It is the division historically packed with men known as “the baddest on the planet.” Mike Tyson. Evander Holyfield. Muhammad Ali.
But the UFC’s heavyweight division is anything but. It’s old and decrepit, with young fighting prospects nowhere on the radar, much less approaching title contention. The champion is an incredibly talented athlete who is constantly overlooked in comparison to nearly everyone else on the roster. And the man who may be the best fighter the division has ever seen has never been able to live up to that billing because his body continually fails him.
But still, with a heavyweight title fight a month away, there has never been a better time to examine the state of the heavyweights. Let’s get started.
The Champion
Fabricio Werdum: Werdum is the man holding the UFC’s biggest belt, but he feels like more of an afterthought, living out his life in the large shadow cast by Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz.
Still, Werdum has a strong case as the best heavyweight mixed martial artist to ever walk the earth. Wins over Fedor Emelianenko and Cain Velasquez should’ve earned Werdum stronger accolades, but he’s still overlooked. Perhaps it’s a situation where we won’t truly appreciate him until he’s gone? A win over Stipe Miocic in May would go a long way toward making us appreciate him right now.
The Contenders
Stipe Miocic: Miocic has long been considered one of the UFC’s best fighters to never fight for a title. That all changes in May, when he challenges Werdum in the main event of the massive UFC 198 card in Brazil.
Ben Rothwell: Rothwell‘s career turnaround—from journeyman heavyweight to man on the cusp of potential greatness—has been otherworldly to witness. With his awkward yet fun personality finally given room to shine, Rothwell has become something of a cult favorite to the hard-core fans who devote themselves to MMA.
Rothwell has a chance to go from fringe contender to real contender with a win over Junior Dos Santos next week in Zagreb. It’s the kind of meaty, important fight Rothwell has demanded.
Cain Velasquez: The story of the former heavyweight champion’s career is that he has all the talent in the world, but can’t seem to stay healthy no matter what. This time, an injury removed him from a shot at Werdum, and it knocked him a few pegs down the card as well. Now, he’ll have to face Travis Browne at UFC 200, though one assumes a win would put him right back in title contention so long as everything on his body stays intact.
Alistair Overeem: The devastating striker—and former multiple-organization champion—is hovering once again around the championship picture. He fights teammate Andrei Arlovski in Rotterdam in May, and will assuredly be the next title contender if he wins the bout.
Mark Hunt: It seems totally illogical, but Hunt is still hanging around as a fringe title contender, and he’ll continue to do so as long as he keeps knocking people out the way he did Frank Mir a few weeks ago in Australia. People love a good knockout, after all, and Hunt delivers them with aplomb, then walks aways before everyone has a chance to change their mind (or even register what they just saw).
A Long Way to Go
Travis Browne: Once considered the brightest prospect in the division, Browne has never reached the potential once seen in him. These days, he’s known more as Mr. Ronda Rousey than as a title threat. He can change all of that with a win over former champion Velasquez at UFC 200 in July.
Junior Dos Santos: Dos Santos has long missed the spark that made him such a dominating force during his title run. He also took a ton of damage in two fights against Velasquez and one against Miocic. The questions about Dos Santos’ chin are legitimate ones, and he’ll need that chin to hold up against Rothwell if he wants to make any sort of last-ditch run at the championship.
Roy Nelson: Nelson is more funnyman than contender these days. He is unfortunately reliant on his right hand, having long ago fallen in love with the power it possesses and the effect it had on the consciousness of his opponents. But those days are over, and Nelson is now easy to beat so long as you avoid the one thing he has going for him.
Frank Mir: It is time for the former heavyweight champion and surefire future Hall of Famer to hang up his gloves and go into broadcasting before it’s too late.
The Last Word
The UFC’s heavyweight division, never a strength of the company, is as thin and old as ever.
An influx of new talent and prospects is desperately needed, but judging from the pool available on the lower regional scenes, that time may be further off in the future than we ever imagined.
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