[NoDaK KiD]

I've compiled a list of the top 25 Heavyweights and in parentheses next to their records included how they fared against the other HWs in the current top 25.

I thought it was interesting that the only undefeated HWs against their top 25 contemporaries are Fedor (5-0) and Antonio Silva (1-0). Of those two, Fedor is the only one to have fought multiple fights against top competition. He is #1 for a reason, like it or not.

For those of you who have not followed MMA very long, this list may contain some information that is surprising, like Gabriel Gonzaga only being 1-3 against top fighters or that Heath Herring's win over Kongo was basically his only significant MMA victory.


1. Fedor Emelianenko 27-1 (5-0)

Wins: Nogueira x2, Cro-Cop, Hunt, Herring
Losses: None

2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira 31-4 (9-3)

Wins: Barnett, Sylvia, Werdum, Rodriguez, Kharitonov, Cro-Cop, Herring x3
Losses: Fedor x2, Barnett

3. Randy Couture 16-8 (4-2)

Wins: Sylvia, Gonzaga, Rizzo x2
Losses: Barnett, Rodriguez

4. Josh Barnett 21-5 (4-5)

Wins: Nogueira, A. Emelianenko, Couture, Hunt
Losses: Cro-Cop x3, Nogueira, Rizzo

5. Tim Sylvia 24-4 (6-4)

Wins: Arlovski x2, Rodriguez, Monson, Vera, Rothwell
Losses: Arlovski, Couture, Nogueira, Mir

6. Andrei Arlovski 12-5 (4-4)

Wins: Sylvia, Werdum, Buentello, O'Brien
Losses: Sylvia x2, Rizzo, Rodriguez

7. Fabricio Werdum 10-3 (4-3)

Wins: Gonzaga x2, A. Emelianenko, Overeem
Losses: Kharitonov, Arlovski, Nogueira

8. Gabriel Gonzaga 8-3 (1-3)

Wins: Cro-Cop
Losses: Werdum x2, Couture

9. Mirko Cro-Cop 22-6 (5-5)

Wins: Barnett x3, A. Emelianenko, Herring
Losses: Gonzaga, Kongo, Nogueira, Fedor, Hunt

10. Ben Rothwell 29-5 (2-1)

Wins: Rodriguez, Nelson
Losses: Sylvia

11. Aleksander Emelianenko 10-3 (1-3)

Wins: Kharitonov
Losses: Werdum, Barnett, Cro-Cop

12. Sergei Kharitonov 15-3 (3-2)

Wins: Werdum, Overeem, Rizzo
Losses: Overeem, Nogueira

13. Antonio Silva 10-1 (1-0)

Wins: Rodriguez
Losses: None

14. Brandon Vera 8-1 (1-1)

Wins: Mir
Losses: Sylvia

15. Heath Herring 28 - 13 (1-6)

Wins: Kongo
Losses: Nogueria x3, Fedor, Cro-Cop, O'Brien

16. Cheick Kongo 11-4 (1-1)

Wins: Cro-Cop
Losses: Herring

17. Pedro Rizzo 16-7 (4-3)

Wins: Rodriguez, Barnett, Monson, Arlovski
Losses: Couture x2, Kharitonov

18. Jeff Monson 24-7 (0-3)

Wins: None
Losses: Sylvia, Rodriguez, Rizzo

19. Ricco Rodriguez 27-8 (4-5)

Wins: Couture, Arlovski, Monson, Buentello
Losses: Silva, Sylvia, Rothwell, Rizzo, Nogueira

20. Alistair Overeem 26-11 (2-2)

Wins: Kharitonov, Buentello
Losses: Kharitonov, Werdum

21. Frank Mir 11-3 (1-1)

Wins: Sylvia
Losses: Vera

22. Mark Hunt 5-3 (1-2)

Wins: Cro-Cop
Losses: Fedor, Barnett

23. Paul Buentello 23-10 (0-3)

Wins: None
Losses: Arlovski, Overeem, Rodriguez

24. Jake O'Brien 10-1 (1-1)

Wins: Herring
Losses: Arlovski

25. Roy Nelson 12-2 (0-1)

Wins: None
Losses: Rothwell

To me, at least, the list makes it glaringly evident that Fedor and Nogueira are truly the two greatest Heavyweights ever. For those of you who haven't seen their fights against one another, please do so immediately. They are both epic battles. Couture deserves an honorable mention for greatest ever HW, but a lot of his amazing career achievements have been at LHW.

Thoughts, Corrections, Concerns?

[NoDaK KiD]

IMPORTANT UPCOMING HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHTS:


Mirko Cro-Cop (9) vs. Mizuno (NR)
DREAM - March 15th.

Fabricio Werdum (7) vs. Brandon Vera (15)
UFC 85 - June 7th.

*Fedor Emelianeko (1) vs. Randy Couture (3)
Fantasyland - hopefully soon


If you know of upcoming fights involving any HW on this list, please let me know and I'll add them to this list. Please include the event name and date. Thanks.

[NoDaK KiD]

I also thought it was interesting that Heath Herring actually has more fights than anybody else on the list.

[Det_Kimble]

You forgot to add Herring and Hunt to Fedor's list. At the time they were top 10 fighters. Herring was actually expected to beat Fedor.

*edit* even today, I'd pick these two guys to beat a good amount of people on your list. Herring is a tough fighter who lasted longer with Nog than Sylvia did. Mark Hunt has a win over CroCop (who is on your list), so I think you should put these guys somewhere on your top 20.

[NoDaK KiD]

Originally Posted by Det_Kimble

You forgot to add Herring and Hunt to Fedor's list. At the time they were top 10 fighters. Herring was actually expected to beat Fedor.

Those two were definitely top 10 fighters when Fedor fought them, but they're not top 20 now, although they are pretty close.

The list is how the top 20 HW fighters have done against the current top 20 HW fighters.

If I could get access to a lot of old rankings I could make a list of how many victories the fighters had against other fighters who were ranked at the time of the fight.

[NoDaK KiD]

Originally Posted by Det_Kimble

You forgot to add Herring and Hunt to Fedor's list. At the time they were top 10 fighters. Herring was actually expected to beat Fedor.

*edit* even today, I'd pick these two guys to beat a good amount of people on your list. Herring is a tough fighter who lasted longer with Nog than Sylvia did. Mark Hunt has a win over CroCop (who is on your list), so I think you should put these guys somewhere on your top 20.

I considered putting both of them on the list, but ended up choosing not to. If I had a top 25, I would put Buenetello, Hunt, Herring, O'Brien, and one other HW on the list.

[juggo]

It's kind of funny how Ricco Rodriguez is listed on the win totals of Sylvia, Rothwell and Antonio Silva, as if they're at all equatable.

Sylvia beat Ricco in his prime when he was a top 5 HW in the world, coming off a win over then former HW champion Randy Couture.

Rothwell and Silva beat an out-of-shape Ricco coming off drug/gambling addictions and VH1 reality show appearances.

[Bullitt68]

Should add Randleman as wins for Randy, Mirko (in his case, a win and a loss), and Fedor and as a loss for Rizzo.

Originally Posted by juggo

Sylvia beat Ricco in his prime when he was a top 5 HW in the world, coming off a win over then HW champion Randy Couture.

Randy wasn't the champion then. He had just lost to Barnett (who got stripped) and was fighting against Ricco for the vacant HW title.

[Det_Kimble]

Monson is 0-3 against the competition on your list, but yet Mark Hunt is 1-2 against the top competition on your list, and you don't think Hunt deserves to be on there? Not to mention Hunt gave Fedor a tough fight. Based on your criteria, Hunt deserves a spot on there instead of Monson. Sorry if I sound like a dick, but it just doesn't make sense why Hunt doesn't qualify and Monson does.

Ricco is also questionable since he's hasn't beat a top guy in a while now.

[juggo]

Originally Posted by Bullitt68

Randy wasn't the champion then. He had just lost to Barnett (who got stripped) and was fighting against Ricco for the vacant HW title.

My bad. I knew that...