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1
- Junior dos Santos
- "Cigano"
- 21-10-0
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Having amassed an unprecedented 9-fight undefeated streak against some of the UFC's most experienced and highly-ranked heavyweights, dos Santos looks to be the favorite in any future bout. Despite knockouts of Fabricio Werdum, Cain Velasquez and Frank Mir as well as a dominant performance over the dangerous, colossal Shane Carwin (in a fight which could have been stopped twice), dos Santos still has something to prove in the eyes of many, as he has yet to perform seriously on the ground. With another clash against Velasquez scheduled, dos Santos's ground game will likely be put to the test, as Velasquez will undoubtedly attempt to bring the fight to the mat.
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2
- Cain Velasquez
- 14-3-0
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As a fighter, Velasquez has little to complain about, with aggressive striking, great wrestling, and cardio for days. Returning from what could be the most savage victory in recent heavyweight history in a beating of Antonio Silva, Velasquez will seek to prove his rude welcome back to the Octagon by dos Santos was a fluke blamable on his shoulder surgery and layoff. The proposed bout between the two should put into perspective the best two heavyweights' rank should it end definitively, and should Velasquez be cautious but aggressive enough to carefully take the fight where he wants it to be, he can make it happen.
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3
- Fabrício Werdum
- "Vai Cavalo"
- 24-9-1, 1 NC
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One of Werdum's chief goals is to avenge his loss to dos Santos, which may not be easy considering 1) the list of contenders and 2) dos Santos. However, with an upcoming fight against Mike Russow, he will have his chance to impress. Werdum's jiu-jitsu is arguably the best in the division and even the UFC, and his standup, namely his use of knees, looked to be developing greatly in his recent dominance over the crazily tough Roy Nelson. Despite going three rounds with Alistair Overeem, and taking the decision in the eyes of many, Werdum still needs to prove that he is here to stay when facing the best of the best, and has the tools to do so.
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4
- Daniel Cormier
- "DC"
- 22-3-0, 1 NC
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Daniel Cormier continues to impress while maintaining a hard-to-find undefeated heavyweight record. Recently dominating veteran ground master Josh Barnett and having already disposed of Antono Silva, one could say his only fault appears to lie in his experience, if not his size. So far neither has been a problem, and with his apparently durable chin, capable wrestling and great potential, Cormier could soon be fighting for the UFC belt.
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5
- Alistair Overeem
- "The Demolition Man"
- 47-19-0, 1 NC
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Overeem will not be fighting in the near future due to his own behavior, which is a real shame. Gifted with what many consider to be the division's best striking and most imposing physique, Overeem has the tools to go far. A few questions remain, however, as he has shown little of his ground game and has been knocked out at light heavyweight, which should make him a little careful when he returns to the growing heavyweight roster sometime in 2013.
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6
- Shane Carwin
- "The Engineer"
- 12-2-0
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After witnessing Carwin's undefeated streak (which included his decimation of Gabriel Gonzaga and Frank Mir), his near-victory over Brock Lesnar, and the surprising improvement he showed in his loss to dos Santos, many seem to keep him near the bottom of heavyweight rankings. Perhaps this is because he doesn't train full-time or because he just hasn't fought in the big leagues long enough, but either way, Carwin, 36, deserves credit. He may not have many fights left, due to his age and back trouble, so when he returns, Carwin shouldn't wait to show what he's got, which so far has been a great chin and heavy, heavy hands.
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7
- Frank Mir
- 19-13-0
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Coming off a disappointing loss to the champ, Mir is still capable of threatening anyone on the ground. Although getting rocked in almost every recent fight isn't healthy, it looks as if Mir has good recovery once hit, and with his almost incomparable experience, he is still very dangerous. It would benefit him the most to become cautiously aggressive in taking things to the ground as much as possible in upcoming fights, and even though his title aspirations are likely over, Mir remains the winningest UFC heavyweight and a sure future hall of famer.
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8
- Travis Browne
- "Hapa"
- 18-7-1
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9
- Roy Nelson
- "Big Country"
- 23-19-0
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"Big Country" is considered by most to be the UFC's heavyweight gatekeeper, and this is true if one considers his knockout wins over Brendan Schaub, Stefan Struve, Mirko Filipovic and Dave Herman as well as his poor performances against dos Santos, Mir and Werdum. In his mid-thirties already, Nelson doesn't seem to have an abundance of fights left to prove himself, but with a solid chin, heavy hands a skilled grappling, anything is possible. Although there isn't tons of room between himself and others such as Antonio Silva and Travis Browne in rank, Nelson probably deserves the nod over Browne due to his experience edge and over Silva due to Silva's recent knockout losses.
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10
- Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira
- "Minotauro"
- 34-10-1, 1 NC
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Nogueira has an interesting place in the division, with the ability to finish anyone on the ground but with luck and age that aren't on his side. As a supremely experienced and accomplished fighter Nogueira has a safe place in MMA history, and (in spite of having a less than stellar recent record) still the ability to challenge anyone. Most disappointing are his losses to Frank Mir, although in the first meet he clearly wasn't fully prepared and in the second he came very, very close to winning.