UFC 143 Results: Ranking the Top 10 Heavyweights in the UFC

On Saturday night, Fabricio Werdum made his return to the Octagon, and he made it memorable.

For 15 minutes, he beat down Roy Nelson, hitting him with some of the biggest knees seen in recent memory.

Werdum now moves to 4-1 in his past five fights, while Nelson drops to 1-3 in his last four.

Let's find out where each of them stands in the heavyweight division after UFC 143.

No. 10: Travis Browne

Travis Browne may not have been impressive in his last fight, but he is still one of the top heavyweights in the world today.

Browne is 12-0-1 in his career with 10 finishes, nine of which came by (T)KO.

Browne will fight Chad Griggs at UFC 145 next.

No. 9: Roy Nelson

It may be time for Roy Nelson to make some serious changes.

On Saturday night, Nelson lost all three rounds to Fabricio Werdum, and with that, he is now 1-3 in his last four fights, the lone win being a third-round TKO over the now-retired Mirko Cro Cop.

Nelson came in at his lowest weight ever for this fight, so he is getting in better shape. Maybe Nelson should take some time off and see if he can't get down to light heavyweight.

No. 8: Fabricio Werdum

Fabricio Werdum made his return to the Octagon in triumphant fashion as he beat the season 10 winner of The Ultimate Fighter, Roy Nelson, by unanimous decision.

Werdum is now 4-1 in his past five fights, with the only loss coming at the hands of current No. 1 contender, Alistair Overeem.

Werdum also holds a notable win over Fedor Emelianenko. Maybe you saw it.

No. 7: Cheick Kongo

Cheick Kongo is someone who could be considered a gatekeeper in the UFC. He has defeated the likes of Paul Buentello and Pat Barry, but he's lost against the upper echelon, such as Cain Velasquez and Frank Mir.

Kongo also fought Travis Browne, and that fight ended in a draw.

At UFC 137, Kongo stopped the Matt Mitrione hype train and earned a unanimous decision victory over "Meathead."

Kongo may be a gatekeeper, but that doesn't mean he isn't a handful for anyone to deal with.

No. 6: Minotauro Nogueira

At UFC 140, Minotauro Nogueira almost avenged his loss to Frank Mir.

But then, Mir locked in a kimura, and he proceeded to break the arm of Nogueira.

Nogueira has now gone 2-3 in his last five, alternating wins and losses.

He may not be much more than a gatekeeper now, and with that broken arm, he is sure to be out for quite some time.

No. 5: Shane Carwin

Shane Carwin is the former UFC interim heavyweight champion, and he's a force to be reckoned with.

Unfortunately, he was manhandled by Junior dos Santos in his last fight. JDS earned a 15-minute beatdown of Carwin and the unanimous decision victory.

Carwin is currently out dealing with injuries, and his return is yet to be announced.

No. 4: Frank Mir

Frank Mir is back, and he is kicking ass and taking names.

Mir looked to be in prime form at UFC 140, as he defeated Minotauro Nogueira by submission, therefore becoming the first man to ever knock him out and the only man to ever submit him.

Mir will be gunning for a title fight in 2012, and with one more win, he'll be on a four-fight win streak and definitely deserving of a title fight.

No. 3: Cain Velasquez

Unfortunately for Cain Velasquez, he was knocked out in vicious fashion by Junior dos Santos, and he lost his heavyweight belt.

Cain has wins over fellow top 10 heavyweights Minotauro Nogueira and Cheick Kongo, so he will stay firmly cemented in the No. 3 spot in the division.

Cain's next fight is yet to be announced.

No. 2: Alistair Overeem

On Friday night, Alistair Overeem staked his claim as a top heavyweight in the world and earned his shot at the UFC heavyweight title.

Overeem defeated Brock Lesnar via first-round TKO and became the No. 2 heavyweight in the world in doing so.

Overeem now hopes to fight dos Santos at some time in 2012. This fight is sure to be an all-out war between two guys who prefer the striking game.

JDS is said to have some of the best boxing in the heavyweight division.

Overeem is the world K-1 heavyweight kickboxing champion.

There's only one way to find out who comes out on top.

No. 1: Junior Dos Santos

At UFC on Fox 1, JDS knocked out Cain and became the heavyweight champion of the world.

This was the first clear No. 1 versus No. 2 heavyweight matchup in a long time, and dos Santos treated Velasquez the same way he treated all his other opponents.

JDS is now the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, but he's got Overeem looking for a crack at the title.

Tim McTiernan is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. For the latest news on everything MMA, follow me on twitter @TimMcTiernan.