Dos Santos vs. Mir Results: Who Are the Top Heavyweight Contenders?

In the aftermath of UFC 146 both fans and fighters are anxious to see how the division plays out.

A number of contenders were in action Saturday night with the division being firmly sorted out by its' winners and losers. Frank Mir was unsuccessful in his attempt to take Junior dos Santos' belt and now JDS will wait to see who the UFC gives him next.

The Heavyweight Champ has looked dominant thus far into his career, but don't expect the list of challengers to get any shorter as everyone will be looking to solve the dos Santos' riddle. Every heavyweight wants a shot at the title but the guys on this list are likely to get their chance very soon.

Travis Browne

Although young and fairly untested at this point in his career, you cannot deny the skills of Travis Browne. He has thunderous strikes and body frame that can give opponents fits.

Browne has yet to taste defeat and continues to improve and impress in his Octagon appearances. The latest instance was Browne nailing a flying knee and then using an arm-triangle choke to tapout Chad Griggs.

Very few heavyweights can move the way Browne does and at 6'7" he has the length to fight from a distance as well.

Browne isn't ready for a title shot just yet but he definitely deserves to face a top-level heavyweight in an effort to validate his place "in the mix."

Mark Hunt

Who would've thought anyone would be putting Mark Hunt into title contention inside the UFC? But that's where Hunt sits after winning three-straight inside the Octagon.

Originally slated to face Stefan Struve at UFC 146, Hunt was forced out of his bout due to an injury and will now sit on the sidelines until healthy.

Hunt's wins don't mean much in terms of rankings as Ben Rothwell, Cheick Kongo, and Chris Tuchscherer aren't considered top contenders. Regardless of that it's clear Hunt has the fans as his trump card as the #RallyforMarkHunt movement was very vocal in attempting to have Hunt take Alistair Overeem's place in the main event of UFC 146.

The former K-1 standout will need to come back against a top 10 opponent in order to stay relevant and not get passed up by more active fighters.

Fabricio Werdum

Fabricio Werdum announced his return to the Octagon in grand style at UFC 143. Most fans were expecting a game of chess as he faced off against fellow BJJ black belt Roy Nelson but instead Werdum used the opportunity to showcase his Muay Thai skills.

Werdum had already surprised many fans in his bout with Alistair Overeem prior to the Nelson fight as Werdum seemed to be winning a lot of the striking exchanges between he and Overeem.

If the Brazilian can continue to have that kind of striking ability to compliment his ground game he could be a handful for anyone in the division, including Junior dos Santos.

Alistair Overeem

The former Strikeforce champion is currently serving a suspension for elevated testosterone levels but make no mistake about it, Alistair Overeem is one of the top contenders to Junior dos Santos' throne.

Overeem has the striking credentials to hang with dos Santos and also an underrated grappling game that could be the X factor should these two ever meet.

Overeem's suspension is slated to end near the end of the year. If dos Santos can keep his title it may finally set up the showdown fans were expecting when the UFC 146 main event was originally scheduled to feature dos Santos and Overeem.

Cain Velasquez

Cain Velasquez lost his UFC title to Junior dos Santos to close out 2011 so he's very familiar with the Brazilian's style.

Their first encounter is filled with excuses from fans of both sides. Velasquez was very tentative and clearly wasn't himself after coming back from an extended layoff. Dos Santos was fighting with a badly injured knee.

Either way, dos Santos stole the title from Velasquez with a single punch which will likely help the AKA product in negotiating for a rematch. I don't think anyone can say we truly watched a fight between Velasquez and dos Santos.

And if Velasquez needs any more leverage he should look no further than his absolute mauling of Antonio "Big Foot" Silva at UFC 146. The way Velasquez just came out and went through the tough Brazilian was downright scary.