By Steven Kelliher on July 26, 2010
While he was considered the logical favorite to sweep the competition when his participation in The Ultimate Fighter 10 was announced, UFC heavyweight contender Roy Nelson surprised everyone–including himself–when he kicked off his official UFC career with back-to-back Knockout of the Night performances against touted prospect Brendan Schaub and up-and-comer Stefan Struve, respectively. Now just [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews | Tagged heavyweights, ufc
By Gregory Saks on June 9, 2010
Kimbo Slice’s first and final UFC pay per view appearance rocketed him to the top of the heavyweight buzz rankings in May despite losing at the event to fellow TUF 10 alumnus Matt Mattrione. Slice has repeatedly demonstrated an ability to generate huge casual fan interest in his fights, and his UFC 114 main card [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged buzz rankings, heavyweights
By Gregory Saks on May 12, 2010
Amid swirling reports of when and if he would return to the Strikeforce cage to fight again, Fedor Emelianenko rose to once again be the most buzzed about heavyweight division in the sport in April. While an agreement is apparently now in place for Fedor to indeed return and take on Fabricio Werdum for Strikeforce [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged buzz rankings, heavyweights
By Gregory Saks on April 8, 2010
Brock Lesnar returned to the top of the heavyweight divisional buzz rankings in March, signaling the growing anticipation of his return to active competition against Shane Carwin in an expected July bout. Carwin, the winner of a top contender bout against Frank Mir in the co-main event of UFC 111, rose eight spots to be [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged buzz rankings, heavyweights
By Steven Kelliher on March 23, 2010
When it was announced last year that former Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier would be making the transition to professional mixed martial arts competition, fans and pundits alike were abuzz with the seeming limitless potential the heavyweight phenom could reach in an increasingly hostile pool of young talent. While his inexperience showed in his professional debut [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews | Tagged heavyweights, strikeforce
By Gregory Saks on March 9, 2010
Fedor Emelianenko returned to the top of the overall buzz rankings for February, and by definition also to the top of the heavyweight division. Emelianenko is increasingly of interest to mainstream MMA fans despite not having been active since his November 2009 win over Brett Rogers. Brock Lesnar dropped one spot to second, while Cain [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged buzz rankings, heavyweights
By Gregory Saks on February 17, 2010
Brock Lesnar returned to the top of the overall buzz rankings for January, and by definition also to the top of the heavyweight division. While much fan interest was rightly focused on the news of Lesnar’s return to action after widely reported health problems, other heavyweights also generated significant buzz. A trio of Strikeforce heavyweights [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged buzz rankings, heavyweights
By Steven Kelliher on February 3, 2010
When a November title fight failed to materialize with sidelined Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, undefeated contender Shane Carwin used the extended layoff following his knockout win over Gabriel Gonzaga to rehab a nagging injury. With Lesnar recently announcing that his return to the cage is on for 2010, it is full speed ahead for Carwin’s [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews | Tagged heavyweights, ufc
By Steven Kelliher on February 1, 2010
His name has been known to the majority of hardcore fans for several years now, but Roy “Big Country” Nelson did not truly emerge on the mainstream MMA scene until he won the tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter last month, defeating Kimbo Slice on the show and following that up with a first-round knockout [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews | Tagged dana white, heavyweights, ufc
By Steven Kelliher on January 23, 2010
While his professional record may not yet display the who’s who of the light heavyweight division, the entertaining Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal has already established himself as a fighter worthy of recognition. From taking on one of the most experienced fighters in the sport–Travis Wiuff–in his professional debut just 16 months ago, to flattening veteran [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews | Tagged heavyweights, light heavyweights, strikeforce
