[h=1]MMA10: Top all-time heavyweights[/h][h=3]Emelianenko, Nogueira, Filipovic and Couture among top big men of all time[/h]
By TR Foley | ESPN Insider
Editor's note: Insider presents MMA10, a weekly top-10 poll of MMA fighters, trainers and coaches on a variety of topics. This week: all-time top 10 heavyweights.
The greatest professional football or basketball teams are one- or two-year entities, a grouping of players who create something magical across the course of several games. When you compare teams from different seasons or generations, there is no easy marker, no shared opponents and no score that can objectively sustain an argument. But in mixed martial arts, there are plenty of shared opponents -- almost too many. Rankings are never as simple as who beat whom (several fighters on the list split their matchups), as they also have to factor in when and how fights were won.
By design, no list is without faults largely because it's impossible to balance every fighter's wins and losses alongside controversies, missed opportunities and public perception. Polls eliminate some of the human error and individual preference; however, poll answers tend to lean toward popular fighters with marquee wins, not those with the best overall records. For many sources that we interviewed regarding MMA's top heavyweights, it was those impressions and overall impact that mattered as much as submissions and head kicks.
In the end, these 10 names stood out from the rest in our ranking of the top 10 mixed martial arts heavyweights of all time.
[h=3]1. Fedor Emelianenko[/h]
The fighter who helped changed the face of professional MMA has been as criticized for a dearth of qualified opponents as he's been praised for his nine-year winning streak. Heavy-handed, limber and tough in a uniquely Russian sense, Fedor was the most feared heavyweight for a decade, due to his ability to utilize heavy strikes on his feet and Sambo-learned submissions on the ground.
Fedor's biggest achievement was winning the 2004 PRIDE Grand Prix, where there were as many fighters as there were rules. The Russian faced All-American wrestling tough guys Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman in the opening rounds, winning by a first-round armbar and kimura, respectively. Fedor finished the tournament with another first-round armbar, this time on Japanese favorite Naoya Ogawa, followed by a three-round decision against Antonio Rodrigo "Big Nog" Nogueira.
Fedor's career was littered with charges that his management was corrupt and kept him from the best fights. By the time he seemed ready to make commitments to the UFC, his name had lost its appeal after consecutive losses to Fabricio Werdum, Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva and Dan Henderson, a misstep that cost him his nine-year undefeated streak and the acclaim of MMA fans who had once crowned him the greatest ever.
[h=3]2. Antonio Rodrigo "Big Nog" Nogueira[/h]
Nogueira
Brazil's baddest big man, Big Nog was never accused of missing an opportunity to fight the very best. Active since 1999, Big Nog only lost to two fighters in his first seven years in the cage, Fedor and Dan Henderson. Along the way, he won the PRIDE heavyweight title, made the finals of the Grand Prix in 2004 and submitted every other heavyweight making the rounds in Japan.
Big Nog's submissions took him all the way to the UFC's interim heavyweight title, but he's gone 3-for-6 in matches since winning that belt in 2008, losing two fights to Frank Mir and another to Cain Velasquez. Though he is slowing, Big Nog's game was magnificent during the first 90 percent of his career, which has included 21 submission victories (37 total). The heavyweights can hit hard, but over the course of his 13-year career, Big Nog has only been knocked out twice.
[h=3]3. Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic[/h]
The Croatian Cop has fought and fought and fought. Though he was recently released by the UFC after three consecutive knockout losses, Cro Cop was once one of the most feared strikers in the world, accumulating 46 wins across his career in MMA and kickboxing.
Like many fighters on the list, Cro Cop dug into PRIDE and took fights with a host of MMA royalty, including Kazushi Sakuraba, Wanderlei Silva, Big Nog and Josh Barnett. But Cro Cop's status as a legend was sealed after his 2005 fight with Fedor for the PRIDE heavyweight championship. Cro Cop spent much of the fight absorbing Fedor's punishing body shots and matching the Russian's output with stiff left jabs and the occasional head kick. The battle was the toughest challenge of Fedor's career, and the marquee fight of Cro Cop's.
[h=3]4. Randy Couture[/h]
Couture
A transitional figure between the steroid-heavy PRIDE tournaments and the development of the UFC, Couture emerged as a gritty wrestler with the ability to adapt to various weights and styles. He's the UFC's only three-time heavyweight champion, the third of which came in his mid-40s.
Couture's record is marginal (19-11), but the aging fighter had 15 title fights and held two belts across five reigns. Never the largest or most talented heavyweight, Couture did notch wins over the massive Tim Sylvia and Kevin Randelman, a top wrestler.
[h=3]5. Frank Mir[/h]
Mir
The two-time UFC heavyweight champion might not always impress against massive strikers, but over the course of his career Mir has won the most heavyweight fights in history. Some of his most notable accomplishments came from earning knockout and submission victories over Big Nog, something no other fighter has achieved.
Along with Fedor, Mir competes for the title of MMA's most dangerous submission specialist at the heavyweight division. Should Mir continue to win by submission (he has nine submission victories), or possibly earn another title shot, he'll not only connect this list as the midway point between the aging and retired fighters but possibly climb higher with more fights.
[h=3]6. Junior dos Santos[/h]
dos Santos
The current UFC heavyweight champion won the title with a vicious right-hand knockout over Velasquez. Only 28 years old, dos Santos has taken minimal damage in his first 16 fights (15-1) by using his category-best boxing on his feet to avoid the big strikes of opponents. The Brazilian is a jiu-jitsu black belt, which has given him two submission victories. But it's the power he has in both hands that has earned him 11 knockouts.
Since entering the UFC in 2008, dos Santos has beat Werdum, Cro Cop, Mir and Velasquez, all of whom are on this list.
[h=3]7. Cain Velasquez[/h]
Velasquez
Until he was knocked out by dos Santos, it was then-UFC heavyweight champion Velasquez who seemed like the new, unbeatable prototype for the weight class. A two-time All-American heavyweight wrestler at Arizona State -- and a Javier Mendez-trained striker -- he was able to defend Brock Lesnar's takedowns and throw punches with the heavy-handed Big Nog.
His rematch with dos Santos will answer questions about his fight readiness and his ability to get close enough to the current champ to execute on-the-cage wrestling with his potent ground-and-pound style.
[h=3]8. Josh Barnett[/h]
Barnett
The most successful catch-as-catch-can wrestler in MMA history with 31 wins against six losses, Barnett has made a career of taking tough fights. Though the former UFC heavyweight champion recently lost a lopsided decision to Strikeforce heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, Barnett's career has been built on notching in-their-prime wins over Dan Severn, Couture, Big Nog and Mark Hunt.
Barnett's career is far from over, and once he makes the transition to the UFC, there is a chance that he'll once again face Cormier, or fight for the title.
[h=3]9. Alistair Overeem[/h]
Overeem
The Dutchman's MMA career has been a series of questions about drug use on the impact of his abilities and results. Overeem's PRIDE career was mostly spent as a punching bag, but as he's moved up in weight, he's experienced better results, including an 11-fight unbeaten streak reaching back to 2007.
He's big, packs powerful striking and possesses a serviceable ground game. His unbeaten streak and definitive wins over Lesnar and Werdum make him the popular selection of many fans, critics and fighters as the next big name of the division, one who can challenge the current champions and challengers.
[h=3]10. Fabricio Werdum[/h]
Werdum
Though he fights infrequently compared to many on the list -- 21 fights across his 10 years in the cage -- Werdum has beaten (and lost) to some of the top names in the division. A world-class jiu-jitsu fighter, Werdum will always be remembered for his 2010 triangle choke of Fedor, which signaled the Russian champ's recent decline.
He's recently dropped fights to dos Santos and Overeem, but after gutsy stand-and-trade fights against Mike Russow and Roy Nelson, Werdum is once again aiming to be at the top of the heavyweight division.
By TR Foley | ESPN Insider
Editor's note: Insider presents MMA10, a weekly top-10 poll of MMA fighters, trainers and coaches on a variety of topics. This week: all-time top 10 heavyweights.
The greatest professional football or basketball teams are one- or two-year entities, a grouping of players who create something magical across the course of several games. When you compare teams from different seasons or generations, there is no easy marker, no shared opponents and no score that can objectively sustain an argument. But in mixed martial arts, there are plenty of shared opponents -- almost too many. Rankings are never as simple as who beat whom (several fighters on the list split their matchups), as they also have to factor in when and how fights were won.
By design, no list is without faults largely because it's impossible to balance every fighter's wins and losses alongside controversies, missed opportunities and public perception. Polls eliminate some of the human error and individual preference; however, poll answers tend to lean toward popular fighters with marquee wins, not those with the best overall records. For many sources that we interviewed regarding MMA's top heavyweights, it was those impressions and overall impact that mattered as much as submissions and head kicks.
In the end, these 10 names stood out from the rest in our ranking of the top 10 mixed martial arts heavyweights of all time.
[h=3]1. Fedor Emelianenko[/h]
The fighter who helped changed the face of professional MMA has been as criticized for a dearth of qualified opponents as he's been praised for his nine-year winning streak. Heavy-handed, limber and tough in a uniquely Russian sense, Fedor was the most feared heavyweight for a decade, due to his ability to utilize heavy strikes on his feet and Sambo-learned submissions on the ground.
Fedor's biggest achievement was winning the 2004 PRIDE Grand Prix, where there were as many fighters as there were rules. The Russian faced All-American wrestling tough guys Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman in the opening rounds, winning by a first-round armbar and kimura, respectively. Fedor finished the tournament with another first-round armbar, this time on Japanese favorite Naoya Ogawa, followed by a three-round decision against Antonio Rodrigo "Big Nog" Nogueira.
Fedor's career was littered with charges that his management was corrupt and kept him from the best fights. By the time he seemed ready to make commitments to the UFC, his name had lost its appeal after consecutive losses to Fabricio Werdum, Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva and Dan Henderson, a misstep that cost him his nine-year undefeated streak and the acclaim of MMA fans who had once crowned him the greatest ever.
[h=3]2. Antonio Rodrigo "Big Nog" Nogueira[/h]
Nogueira
Brazil's baddest big man, Big Nog was never accused of missing an opportunity to fight the very best. Active since 1999, Big Nog only lost to two fighters in his first seven years in the cage, Fedor and Dan Henderson. Along the way, he won the PRIDE heavyweight title, made the finals of the Grand Prix in 2004 and submitted every other heavyweight making the rounds in Japan.
Big Nog's submissions took him all the way to the UFC's interim heavyweight title, but he's gone 3-for-6 in matches since winning that belt in 2008, losing two fights to Frank Mir and another to Cain Velasquez. Though he is slowing, Big Nog's game was magnificent during the first 90 percent of his career, which has included 21 submission victories (37 total). The heavyweights can hit hard, but over the course of his 13-year career, Big Nog has only been knocked out twice.
[h=3]3. Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic[/h]
The Croatian Cop has fought and fought and fought. Though he was recently released by the UFC after three consecutive knockout losses, Cro Cop was once one of the most feared strikers in the world, accumulating 46 wins across his career in MMA and kickboxing.
Like many fighters on the list, Cro Cop dug into PRIDE and took fights with a host of MMA royalty, including Kazushi Sakuraba, Wanderlei Silva, Big Nog and Josh Barnett. But Cro Cop's status as a legend was sealed after his 2005 fight with Fedor for the PRIDE heavyweight championship. Cro Cop spent much of the fight absorbing Fedor's punishing body shots and matching the Russian's output with stiff left jabs and the occasional head kick. The battle was the toughest challenge of Fedor's career, and the marquee fight of Cro Cop's.
[h=3]4. Randy Couture[/h]
Couture
A transitional figure between the steroid-heavy PRIDE tournaments and the development of the UFC, Couture emerged as a gritty wrestler with the ability to adapt to various weights and styles. He's the UFC's only three-time heavyweight champion, the third of which came in his mid-40s.
Couture's record is marginal (19-11), but the aging fighter had 15 title fights and held two belts across five reigns. Never the largest or most talented heavyweight, Couture did notch wins over the massive Tim Sylvia and Kevin Randelman, a top wrestler.
[h=3]5. Frank Mir[/h]
Mir
The two-time UFC heavyweight champion might not always impress against massive strikers, but over the course of his career Mir has won the most heavyweight fights in history. Some of his most notable accomplishments came from earning knockout and submission victories over Big Nog, something no other fighter has achieved.
Along with Fedor, Mir competes for the title of MMA's most dangerous submission specialist at the heavyweight division. Should Mir continue to win by submission (he has nine submission victories), or possibly earn another title shot, he'll not only connect this list as the midway point between the aging and retired fighters but possibly climb higher with more fights.
[h=3]6. Junior dos Santos[/h]
dos Santos
The current UFC heavyweight champion won the title with a vicious right-hand knockout over Velasquez. Only 28 years old, dos Santos has taken minimal damage in his first 16 fights (15-1) by using his category-best boxing on his feet to avoid the big strikes of opponents. The Brazilian is a jiu-jitsu black belt, which has given him two submission victories. But it's the power he has in both hands that has earned him 11 knockouts.
Since entering the UFC in 2008, dos Santos has beat Werdum, Cro Cop, Mir and Velasquez, all of whom are on this list.
[h=3]7. Cain Velasquez[/h]
Velasquez
Until he was knocked out by dos Santos, it was then-UFC heavyweight champion Velasquez who seemed like the new, unbeatable prototype for the weight class. A two-time All-American heavyweight wrestler at Arizona State -- and a Javier Mendez-trained striker -- he was able to defend Brock Lesnar's takedowns and throw punches with the heavy-handed Big Nog.
His rematch with dos Santos will answer questions about his fight readiness and his ability to get close enough to the current champ to execute on-the-cage wrestling with his potent ground-and-pound style.
[h=3]8. Josh Barnett[/h]
Barnett
The most successful catch-as-catch-can wrestler in MMA history with 31 wins against six losses, Barnett has made a career of taking tough fights. Though the former UFC heavyweight champion recently lost a lopsided decision to Strikeforce heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, Barnett's career has been built on notching in-their-prime wins over Dan Severn, Couture, Big Nog and Mark Hunt.
Barnett's career is far from over, and once he makes the transition to the UFC, there is a chance that he'll once again face Cormier, or fight for the title.
[h=3]9. Alistair Overeem[/h]
Overeem
The Dutchman's MMA career has been a series of questions about drug use on the impact of his abilities and results. Overeem's PRIDE career was mostly spent as a punching bag, but as he's moved up in weight, he's experienced better results, including an 11-fight unbeaten streak reaching back to 2007.
He's big, packs powerful striking and possesses a serviceable ground game. His unbeaten streak and definitive wins over Lesnar and Werdum make him the popular selection of many fans, critics and fighters as the next big name of the division, one who can challenge the current champions and challengers.
[h=3]10. Fabricio Werdum[/h]
Werdum
Though he fights infrequently compared to many on the list -- 21 fights across his 10 years in the cage -- Werdum has beaten (and lost) to some of the top names in the division. A world-class jiu-jitsu fighter, Werdum will always be remembered for his 2010 triangle choke of Fedor, which signaled the Russian champ's recent decline.
He's recently dropped fights to dos Santos and Overeem, but after gutsy stand-and-trade fights against Mike Russow and Roy Nelson, Werdum is once again aiming to be at the top of the heavyweight division.
