Consensus Rankings:   Official  |  Member Designed  |  This Ranking Updated 1 month, 3 weeks, 1 day ago  |  All By WestenShelton

1. 1

   

   Tom Aspinall

   14-3-0

   Incredibly powerful stand up fighter, strikes seemed focused, and he was just impressive as hell. I think he is on the trajectory to be at the top very soon. Tons of 1st round KOs, didn't see him fight on the ground, but not a lot of heavyweights seem to go there.
   
   -Wow. Vs.Volkov, he made Volkov look like nothing. Stand up is so fast and powerful, and he can wrestle and submit like a monster. He has the whole package. Mentally he looks so calm and composed too. An elite, elite prospect already.
   
   -Again vs. Tybura, he just looks incredible. I view him as the best in the world. So fast, power, and the wrestling.
   
   -Destroyed Pavlovich. Best in the world.
   

2. 2

   

   Francis NGannou

   "The Predator"

   17-3-0

   Vs. Stipe, he showed some pretty good technical ability, takedown defense, patience, and of course, power. Im not sure how well he would hold up over 5 rounds, but he has legit 1 punch KO ability, making him dangerous to anyone.
   
   -Beat Gane with a messed up ACL/MCL. When he doesn't have his full power, he proved he can still win with wrestling. Definitely top of the division.
   

3. 3

   

   Jon Jones

   "Bones"

   27-1-0, 1 NC

   Just ran through Gane. Gane's takedown D and grappling did not look good, but he has all the skills needed to win fights still, especially at this division.
   

4. 4

   

   Curtis Blaydes

   "Razor"

   18-4-0, 1 NC

   -Elite wrestler. Can hold his own in stand up but is not dynamic there. Mostly a tough guy who will win with takedowns andground control, but I can't see him hanging with the very best.
   
   -Showed very solid stand up chops vs. Daukaus. Didn't even go for a takedown. Still has the wrestling too. He is solidly in the upper tier of the division.
   
   -Looked great standing early vs. Pavlovich, I think he has come a long way there, but just couldn't hurt him, and then he got laid out. Not a bad performance even in a 1st round loss.
   

5. 5

   

   Ciryl Gane

   "Bon Gamin"

   12-2-0

   Extremely well rounded, disciplined fighter. Can do a little of everything, fast strikes, good defense, smart gameplan. Not super aggressive, but did very well vs. Volkov
   
   -Saw more of him vs. Lewis. He seems unstoppable in many ways. he NEVER gets takendown, ev er, and his stand up is perfect. Doesn't put himself in bad positions or get hurt easily. Has not had a hard time with anyone so far.
   
   -Vs. Francis, he proved again how good he is at range. But his takedown defense isn't as good vs. heavier guys/better wrestlers. He is still kind of new to MMA, and he made a few key mistakes that cost him. Still top tier, and can still beat anyone in the division.
   
   -Had a nice performance vs. Tai Tuivasa. Just elite kickboxing. Still need to see his takedown defense tested again, but standing he is probably better than anyone. Did get rocked once, but showed good skills to recover..
   
   -Didn't do much early vs. Jon Jones, and then got taken down and submitted fast. He has huge holes in grappling and takedown D. But luckily he doesn't have to face those kinds of challenges all the time at this division.
   
   -Showed improved takedown D vs. Spivak and handled him easily on the feet. I still question the takedown D on the whole against higher level guys, but he is getting better.
   

6. 6

   

   Stipe Miocic

   20-4-0

   One of the best ever, though getting a little up there at 38. Only in the 230s, but has wrestling, and great striking ability.
   

7. 7

   

   Alexander Volkov

   "Drago"

   37-10-0

   Outclassed by Gane. A big guy, decent striker, mostly with leg kicks, just struggled against a top tier guy.
   
   -Showed a nice well rounded striking game vs. Marcin Tybura, but I'm starting to question just how good he can be. He gassed kind of easy, and the power isn't there, though the counter punching is solid. Seems like hes at the gatekeeper level and will be for a long time. I think the best prospects will get by him, but those with some flaws will not. He is 6'7 which helps him a lot.
   
   -Got lit up by Aspinall. he's just below the upper tier of the division right now. Takedown defense wasn't amazing in this fight, and he lost standing.
   
   -Had a very nice performance vs. Rozenstruik. Avoided damage, then landed well standing. I'd like to see him face more wrestlers to get a better idea of where he stands there, but standing, he is clearly one of the best out there.
   
   -Dominated Romanov. He did use a fence grab to avoid a takedown, but after that, he just shelled him and ended it.
   
   -Took out Tai Tuivasa. He looks damn good standing. ANd his grappling looked good. He might be getting better, I really like what I've seen since Aspinall.
   

8. 8

   

   Sergei Pavlovich

   18-2-0

   Huge powerful guy. Seems competent standing, but didn't blow me away. But the power is real. His KO was on Shamil though so not sure how seriously to take it. Didn't see any ground skills yet.
   
   -Walked through Derrick Lewis fast. Stoppage was too early, but he had him on the ropes fast. Tons of power. He just looks slightly awkward to me, but it seems to work vs. most in this division.
   
   -Just ran right through Tai Tuivasa. He clearly has insane power, even for a heavyweight. He still just doesn't look technical to me, and I think the matchmaking has done him some favors. Very much want to see him vs. someone more technical or with wrestling. But cannot deny how dangerous he is.
   
   -Crazy fight vs. Blaydes. He got lit up standing multiple times, but somehow didn't seem fazed at all, and just kept coming. He really does not seem technical at all, but he has this raw power, chin and athleticism.
   
   -Got wrecked by Tom. I really still can't believe Blaydes didn't hurt him too. He is dangerous as hell, but still not technical standing.
   

9. 9

   

   Marcus Buchecha

   4-1-0

   ONE fighter. Only 2 fights, but he brings a skillset almost no one in this division has. Absolutely elite BJJ, and good takedowns with them. Definitely not as comfortable standing, but it doesn't matter if he gets it to the ground.
   
   -Another dominant performance in his 2nd ONE fight I've seen, He looked a touch better standing, some leg kicks, but then he had a nice explosion into a leg lock. I think the wrestling is good enough to get into a lot of BJJ situations.
   

10. 10

    

    Linton Vassell

    "The Big Swarm"

    24-9-0, 1 NC

    OK stand up fighter. A bit light for the division and doesn't have through the roof power, but he has good wreslting and very strong grappling. Reversed multiple takedowns against into top position and submission attempts. I liked what I saw.
    
    -Got lit up standing vs. Tim Johnson, but was somehow able to survive and then reverse and finish him on the ground. Has skills for sure, but was also in deep trouble in both fights I've seen from him.
    
    -Killer performance vs. Moldavsky. He is able to get up right away whenever he is taken down, and he landed a nasty combo to finish it. Can't count him out of any fight, but I've seen him in big trouble several times too.
    

11+

11. 11

    

    Ryan Bader

    "Darth"  |  31-8-0, 1 NC

    Bellator champ. Still very good. Has solid stand up, some power, and can wrestle and grapple. Good at GNP and finding ways to do damage. Had good cardio too. Weighs in around 230 so I think that hurts him vs. some of the best.
    
    -More of the same vs. Kongo. Won and retained the belt with a grinding performance.
    

12. 12

    

    Valentin Moldavsky

    13-3-0, 1 NC

    Bellator. Fedor protege. Has OK stand up, didn't seem to have tons of power, but definitely a tenacious wrestler with good cardio. Not super heavy for the division, has issues doing damage with that wrestling too sometimes, but he is tough.
    
    -Fight with Mowry ended with an eyepoke. He looked great in that minute though. Landed multiple shots standing, hand speed looked good.
    
    -Got taken out by Vassell. His wrestling was ineffective, and then he got lit up standing. Still have seen a lot of good things from him at this division.
    

13. 13

    

    Phil De Fries

    24-6-0, 1 NC

    KSW champ. Big guy, kind of slow, does not look comfortable standing, but he is an elite wrestler and GNP guy, and if he can get takedowns, he can keep you down. I do think he slows down a bit as the fight goes on, but very tough guy.
    

14. 14

    

    Bruno Cappelozza

    15-7-0, 1 NC

    Very skilled stand up fighter with power. Showed some takedown defense too. His opponent wasn't great, but he looked excellent.
    
    -Showed some grappling skills vs. Stuart Austin too. Got into full mount and won with GNP. Good to know he has that in him too. Only 235 pounds which is a bit worrying for some matchups.
    
    -Had a verrry ho hum performance vs. Scheffel. It was very close but he just couldn't meaningfully separate himself vs. a more competent stand up foe. He is still solid, but showed how far he is from elite.
    

15. 15

    

    Marcin Tybura

    "Tybur"  |  25-8-0

    -Wrestler, but couldn't take down Volkov at all, got tired. Has some power, but seems like hes several steps below the best strikers, and at least 1 step below the best wrestlers in the division.
    
    -Showed how solid he can be vs. Romanov. He certainly wasn't super impressive, but competent all around and great cardio at elevation. I wonder if he gets dominated wrestling all 3 rounds if this fight is in Vegas, so his fight being in Utah may have helped him, but he is definitely a tough out.
    
    -Decent win vs. Blagoy. He seems technical enough standing but can't really put it together. He finally did a takedown in the 3rd which clinched the fight. He is fine.
    
    -Got steamrolled by Aspinall. He is serviceable and this feels like his ceiling.
    

16. 16

    

    Jailton Almeida

    "Malhadinho"  |  20-3-0

    -One of the best athletes in the UFC. He took out Parker Porter pretty quickly, his wrestling is insane, and his stand up looks pretty explosive too. Had a nice front kick that set everything up. My only concern is he is currently 225. He probably should fight at LHW, you can tell how at HW things will be harder unless he starts putting on more weight, so I question how he will do against the very best wrestlers who have 30-40 pounds on him.
    
    -Somehow was at like 216 for his late fight vs. Anton. I have no idea what his plan is. He is probably one of the scariest guys in all of the UFC, I only have him at #6 here because he is so light for this division.
    
    -He weighed in closer to 235 for his last fight vs Shamil, so he appears to really be committing to this division. His wrestling and grappling remain insane. His strength is great. He did get tagged standing early, really drops his hands for leg kicks. I don't think he is fully comfortable standing which still worries me for when he faces the very best. But anyone below the best will probably lose to him
    
    -More of the same. Dominated Rozenstriuk, but still hasn't shown me any other skills.
    
    -Beat Derrick Lewis but it was a weak performance. He has 0 stand up ability. and his grappling was lacking vs. a guy that others have dominated on the ground. I am not sold on him at this weight class, as I do think the lighter weight hurts.
    

17. 17

    

    Tyrell Fortune

    13-2-0, 2 NC

    Pretty strong stand up fighter. Power and technical ability, does great when he gets them to the cage. Can wrestle too, landed takedowns every round vs. Vassel, but then got reversed every time, which has me questioning his fight IQ a bit. But he definitely has talent. Bellator.
    
    -Had a decent start for James. Took him down, got into RNC position, but he eventually got reversed again. Was KO'd in R2. He has some skills but he just hasn't been able to put it all together,
    

18. 18

    

    Serghei Spivac

    "Polar Bear"  |  16-4-0

    -Never got to show a lot vs. Tom Aspinall, but he definitely looked hesitant the whole time, then got knocked out by an elite knock out guy.
    
    -Showed vs. Hardy that he does have really solid wrestling and grappling. Used GNP well. Want to see him vs. better opponents, but he does have skills.
    
    -vs. Sakai he showed some dominant wrestling. Awesome Judo throws, great GNP. And actually looked nice standing too. He seems to be improving.
    
    -Dominated derrick lewis. Just took him down over and over, and then locked in a submission. He looked good, but it mostly looked like a terrible fight from lewis.
    
    -Showed his weaknesses vs. Gane. Vs. better takedown D guys, he can get stymied. And he had 0 answers on the feet vs. Gane.
    

19. 19

    

    Alexandr Romanov

    "King Kong"  |  17-2-0

    -Huge guy, and absolutely elite wrestler. His cardio is concerning, but he seems to be working out. Not terrible standing, but not bad either. Solid guy that can win with the wrestling, but maybe needs to continue to work on being well rounded + cardio.
    
    -Dominated Chase Sherman. Showed his elite wrestling, and seemed like he might be in better shape now. Still not as well rounded, but great for this division.
    
    -vs. Tybura, he lost but I had it as a draw. Had a dominant 1st round, but he wore down in the later rounds. On one hand, this is a cardio issue again, but this fight was in Utah so elevation was a factor. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt and still have him as a top tier guy.
    
    -Terrible performance vs. Volkov. He had one bad takedown attempt, seemed to get gassed, and then got annihilated. His gas tank is a real problem, and outside of on the ground, he has a lot of holes.
    
    -Beat Blagoy. Cardio seemed slightly improved, or he at least paced himself better. Had a hard time landing takedowns, and barely snuck by standing. He can take out guys with takedown defense weakness, but otherwise he still isn't wowing me.
    

20. 20

    

    Tai Tuivasa

    "Bam Bam"  |  15-7-0

    -Quick fight, Tai has some power behind his stand up game. Not sure what it means against Greg Hardy though.
    
    -vs. Sakai, Tai got a nice KO. His power is obviously for real. Sakai also didnt really try to take him to the ground, so still not sure on his defense, but he is improving, still a young fighter. While he isn't in amazing shape, he still seems pretty mobile for his division.
    
    -Showed vs. Lewis that he can KO just about anyone. Also showed how great his chin is because he took some serious blows. He was losing this fight across the board until a one hitter quitter essentially in the 2nd, so not getting full credit, but a dangerous fighter.
    
    -vs. Gane his toughness was insane again, and he almost KO'd him, which is a crazy feat. He got outstruck badly though. Showed a bit more technical ability. I feel like he is getting better, but he also showed how far he has to go.
    
    -Wow, got steamrolled by Sergey Pavlovich. It's fair to wonder if he came back from the Gane fight too fast. But he really showed his holes here.
    
    -Got dominated by Volkov. Standing and on the ground. Just isn't on the level of the best.
    

21. 21

    

    Justin Tafa

    "Bad Man"  |  7-4-0, 1 NC

    Somehow missed weight at HW, which is incredible. He is a big dude, but pretty mobile, had nice strikes including a pretty damn good head kick. And he showed a bit of grappling. His opponent was not particularly good, and Tafa's record is pretty bad heading in, so I can't rank him too highly even though he looked ok.
    
    -Looked great vs. Parker Porter. He has deadly power, and looked sharp in there. Won with a killer counter. Still haven't seen him face amazing foes, but Im starting to respect him.
    
    -NC for Austen Lane. Not much happened.
    
    -Great KO vs. Austen Lane. He is scary standing. Has some rougher losses earlier in his career but he was pretty green. He seems like a solid gatekeeper KO HW right now.
    

22. 22

    

    Derrick Lewis

    "The Black Beast"  |  27-12-0, 1 NC

    -A KO specialist, one of the best in UFC history. But if hes not connecting with punches, he doesn't have a lot of answers. A guy I'd count out to beat a lot of the guys just outside of the elite tier in this weight class.
    
    -Had a nice game vs. Daukaus. Was very smart to work him against the cage, then he just started landing. His power is the real deal, but it also kind of feels like he might always be just a step below the very best.
    
    -Was doing great vs. Tai until he got caught, keeping him at the same rank as he easily could have won that fight. He is doing great at starting to use takedowns in spots too which is useful.
    
    -Got lit up fast by Pavlovich. The stoppage was too early, so it's tough to say what would have happened, but it was definitely a bad start.
    
    -Terrible performance vs. Spivak. Got taken down super easily, and mounted next to no resistance before getting submitted.
    
    -Took out De Lima fast. Still dangerous standing against lesser foes.
    
    -Got dominated on the ground vs. Jailton, about as expected, he actually held up a little better than expected.
    

23. 23

    

    Ante Delija

    "Walking Trouble"  |  24-6-0

    Well rounded. Pretty solid striker in particular, but he also has wrestling and grappling. Not crazy explosive at anything, but he won't be totally outclassed anywhere either. Cardio is OK but not incredible.
    
    -Had a really weird performance vs. Shelton Graves. Just couldn't land much of anything. It seemed like an off night, but something to monitor.
    

24. 24

    

    Matheus Scheffel

    "Buffa"  |  17-11-0, 1 NC

    Showed really strong striking defense vs. Bruno. He landed the one big shot which pretty much won him a very close fight. He won the fight, but I'm not fully convinced he is better. But he is solid at the very least.
    

25. 25

    

    Denis Goltsov

    "The Russian Bogatyr"  |  33-8-0

    More of a wrestler. Stand up is just meh. Not tons of power. Definitely solid at getting takedowns and pretty good takedown defense though. Excellent cardio is huge for this division.
    
    -vs. Goodale, he dominated on the ground again. But his opponent was not great so tough to judge.
    
    -More of the same vs. Maurice Greene. Lay and pray guy for the most part. Good at that, but that seems to be it.
    

26. 26

    

    Cheick Kongo

    "The Darkness"  |  31-12-2, 1 NC

    -Couldn't consistently stop takedowns, He is 47 so tough to see him fighting much longer, but he looks good for his age.
    

27. 27

    

    Klidson Abreu

    "White Bear"  |  16-5-0, 2 NC

    Beat Renan Ferreira pretty solidly. Took him down over and over. Did very little damage on the ground, but that wrestling can win a lot of fights.
    

28. 28

    

    Renan Ferreira

    "Problema"  |  13-3-0, 3 NC

    6'8. Insane speed and power. Looked like he had a great sprawl too. His opponent wasn't great, but dude looked extremely scary.
    
    -It turns out his sprawl isn't that good, or maybe he gassed. Was taken down repeatedly by Klidson Abreu and just couldn't do much. He avoided damage well at least, but got very few opportunities to stand and bang.
    

29. 29

    

    Jairzinho Rozenstruik

    "Bigi Boy"  |  14-5-0

    -Solid stand up guy, but not overly powerful, more of a technician. Can't do as much on the ground either. Just a well rounded but slightly above average guy in all regards,but didn't strike me as elite at anything.
    
    Threw some scary stuff at Volkov, but it all missed and then he got tagged and taken out.
    
    -Annihilated Chris Daukaus. Showed his power at least. Fight was too short to see much else.
    
    -Stopped one takedown vs. Jailton, then got taken down and finished pretty fast.
    

30. 30

    

    Augusto Sakai

    16-5-1

    Very solid, well rounded fighter. Got KO'd by Tai, but held up well in the first round. This division isn't that deep so he still can beat plenty of guys.
    
    -Got dominated on the ground by Spivak. He showed competence in knowing what to do, but just couldn't stop him. Lost some stand up exchanges too. Seems pretty much a gatekeeper heavyweight.
    
    Solid performance vs. Mayes. He outclassed him in pretty much every regard. He is smart and technical enough for this weight class, but certainly not dynamic.
    

31. 31

    

    Marcos Rogério de Lima

    "Pezão"  |  22-9-1

    -Solid striker, nice use of leg kicks. Relatively mobile for this division, solid fighter, but probably a few steps below the top.
    
    -More of the same vs.Blagoy. He has solid strike speed for a HW. but he has wild, looping punches. Can get tagged. Showed a bit of wrestling too, he is OK
    
    -De Lima just ran through Arlovski. He just walked through some punches, got him to the ground, and found a way to a submission. His stand up isn't pretty, but his size and speed for his size helps. .
    
    -Had a great gameplan vs. Waldo, great leg kicks, wore him out, and then some wrestling. Did wear down in round 3 though, but still go tthe W.
    
    -Got run through by Derrick Lewis. Early flying knee. Tough to take away much from it, he is what he is.
    

32. 32

    

    Waldo Cortes-Acosta

    "Salsa Boy"  |  11-1-0

    Showed pretty good counterpunching vs. Suzart, and KO'd him, but his opponent was not great on DWCS. Definitely want to see more of him, but threw a lot, pretty aggressive. Cardio seemed decent but it was a very short fight.
    
    -Had a nice win vs. Vanderaa. He has nice hand speed, seems to have some power, his jab is great. His leg kick defense was terrible though, I think higher level fighters will really key on that, but as a boxer, he is pretty solid. Haven't seen any ground skills yet.
    
    -This dude is a volume machine, just lit up Chase Sherman with an overwhelming amount of volume. Hasn't been able to get finishes, but he has some power too, and a chin. Didn't see him face the leg kicks as much, but he did face a takedown attempt and held up mostly well, but need to see more. But I think his cardio is really good for this division which is huge.
    
    -Tough loss to De Lima. Just wasn't good at checking leg kicks. His cardio is great and he had a decent 3rd round, but just wasn't ready for the leg kicks.
    
    -Easy win vs. Brezki. He came out clearly looking to throw heavier shots, and he got a KO.
    

33. 33

    

    Shamil Gaziev

    12-1-0

    Nice win vs. Buday. He was very aggressive, came forward, had some power. Maybe got tired as it went on, something to keep an eye on.
    

34. 34

    

    Martin Buday

    "Badys"  |  13-2-0

    Very big guy. They noted that he has to cut weight for HW which isn't always common. He got tagged a few times standing, but has a chin, has good stand up himself, and works hard in the clinch, putting his weights on dude. I've never seen someone get so much out of the clinch, so not sure how sustainable it is, but he is solid.
    
    -Just a big physical fighter. His stand up looked OK, but he really does thrive in getting in close and getting people against the cage. Solid prospect.
    
    -I really thought he was lucky to beat Brzeski. His output wasn't on the same level. Did some damage, but it's almost all big wide head punches. No body work, limited leg kicks. Couldn't keep him up against the cage. When he can't implement that strategy, he is not as good. And I didn't like how easily Brzeski was able to avoid him there. He has good cardio and some power, but I really doubt him after that.
    
    -Got beat up in R1 vs. Collier, but then came back to win. His cardio struggled a bit, and he wasn't impressive, but he is huge and keeps going. Pretty good in the clinch, and a bit of wrestling.
    
    -Way more aggressive vs. Parisian and it really paid off. He is strong as heck. Stand up is sloppy, but he can go in and out, and walk through some damage. Showed a few ground skills too. Not blowing me away, but the size and just enough skills are making him tough to beat.
    
    -Lit up by Shamil Gaziev. Just wasn;t on his level standing. If he can't go forward and use his size, he doesn't look the same.
    

35. 35

    

    Mick Parkin

    9-0-0

    Weird fight in DWCS. He used wrestling and got a submission. He got tagged early standing and didn't look too comfortable there. His opponent seemed to have no gas tank or ground skills so its tough to be super excited about him.
    
    -Nice win vs. Pogues. His power is lackluster, and he doesn't really throw combos. But he does mix up his targets well, has good takedown D, and seemed decent defensively. Need to see more from him, but he has a skillset to win by points vs. more mediocre fighters.
    
    -Unimpressive win vs. Machado. He was serviceable standing but got tired. Used wrestling, but did like no damage with it.
    

36. 36

    

    Darko Stošić

    "The Hammer"  |  20-6-0

    Lighter for heavyweight, has some legit stand up, but has speed and can land. He got dominated on the ground by De Fries, so takedown defense not always as great.
    

37. 37

    

    Hamdy Abdelwahab

    "The Hammer"  |  3-0-0, 1 NC

    Newer fighter. Made his debut vs. Dontale and did pretty well. Looked good standing early, but then got tagged in r2. But went back to the wrestling and won with that. Very good wrestling. Gas tank needs some work, but he has a lot of potential. Was on short notice, and I bet he will get better. But I also don't think he is quite ready for the true mid tier of this division.
    

38. 38

    

    Rodrigo Nascimento

    "Zé Colmeia"  |  11-1-0, 1 NC

    Had a solid win vs. Tanner Boser. Isn't amazing standing, but good enough, and has power. Really showcased wrestling. Didn't do tons with it, but he can get people down and control. He was gassed at the end, but honestly held up well for a pretty high paced face. Hes decent for a HW, but feels like he's in a big tier in this range where anyone can win or lose quite easily.
    
    -More of the same vs. Latifi. Pretty good hand speed, OK takedown defense. Not blowing me away, but he is a decent stand up fighter.
    
    -Beat Mayes. Once again, he is fine but not exceptional.
    

39. 39

    

    Steve Mowry

    "Tall"  |  10-2-1, 1 NC

    Fight with Moldavsky ended in a minute on an eyepoke. He got tagged several times standing before that. Has holes in his game, but has finished fights both standing and with submission before this. Moldavsky might just be too high level.
    

40. 40

    

    Blagoy Ivanov

    "Baga"  |  19-7-0, 1 NC

    -Was in a very close fight with Marcos de Lima. He has an insane chin. Straight punches that can do damage too. But not very explosive, and spends a lot of time in the clinch. He is passable on the ground and with takedown defense. He is OK.
    
    -Lost to Tybura. Looked OK standing. Has one hell of a chin and stays aggressiveness, but his shots are looping. He got taken down pretty easily in R3 so that was a concern.
    
    -Lost vs. Romanov. Showed his mostly strong takedown D, and his stand up isn't terrible for this division, but still pretty unimpressive.
    

41. 41

    

    Jamal Pogues

    "The Stormtrooper"  |  11-4-0

    Apparently has some wrestling, but his DWCS fight mostly had him standing. He almost exclusively threw a jab, but it landed a fait amount. Didn't check leg kicks much, or show much for combos. Has some skill, but definitely not impressed.
    
    -Decent win vs. Parisian. Had a lot of takedowns. Looked OK standing. Broke his hand so maybe thats why he stopped throwing as much. It was a close fight, but he is well rounded at least, seems to have OK cardio and athleticism too.
    
    -Got outclassed by Parkin. He couldn't get the wrestling going, couldn't check leg kicks, and the jab was ineffective. He is pretty average.
    

42. 42

    

    Ilir Latifi

    "The Sledgehammer"  |  16-9-0, 1 NC

    Skilled enough fighter. Has wrestling, good submission D, and some stand up ability. But not super explosive. He is passable.
    
    -Was in a semi close fight with Nascimento. Had his moments standing, did some wrestling. Once again, seems passable but not blowing me away, and getting up there in age.
    

43. 43

    

    Karl Williams

    10-1-0

    DWCS. Pretty impressive performance. He wrestled the hell out of a D1 wrestler, and had a few stand up moments that actually looked pretty good. He usually fights at LHW, so he is a bit light for this division, but honestly didn't look small to me. He came in on short notice too.
    
    -Wrestled the hell out of Lukasz. His cardio seemed to wane, but he did just enough. He didn't look great standing, though he does land with some power. Also didn't do tons of GNP. I think the wrestling is enough to beat low level guys. His weight and strength no longer seem to be an issue at this division, he bulked up.
    
    -Beat Sherman. I think the set up for the takedowns gets too predictable. He really relies on exploding from way out. Most of his takedowns got stopped. But he was able to keep up decent activity start to finish, even though his standing doesn't seem that technical.
    

44. 44

    

    Junior Tafa

    "The Juggernaut"  |  5-2-0

    Lost vs. Usman. Had decent takedown D early but then seemed to wear down, and doesn't seem to have a lot of options off his back for getting up. But the stand up is good from kickboxing, and he can beat guys in those kinds of fights, but he is still newer to mma, only 5 fights.
    
    -Easy win vs. Parker Porter. He lit him up, and did stop 1 desperation takedown. If it stays standing, he is very dangerous.
    

45. 45

    

    Austen Lane

    12-4-0, 1 NC

    Former NFL player. He is an athlete. Stand up looks pretty impressive, nice kicks. Didn't really see him more in the pocket. Got taken down and took a while, but did reverse it and land some GNP. This was a weird fight, definitely need to see him more.
    
    -Only saw him for 30 seconds for tafa, but I liked what I saw early standing. Some great body kicks and activity, stand up looks good. Need to see more.
    
    -Got shelled by Justin Tafa. You can tell he is a true athlete, especially at this division, but didn't have the skills of Tafa standing.
    

46. 46

    

    Parker Porter

    14-9-0

    -Big dude, but surprising Cardio. Pretty skilled stand up guy, stays active, mostly as a boxer. Tough chin andlegs, and always pushes forward. A bit of wrestling ability too. SOlid fighter
    
    Parker lost standing vs. baudot for the most part, though his cardio helped him start to win there late. In the end, he mostly won with some pretty good wrestling, and once again that elite cardio for this division. But he definitely has holes standing vs. better guys there.
    
    -Got dominated by Jailton Almeida. He showed good heart and resisted getting taken out vs an elite guy for a while, but Jailton is just another level.
    
    -Got KO'd by tafa. He exposes himself a little too much standing and got taken out.
    
    -Beat Braxton Smith easy. Lost some weight, looked crisp standing. Looked solid, but Braxton is very green.
    
    -Tough loss vs. the other tafa. Got lit up again standing. He is 38, and this feels like his ceiling.
    

47. 47

    

    Mohammed Usman

    "The Motor"  |  10-3-0

    Kamaru's brother. He is very ripped. Showed some takedown defense, but wasn't really tested there. He has huge power, but lots of wide swings. Actually won with a little jab, so maybe that inspires him to fight smarter. Potential but needs way more polish.
    
    -Beat Junior Tafa in a weird fight. He got smoked standing for the most part, but showed he does have decent wrestling, and was able to keep him down. Given his family, I'm sure he is working with a good team too and can get better.
    
    -Beat Collier. He showed slightly better stand up, and still has the wrestling and the athleticism. But his skillset still isn't wowing me.
    

48. 48

    

    Jake Collier

    "The Prototype"  |  13-10-0

    Former middleweight. He's kind of mobile despite being huge now. Wilf stand up, but effective, has nice movement. Some ground game too, and he finished the fight there. Fun to watch.
    
    -More of the same vs. Arlovski. Technically lost the fight, but most him winning.
    
    -Lost vs. Chris Barnett in a very weird fight. He looked so much better in r1. Tagged him badly, and wrestled him + GNP. But going for the finish seemed to gas him, and he just pretty much fell over and got annihilated. I'd still say he is better than Barnett, but the gas tank isn't great if he goes too crazy. He usually was more controlled in other fights.
    
    -Same formula vs. Buday. He looks great in the first round, then he just seems to wilt every time. No cardio or heart.
    
    -More of the same vs. Usman.
    

49. 49

    

    Caio Machado

    "Bigfoot"  |  8-2-1

    Lost vs. Parkin. He looked OK standing, but he got tired, and his takedown D did not hold up well. Has a little potential.
    

50. 50

    

    Don'Tale Mayes

    "Lord Kong"  |  10-6-0, 1 NC

    Pretty well rounded fighter. Stand up was OK, but his wrestling and then ground control/grappling/GNP were his bigger strengths. Didn't come across elite at anything, but OK at strikes, and good/solid at everything else. Should be able to clean up lower fighters, but I think he still has to grow before taking on top 15 type guys.
    
    -Lost vs. Hamdy. Stand up looked wild, but he had some moments. Looked to be in the best shape he has ever been in. Just couldn't stop Hamdy's takedowns. Got tagged standing a fair bit in the first round, but recovered and did well.
    
    -Tough performance vs. Sakai. He didn't look great anywhere, and he totally gassed out. Felt like a step backwards.
    
    -Beat Arlovski. It wasn't an incredible performance, but he was smart, and showed his power.
    
    -More of the same vs. Nascimento. He seemed to improve his cardio a little at least, but he underwhelmed me overall.
    

51. 51

    

    Gokhan Saricam

    9-2-0

    Technical stand up fighter. Has some decent hand speed, some ground ability. Well rounded but not great at anything.
    
    -Beat Daniel James in a pretty unexciting fight. A lot of clinch work, and a few takedowns sealed it, but he didn't do much damage.
    

52. 52

    

    Daniel James

    "The American Predator"  |  15-7-1, 1 NC

    Got taken down in R1 by Fortune, but eventually reversed it and landed some big stuff. And then landed standing in R2 and finished it. He is 41, but doesn't look bad. Also he is freaking huge, cuts down a lot of weigh to fight.
    
    -Had a mediocre first round or 2 vs. Golm, but then got his hands going and immediately showed how nasty his power is. I worry about the takedown D and cardio, so he isn't amazing, but he is dangerous.
    
    -Got stymied by Saricam. Didn't get dominated, but was taken down a few times and couldn't land his big shot. If he doesn't land the power punch, he is probably in trouble.
    

53. 53

    

    Josh Parisian

    15-8-0

    Seemed subpar at everything. Really got dominated on the ground, and his stand up didn't look special to me.
    
    -Looked much better vs. Baudot. Still not great standing, but he had a good chin, very solid wrestling, and GNP. Beat Baudot with his gas tank and wrestling. Got rocked early but survived.
    
    -vs. Pogues, he showed actual OK stand up, despite not being that athletic. His takedown defense really is poor, though his get up game is actually really good. Weird fighter, probably a tough out for most of the lower tier UFC heavyweights.
    
    -Got outclassed by Buday. Just couldn't handle his physicality, and he got tired fast. Nothing special.
    

54. 54

    

    Fedor Emelianenko

    "The Last Emperor"  |  40-7-0, 1 NC

    45 years old, Bellator. By all accounts, his cardio isn't elite anymore. But the hands and power are still incredible. If it's in the first round, he can probably beat just about anyone. His weight is only in the 230s which I think really helps him stay nimble for his age.
    
    -Just got dominated by Bader, he is retired now, takedown D was gone it felt like.
    

55. 55

    

    Tim Johnson

    17-9-0

    Bellator fighter. Tried to go toe to toe with Fedor and got knocked out brutally. Didn't see much of his other skills, but he has a decent track record. The stand up certainly wasn't bad, but obviously not Fedor polished.
    
    vs. Vassel, he landed standing, got him with some GNP, then somehow got reversed and finished. I wonder if it is a cardio issue. He definitely doesn't look like a man with great cardio.
    
    -Beat Sowma in a very close fight. His stand up was just not connecting. He did land some takedowns but couldn't do tons with them, but that probably gave him the win.
    

56. 56

    

    Davion Franklin

    "All Day"  |  6-2-0

    Scary striking. Looks ferocious when he unloads. Has to be very careful about his cardio, but he has a good corner, and seems to be smart about when to go for it. His combos can be very looping and undisciplined. Still newer to pro mma and young. Has potential.
    
    -Had his fight with Golm won until the very end. Good wrestling, and good enough stand up. But it seems clear that some big slams and wrestling REALLY gassed him out. He got finished with 30 seconds left. Still has solid potential, but the gas tank is his key to moving up.
    

57. 57

    

    Vitaly Minakov

    22-2-0

    Russian fighter. Great wrestler, but didn't use it as much as he could have. Has good power and stand up, but he faded more and more each round. Kind of guy that needs to win in the first 2 rounds.
    

58. 58

    

    Rizvan Kuniev

    12-2-1, 1 NC

    Decently well rounded heavyweight. Pretty good strikes. Pretty good wrestling, some good ground and pound, and had solid cardio. Just a well rounded good but not great fighter.
    

59. 59

    

    Carlos Felipe

    "Boi"  |  12-4-0

    -Active stand up fighter, mostly boxing/brawler. Entertaining fights but needs to round out his game more.
    

60. 60

    

    Marcelo Golm

    10-5-0

    Seemed competent. Got taken down a lot. Stand up was OK, but he does have excellent cardio and was able to finish Franklin at the end with a choke. Decent enough ground defense. I was not real impressed though, and thought he got a bit lucky.
    
    -Competent performance early vs. James. Used some wrestling well. But maybe wore down and just got lit up in R3.
    

61. 61

    

    Andrei Arlovski

    "The Pitbull"  |  34-23-0, 2 NC

    -Well rounded striker. Not going to overpower you but can outpoint anyone who isn't elite.
    
    -Same story. He is a very solid technical stand up fighter. Minimal power, he has to win via points.. But he is good as a low level gatekeeper. Seems to have decent enough takedown defense too. Cardio seemed solid enough.
    
    -More of the same vs. Collier. He won but I had Collier. Decent gatekeeper.
    
    -I think guys might start to realize if they just run through him, and take a few punches, they can really do some damage. He got steamrolled by de lima. De Lima just walked through him. His lack of power and his age increasing make me think hes about to start going down hill a bit. Takedown defense and grappling don't seem amazing at this point either. Still has skills, but I see big flaws.
    
    -Got taken out by Mayes. The lack of power hurts him a lot. Still technical and decent hand speed, but hes about due to retire.
    

62. 62

    

    Said Sowma

    8-5-0

    Mostly a stand up fighter. Not super explosive, but excellent cardio, especially for this division, which keeps him going in rounds 2 and 3, pretty technical. Takedown defense didn't blow me away. Bellator.
    
    -Pretty much all the same vs. Davion Franklin.
    
    -More of the same vs. Saricam. Next to no power hurts him this division. But he is well roudned and solid.
    
    -More of the same vs. Johnson. He is who he is at this point.
    

63. 63

    

    Alan Baudot

    "The Black Samourai"  |  8-4-0, 1 NC

    Looked pretty dang good standing. But wore down as the fight went on, and got taken down a few too many times, which led to his loss vs. Porter. Definitely has standing talent though.
    
    -Looked good early vs. Josh Parisian standing. Seemed to wear down and eventually he seemed to totally gas out. Got taken down again so his takedown defense seems to be a serious weakness.
    

64. 64

    

    Chase Sherman

    "The Vanilla Gorilla"  |  16-12-0

    -Decent enough stand up fighter. Good at leg kicks. But also seemed weak mentally, was just asking if he won rounds to his coaches inbetween rounds. Cardio wasn't on Parker Porter's level at least.
    
    -Got smoked fast by Collier. Just haven't seen tons from him yet. Hes not god awful, but clearly not great.
    
    -Got annihilated on short notice by Romanov.
    
    Beat Jared Vanderaa in a very close fight. It was neck and neck until he KO'd him at the end. It was a sloppy fight, but he did show a chin and some power. Hes in pretty good shape for a HW at least and has OK stand up.
    
    -More of the same vs. Waldo. He is serviceable for this division but thats about it. Tried some wrestling and it didn't work, first time I think Ive seen him even try that.
    
    -Did a great job with his takedown D vs. Karl Williams, but wasn't able to keep up enough activity and lost to a guy who isn't really a stand up fighter.
    

65. 65

    

    Ji Won Kang

    "Mighty Warrior"  |  7-2-0

    Newer MMA fighter in ONE. Had tons of 1st round KOs, but couldn't deal with buchecha's ground game. He has power, but didn't look that good standing either.
    
    -Showed his insane stand up power vs. Paul Elliot.
    

66. 66

    

    Łukasz Brzeski

    "The Bull"  |  9-4-1, 1 NC

    Kind of a lighter HW. Lots of output. Cardio is just OK. Didn't seem like he had big time HW power. Some wrestling, but he fought an even lighter looking opponent, which I think helped him. He is OK but just didn't wow me.
    
    -Had a nice loss to Martin Buday, but I had him winning. All the same mostly applied, but I thought he got robbed by the judges. Tons of volume. Also held up well against a heavier opponent. Didn't let the weight get used against him. I do think his size will hurt him though in a lot of fights.
    
    -More of the ssme vs. karl Williams. His cardio just didn't hold up, and his takedown D did not look good at all.
    
    -Got taken out by Waldo. He threw some leg kicks but that was about it. Just hasn't impressed me at all.
    

67. 67

    

    Amir Aliakbari

    14-3-0

    Showed his excellent wrestling in ONE. Has some OK stand up too. I question his opponent though. Also, he clearly looked very gassed after r1, and I think a lot of the UFC heavyweights would expose him there. But he definitely has skills.
    

68. 68

    

    Chris Barnett

    "Beastboy"  |  23-8-0

    -Really overweight. Only 5'9. Has some impressive kicks, but i saw nothing else from him.
    
    -He has OK stand up. Tae Kwon Do background, but really couldn't do much vs. Buday. He is so short for the division it can really hurt him. He held up better vs. Buday than I expected though.
    
    -Won a crazy fight vs. Jake Collier. I still have a hard time respecting him completely. He got annihilated in r1. But he seems to have good cardio and definitely has heart. But he mostly won because Collier gassed out.
    

69. 69

    

    Shamil Abdurakhimov

    "Abrek"  |  20-8-0

    -40 year old. Lots of experience. Pretty technical boxer, but kind of slow, and might be running out of steam in his career.
    
    -His speed didn't look terrible vs. Pavlovich, but he just isn't landing enough or with enough power. Age has probably caught up to him. Looks competent standng overall, but he can get KO'd.
    
    -Actually landed a nice shot early vs. Jailton. And he fought his ass off, but just couldn't stop him. He is 41, still has a little to give in a bad division but thats abou tit.
    

70. 70

    

    Aleksei Oleinik

    "The Boa Constrictor"  |  61-18-1

    Submission expert. Very weird stand up style. It's all wide, clubbing blows. He is pretty old, but a lot of guys in this division don't spend a lot of time on the ground, so they aren't always accustomed to it. He can beat lower level guys, but he didn't wow me.
    
    -Tough performance vs. Latifi. He is a 1 trick pony with submissions, no real stand up game. So if they can avoid his strengths, most UFC fighters should be able to win.
    

71. 71

    

    Kirill Grishenko

    5-2-0

    Got pretty much annihilated in his ONE interim title shot. Didn't throw much, and had an unimpressive performance. Considering the level he is at, I have to assume he has more than that.
    
    -Lost fast to Buchecha. Taken down pretty easily, and submitted, but Buchecha might be that good.
    

72. 72

    

    Ben Rothwell

    "Big"  |  37-14-0

    40 years old. Has a decent track record, but got overwhelmed fast by de Lima. Might be on the way out, but this division still has some pretty lackluster fighters, so I think he can still probably beat some of the lower tier guys.
    

73. 73

    

    Greg Hardy

    "The Prince of War"  |  7-5-0, 1 NC

    -Lost in R1. Couldn't deal with Tai's power. He only has 3 years of fighting experience, not someone I take seriously against good opponents.
    
    -Got taken down and grappled badly by Spivac. A lot of heavyweights stay standing, and I don't think he has the skillset to deal with great wrestling and grappling.
    

74. 74

    

    Richard Jacobi

    7-2-1

    Lost in DWCS. Didn't show tons standing. Got a takedown, but eventually got reversed and taken out. He didn't look absolutely awful, but definitely didn't impress.
    

75. 75

    

    Martin Batur

    8-3-0, 1 NC

    Tough to get a good feel for him in his ONE debut. He got LIT UP standing, and somehow survived, then his opponent just gassed out and that was it, he was able to get on top and fight with minimal resistance. Might have some skills but he really got killed standing.
    

76. 76

    

    Ricardo Prasel

    "Alemão"  |  13-4-0

    Pure BJJ guy. Doesn't look good standing, and only won because his opponent, Kita, totally gassed. He looked pretty tired early himself.
    

77. 77

    

    Michał Kita

    "Masakra"  |  22-15-1

    KSW fighter. 41. In great shape. Has stand up chops, but also wrestling and ground and pound. Seemed well rounded, but also, he is 41.
    
    More of the same vs. Prasel, but for some reason, he completely gassed after like 4 minutes. Was moving as slow as I've ever seen someone move in MMA. If he doesn't win early, he might be in trouble. He did look good once again early.
    

78. 78

    

    Edivan Santos

    "Pé de Sapo"  |  16-5-0, 1 NC

    He weighed in 30 pounds below the limit. OK striking early but wore down quick, and his wrestling wasn't good enough to prevent take downs. The weight probably hurts him there.
    

79. 79

    

    Shelton Graves

    "The Gravedigger"  |  11-6-0

    Weird performance in PFL vs. Ante. He seemed pretty sound defensively, but I didn't see many weapons for actually winning fights vs. decent foes. Striking is awkward, and he didn't do any real grappling besides leaning on someone against the cage.
    

80. 80

    

    Mauro Cerilli

    "The Hammer"  |  15-5-0

    Got beat pretty badly by Amir Aliakbari. Got taken down. Seemed to have OK cardio, but his ground skills aren't great. Stand up might have been OK but I didn't get to see it tons.
    

81. 81

    

    Braxton Smith

    "The Beautiful Monster"  |  5-2-0

    Athletic dude. Huge. Good takedown D early, but he threw giant bombs and got exhausted. Has the tools but probably needs a better team and a bit more experience.
    

82. 82

    

    Eduardo Neves

    "Bebezao"  |  7-3-0

    Lost in DWCS. He looks really smooth and crisp standing, landed some nice shots, but his takedown D is subpar, his grappling was meh, and his gas tank looked terrible. I dont think he is cut out for this level as he is.
    

83. 83

    

    Paul Elliott

    "King of the North"  |  4-2-0, 1 NC

    Ripped dude. But also kind of light for HW. Has kickboxing skill, but got lit up by Ji Won. Power but obviously has holes.
    
    Looked way better standing vs. Martin Batur. He lit him up early, but he went for it so hard, he gassed out after about 90 seconds and then it was over. He is VERY muscular so I can see how it happens. He is scary in those first few minutes, but as of right now, thats all you seem to have to survive, all his wins were in the first minute.
    

84. 84

    

    Lorenzo Hood

    "The Dream Killer"  |  12-5-0, 3 NC

    Big, aggressive stand up guy. Absolutely goes for it, but if he doesn't get the KO, he left me thinking he doesn't have a lot to go the distance. DWCS.
    

85. 85

    

    Gilberto Galvão

    "Giba"  |  30-8-1

    Probably more of a 205er. Dude is ripped, but not technical and all and gassed out fast.
    

86. 86

    

    Jimmy Lawson

    "Greedy"  |  4-2-0

    Had a really bad performance on DWCS. He is a D1 wrestler, but got taken down and couldn't do anything about it. Lost stand up exchanges, and he gassed out bad. The D1 wrestling makes me think he still has a chance to get better, but he lost to a way lighter guy who was on short notice, it was a very bad performance.
    

87. 87

    

    Maurice Greene

    "The Crochet Boss"  |  11-9-0

    Pretty weak performance vs. Goltsov. Didn't really go for it standing, and got taken down over and over again and couldn't do much about it. Gassed too. Very meh.
    

88. 88

    

    Danilo Suzart

    "Dan"  |  11-2-0

    DWCS. Didn't look great. Looked like a wild brawler, and got hit a lot. Ground skills looked weak too.
    

89. 89

    

    Cody Goodale

    "The Moose"  |  8-6-0

    Got taken down vs. Goltsoc and got wrecked from there. Didn't get to see a lot of him, but he didn't look amazing.
    

90. 90

    

    Stuart Austin

    "He-Man"  |  18-8-0

    Got dominated on the ground by Bruno in PFL. Didn't show much of anything and had terrible ground D.
    

91. 91

    

    Dylan Potter

    "Big Poppa"  |  10-7-0, 1 NC

    Probably should fight at LHW. Seemed very light for this division, and just couldn't do anything in particular to his opponent in DWCS.
    

92. 92

    

    Marek Samociuk

    5-4-0

    KSW fighter. Newer to the game, only 3-2. Young, had some OK stand up, but got annihilated fast from wrestling and GNP.