This Saturday, UFC 198 goes down from Curitiba, Brazil. At the top of the card, Fabricio Werdum defends his UFC heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic.
At age 38, Werdum is riding the crest of an unlikely career resurgence that coincided with his second stint with the UFC. Since stepping in against Roy Nelson back in 2012, Werdum is 6-0, thanks in part to the vicious muay thai he added to his world-class jiu-jitsu.
Miocic is no slouch, either. The Cleveland native has used a sharp MMA boxing game to win his last two by knockout, and five of his last six. There’s no doubt he’s ready for this shot.
This mouth-watering clash got us thinking: Who are the five best heavyweights to ever set foot inside the UFC Octagon? We set to work, and herewith is that list.
Only fighters who competed in the UFC are eligible, although their non-UFC credentials can be factored in, albeit to a lesser extent than what they did within UFC borders (sorry, Cro Cop). They are also ranked more on how they fared against their peers than on how they’d do in different eras. Got it? Great. Let’s get it on.