B/R Official Rankings for October: The Top 10 Heavyweights in MMA

As the Halloween season quickly approaches, it's time for MMA's monsters of the cage to come out and play.

To kick off October, rising prospect Travis Browne will look to keep his undefeated streak going against the aptly-named Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva as the main event for UFC on FX 5.  This war of giants may determine the next heavyweight star in an increasingly competitive division.

With a ton of other big-name fights also on the horizon, let's take a look at how the heavyweights stack up in this month's top 10 rankings.

Contributors

These rankings are the combined efforts of some of Bleacher Report MMA's best writers as we continue to try and provide you with the best content on the web. For the latest MMA news and freshest MMA opinions, follow them on Twitter:

Matt Juul @MattJuulMMA

Sean Smith @SeanSmithMMA

Tim McTiernan @TimMcTiernan

Vince Carey @vcareymma

Scott Harris @ScottHarrisMMA

Joe Chacon @JoeChacon

Hunter Homistek @HunterAHomistek

Riley Kontek @RileyKontek

Andrew Saunders @Saundersmma

10. Mark Hunt

Promotion: UFC

Record: 8-7

Most Recent Fight: Win over Cheick Kongo at UFC 144

Next Fight: TBD

Previous Ranking: 8

The 38-year-old "Super Samoan" has resurrected his career since coming over to the UFC, currently riding a three-fight win streak after going over four years without having his hand raised.

Injuries have prevented Mark Hunt from continuing his renaissance in recent months, but when he does make his return, expect the stand-up ace to have the full support of fans, especially after he offered up his services to take on Junior dos Santos this past May.

9. Travis Browne

Promotion: UFC

Record: 13-0-1

Most Recent Fight: win over Chad Griggs at UFC 145

Next Fight: Antonio Silva at UFC on FX 5

Previous Ranking: 10

Undefeated heavyweight prospect Travis Browne has proven himself as an emerging threat in the division and can take his stock to the next level with a win over "Bigfoot" on FX.

Browne recently took home Submission of the Night honors, catching Chad Griggs with an arm-triangle choke in the first round at UFC 145.

If he can keep his streak going, there's no telling how high this Greg Jackson product can go. 

8. Josh Barnett

Promotion: Strikeforce

Record: 31-6

Most Recent Fight: Loss to Daniel Cormier at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier

Next Fight: TBD

Previous Ranking: 7

"The Warmaster" is in a state of limbo at the moment with one fight left on his Strikeforce contract before the promotion folds its heavyweight division.

The longtime MMA star is still without an opponent for this final fight, but with such an impressive showing in his last outing against Daniel Cormier, expect Barnett to find his way back to the UFC some time soon.

7. Minotauro Nogueira

Promotion: UFC

Record: 33-7-1, 1 NC

Most Recent Fight: Loss to Frank Mir at UFC 140

Next Fight: Dave Herman at UFC 153

Previous Ranking: 6

Minotauro Nogeuira had a rough outing in his last bout, brutally having his arm broken via Frank Mir's kimura at UFC 140.

Having nursed his injury for almost a year now, the legendary heavyweight will finally make his way back to the Octagon later this month when he takes on Dave Herman at UFC 153.

Look for the Brazilian to bounce back in a big way when he takes on Herman in front of his hometown crowd.

6. Shane Carwin

Promotion: UFC

Record: 12-2

Most Recent Fight: Loss to Junior dos Santos at UFC 131

Next Fight: Roy Nelson at The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale

Previous Ranking: N/A

The current Ultimate Fighter coach experienced another setback late last month as the injury bug hit Shane Carwin once again.

The former interim champ suffered a minor injury in his knee, but is still expected to take on fellow TUF coach Roy Nelson at the show's finale in December.

Hopefully, the injury won't get any worse as the heavy-handed heavyweight hasn't seen the inside of the Octagon since June of 2011.

5. Frank Mir

Promotion: UFC

Record: 16-6

Most Recent Fight: Loss to Junior dos Santos at UFC 146

Next Fight: TBD

Previous Ranking: 5

The former UFC champ was expected to take on Strikeforce champ Daniel Cormier in November, but as with many of the cards in recent months, Mir was forced out of the bout due to an injury.

Like Carwin, Mir suffered a knee injury, which effectively nixed the cross-promotional fight.

No timetable has been established yet for his return, but with officials actively looking for another opponent for Cormier, expect Mir to make his next appearance solely under the UFC banner.

4. Fabricio Werdum

Promotion: UFC

Record: 16-5-1

Most Recent Fight: Win over Mike Russow at UFC 147

Next Fight: TBD

Previous Ranking: 3

Brazilian bomber Fabricio Werdum has staked a claim as a top five heavyweight, winning back-to-back fights since returning to the UFC.

Most widely recognized as the man who ended Fedor Emelianenko's long running winning streak, Werdum most recently defeated Mike Russow at UFC 147, finishing his foe in the first round via technical knockout.

No news yet on who he will face next, but another big win could earn Werdum a title shot in the near future.

3. Daniel Cormier

Promotion: Strikeforce

Record: 10-0

Most Recent Fight: Win over Josh Barnett at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier

Next Fight: TBD on Nov.3 for Strikeforce

Previous Ranking: 4

The reigning Strikeforce grand prix champ knows he's fighting in November— he just doesn't have an opponent yet.

Cormier was originally slated to take on Frank Mir, but the injury bug that has afflicted so many cards this past year has also forced the former UFC champ out of this cross-promotional fight.

Recently, Cormier has expressed interest in taking on the eccentric Pat Barry, which would make for a very entertaining bout considering their contrasting styles.

2. Cain Velasquez

Promotion: UFC

Record: 10-1

Most Recent Fight: Win over Antonio Silva at UFC 146

Next Fight: Junior dos Santos at UFC 155

Previous Ranking: 2

Cain Velasquez will look to take his belt back later this year, as the former UFC champ is set to face current title holder Junior dos Santos at UFC 155.

This epic rematch will hopefully last longer than their last meeting, with dos Santos viciously ripping away the title from Velasquez with a first-round knockout at UFC on FOX 1.

Velasquez bounced back from the loss with a brutal win over Antonio Silva at UFC 146 and will try to keep the momentum going as his date with dos Santos quickly approaches.

1. Junior dos Santos

Promotion: UFC

Record: 15-1

Most Recent Fight: Win over Frank Mir at UFC 146

Next Fight: Cain Velasquez at UFC 155

Previous Ranking: 1

The reigning heavyweight king has yet to taste defeat inside the Octagon and will look to keep that streak going against Velasquez later this year.

Dos Santos most recently defeated former champ Frank Mir at UFC 146, finishing the former title holder with relative ease in the second round.

Expect the champ to look for another quick finish when he rematches Velasquez in December.

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