last ranking: 9th

Last 3 fights:

- vs. Andrei Arlovski - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC 70: Nations Collide - April 21, 2007

- vs. Aleksander Emelianenko - Win via submission (choke) - 2H2H - Pride & Honor - November 12, 2006

- vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - Loss via decision (unanimous) - PRIDE - Critical Countdown Absolute - July 1, 2006

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Gabriel Gonzaga - UFC 80: "Rapid Fire" - January 19, 2008

Comments: We are just a few weeks away from Werdum getting an opportunity to make a name for himself in the Heavyweight rankings. He has already beaten Gonzaga once, but if he can do it twice then the top contenders in the UFC need to start knowing the name Fabricio Werdum and becoming fully aware of it.

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10) Sergei Kharitonov (15-3)

Last ranking: 9th

Last 3 fights:

- vs. Alistair Overeem - Win via TKO (strikes) - K-1 HERO's Tournament Final - September 17, 2007

- vs. Michael Russow - Win via submission (armbar) - PRIDE 33 - Second Coming - February 24, 2007

- vs. Aleksander Emelianenko - Loss via TKO (strikes) - PRIDE - Final Conflict Absolute - September 10, 2006

Next scheduled appearance:

- Currently unknown

Comments: Sergei was suppose to fight Mighty Mo at K-1's New Year's Eve show but for some reason the fight never happened. I'm not exactly sure why, but I'm curious! So if you know, then just drop me a line in either the comments section or my email.

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On The Bubble: (On the bubble includes fighter's who aren't ranked yet still remain a threat in their division)


Brandon Vera (8-1)

Last ranking: Unranked

Last 3 fights:

- vs. Tim Sylvia - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC 77: Hostile Territory - October 20, 2007

- vs. Frank Mir - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC 65: Bad Intentions - November 11, 2006

- vs. Assuerio Silva - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - UFC 60: Hughes vs. Gracie - May 27, 2006

Next scheduled appearance:

- Currently unknown

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Aleksander Emelianenko (12-3)

Last ranking: Unranked

Last 3 fights:

- vs. Dan Bobish - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - HCF - Title Wave - October 19, 2007

- vs. Jessie Gibson - Win via submission (kimura) - M-1: Russia vs. Europe - July 21, 2007

- vs. Eric Pele - Win via KO (punch) - BodogFight: Clash of the Nations - April 14, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- Currently unknown

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Jeff Monson (24-7)

Last ranking: Unranked

Last 3 fights:

- vs. Hakim Goram - Win via decision (unanimous) - PFP: Ring of Fire - December 9, 2007

- vs. Pedro Rizzo - Loss via TKO (punches) - UAFC: Art of War 3 - September 1, 2007

- vs. Kazuyuki Fujita - Win via submission (rear naked choke) PRIDE 34: Kamikaze - April 8, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- Currently unknown

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Jake O'Brien (10-0)

Last ranking: Unranked

Last 3 fights:

- vs. Heath Herring - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC: Fight Night 8 - January 25, 2007

- vs. Josh Shockman - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 65: Bad Intentions - November 18, 2006

- vs. Kristof Midoux - Win via TKO (ref stoppage) - UFC: Fight Night 6 - August 17, 2006

Next scheduled appearance:

- Currently unknown

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Tim Hague (5-0)

Last ranking: Unranked

Last 3 fights:

- vs. Adriano Bernardo - Win via TKO - KOTC: Brawl at the Mall - August 17, 2007

- vs. Ruben Villareal - Win via decision - KOTC: Megiddo - April 28, 2007

- vs. Jared Kilkenny - Win via TKO - KOTC: Amplified - November 26, 2006

Next scheduled appearance:

- Currently unknown

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Featured Fight: Fedor Emelianenko vs. Hong Man Choi - December 31, 2007