There’s something special about the heavyweights. Just ask the 90,000 fans who packed Wembley Stadium to see boxing’s Anthony Joshua stake his claim to the crown in April.
The heavyweight kingpin isn’t just one champion among many—he’s the most dangerous unarmed combatant on the planet. Bigger, badder and tougher than his peers.
In the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the title of “world’s most dangerous man” has come with a curse of sorts. In the 20 years since Mark Coleman won the inaugural heavyweight championship, no one has managed to defend the title more than twice in a single reign.
That lack of exceptionalism makes parsing any best-of list an extraordinarily subjective undertaking. With no dominant runs inside the promotion, a look beyond the Octagon is in order. So is an analysis of a fighter’s career both before and after sitting on the throne.
On Saturday, Stipe Miocic will attempt to defend his UFC championship for a second time against former champion Junior dos Santos. The stakes are high—historical legacy up for grabs along with a title belt. Where do the two men rank among the best ever? Read on to find out!