The 10 Best Moments in MMA Heavyweight History

With UFC 146 waiting in the wings following the UFC's extended break, fans should be anticipating some great moments. The all-heavyweight card promises to deliver some exciting moments in the heavyweight division.

It's no secret that combat sports fans love the heavyweights. Going back to the old professional wrestling days and glory days of heavyweight boxing, fans love the idea of watching two guys who literally seem to be larger than life.

Heavyweight fights also tend to be extremely exciting as anytime two guys that weigh that much throw punches, odds are someone's going down. Even if a fight doesn't end in a knockout, some heavyweights throughout the years have created moments that were just as memorable with their submission victories as well.

For years fans argued over who had the top heavyweights—Pride or UFC. Regardless of your stance on who had the top talent, there's no denying that the two organizations featured some of the best moments in MMA heavyweight history.

Kevin Randleman vs. Mirko 'Cro Cop' I

Kevin Randleman's heavyweight career didn't offer anything of note in Pride, other than this one moment that will live on in MMA infamy.

Randleman entered the 16-man Pride Grand Prix and faced off against one of the best heavyweights of all time, Mirko "Cro Cop." The Croatian was heavily favored to defeat Randleman, as the American had lost two straight bouts.

Instead of a "Cro Cop" highlight reel finish, we were privileged to one of the biggest upsets in MMA history. Did it lead to much in either man's career? Not really—but it was still a great moment in heavyweight MMA history.

Pedro Rizzo vs. Randy Couture

In the early days of the UFC's heavyweight division, wrestlers reigned supreme. Then came Pedro Rizzo and his vicious leg-kick-heavy brand of striking.

Using his standup training from Marco Ruas, the Brazilian heavyweight defeated the likes of Mark Coleman, Dan Severn, and Josh Barnett on his way to a UFC Heavyweight title match against Randy Couture in 2001.

In their epic encounter, Rizzo and Couture engaged in a back and forth match that became "Fight of the Year" for a lot of people in 2001.

Don Frye vs. Yoshihiro Takayama

Widely considered one of the most exciting bouts in Pride history, Don Frye and Yoshihiro Takayama engaged in an explosive brawl at Pride 21.

Although I can enjoy a strategic battle as much as the next guy, there's something inherently fun about watching two guys meeting in the center of the ring and going at it punch for punch.

This was the case with Frye-Takayama, as they repeatedly engaged in a single-collar clinch and simply swung as hard and as fast as they could for nearly a minute at a time.

Not the most impactful match in heavyweight history, but definitely one of the most fun to watch.

Tim Sylvia vs. Andrei Arlovski II

The first bout between Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski provided fans with one of the most exciting finishes in UFC history at the time. Arlovski used his boxing skills to drop Sylvia and then slapped on a leg lock to secure the submission victory.

Their rematch played out in almost the exact same fashion, as Arlovski rocked Sylvia again. This time, however, Sylvia would throw a desperation punch and would catch the champion right on the button.

Arlovski would never again obtain a title and hasn't seemed like the same aggressive fighter since his trilogy of bouts with Sylvia. The same could arguably be said of Sylvia, as he did defend the title another time, but would never achieve the esteemed status he once enjoyed.

Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos

The actual fight may not have lasted that long, considering the build up, but it's hard to argue the bout between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos is one of the most important heavyweight moments in MMA history.

Besides the fact it was between the top two heavyweights in the world, it was also the UFC's first bout in their new UFC on Fox. Most people complained that the bout only lasted 64 seconds, but honestly, after nearly 40 minutes of hype I don't think many people could've handled a five-round decision.

Another important aspect of the fight was the finish itself. Most mainstream sports fans are used to the sweet science of boxing and witnessing decision victories. But that's not why people watch MMA.

They love a finish, and Velasquez-dos Santos provided everyone with what they wanted to see—an exciting fight and an exciting finish.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Tim Sylvia

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira accomplished nearly everything he could while competing in Pride, including being the first Pride Heavyweight Champion. With his Pride credentials, Nogueira would've went down as one of the best heavyweights regardless, but a UFC title would cement his place among the heavyweight elite.

Nogueira would have this opportunity as he faced off against Tim Sylvia at UFC 81. In typical fashion, he looked sluggish and slow for the opening minutes of the bout. Eventually he would seize the opportunity to use his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt skills to secure a guillotine choke in the third round.

A UFC title was just icing on the cake for Nogueira's storied career. Nogueira was one of the best heavyweights of all time, and securing a UFC title confirmed this for many fans that missed out on the Brazilian's Pride career.

Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir II

Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir II was the perfect fight to main event the historic UFC 100 event. Not only was it a historic clash of heavyweights, but the pre-fight trash talk reached new levels in the weeks leading up to the event.

The fight itself would largely be one sided, but it cemented Lesnar's place as the heavyweight king of the world.  Lesnar's star power would also grow by leaps and bounds with his post-fight rant that saw him get in the face of a beaten Mir and show  that he still had WWE-level mic skills.

Most people love to discredit Lesnar's MMA career, but regardless of whether you liked him or not, the man saved the heavyweight division in the UFC at the time.

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira I

I know Fedor Emelianenko secured his place atop the heavyweight rankings by defeating Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in their rubber match, but their first meeting opened a lot of MMA fans' eyes.

Nogueira had amassed a 19-1 record and had just avenged an earlier defeat at the hands of Dan Henderson. Not only had Nogueira reigned supreme over the Pride heavyweight rankings, he had done it by submitting four of his last five opponents.

Emelianenko, meanwhile, was coming off a TKO victory over Heath Herring and a decision victory over heralded kickboxer Semmy Schilt. It was only Emelianenko's third bout in the Pride organization.

In a shocking turn of events, Emelianenko battered Nogueira on the ground by using some powerful punches. What made the offense of Emelianenko even more shocking was that he was doing the majority of it from Nogueira's guard.

Nobody to that point or since has been able to fend off the dangerous BJJ game of Nogueira like Emelianenko did, and thus the "legend of Fedor" began to form.

Tim Sylvia vs. Randy Couture

The right hand heard around the world.

Mike Goldberg didn't even have enough time to drop his sponsorship line before Randy Couture dropped the 6'8" Tim Sylvia in their bout. Most people figured Couture would dominate the grappling aspect of the fight, but almost nobody assumed Couture could best the much taller Sylvia on the feet.

Not only did Couture beat Sylvia on the feet, he also battered him on the ground. You could see the frustration on Sylvia's face as the minutes ticked by with the smaller, older Couture on top.

This bout remains one of the best moments in MMA history, let alone just heavyweight history. Although Sylvia was a dominant champion, he was on top while the division was "boring" for UFC fans. Couture came out of retirement to save the division for many fans.

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Mirko "Cro Cop"

This would be the equivalent of Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali meeting in a ring, in their primes. Fedor Emelianenko and Mirko "Cro Cop" were the unquestionable No. 1 and No. 2 heavyweight fighters of their day.

When they met at Pride Final Conflict in 2005, the MMA world stopped to watch. "Cro Cop" would unleash some of his vaunted leg kicks, but was stifled by Emelianenko's power shots and takedowns.

After three rounds, Emelianenko would emerge victorious and continue his reign of supremacy over the Pride heavyweights.