UFC's Hypothetical Heavyweight Tournament: The Best Matchups and Who Would Win

While Strikeforce is preparing for their anticipated heavyweight tournament, many fans have been wondering what a UFC heavyweight tournament would look like. Would it be able to match up against the Strikeforce heavyweight roster, which features fighters like Fedor Emelianenko and Alistair Overeem?

Here is the breakdown.

The winner of Cain Velasquez vs. Roy Nelson takes on the winner of Brendan Schaub vs. Frank Mir.

The winner of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Brock Lesnar takes on the winner of Shane Carwn vs. Junior Dos Santos.

Reserve bouts include Matt Mitrione vs. Stefan Struve and Pat Barry vs. Jon Madsen. It would be kind of like a mini-tournament by having both of the winners fight each other.

The eight fighters who make it into the tournament would be the best the UFC has to offer in terms of skill and success in the Octagon.

Some matchups that would not be made include Brendan Schaub vs. Shane Carwin or Antonio Nogueira vs. Junior Dos Santos. They are interesting fights, but they are training partners and would probably not fight each other.

Quarter Finals Match No. 1—Cain Velasquez vs. Roy Nelson

First off, Velasquez's belt would not be on the line for any of these fights unless he makes it to the finals. If he doesn't make it to the finals, he will take on the winner after the tournament is over.

Nelson would probably be the toughest opponent Velasquez would have to face for an opening bout.

Nelson brings an unusual skill-set to the Octagon and is massively underrated because of his appearance, which includes a mammoth beer belly and a mullet. He calls it "marketing." I call it McDonalds. He will have an advantage over most of his opponents because they won't take him as serious as they should. Too bad Velasquez isn't one of them.

I expect this fight to be like the Velasquez-Rothwell fight. Continuous pressure and assault by Velasquez will leave no choice for the referee but to call a halt to the bout late in the third round. Nelson is tough enough to take Velasquez's punches, but he would just be to overwhelmed.

Quarter Finals Match No. 2—Brendan Schaub vs. Frank Mir

Brendan Schaub is the least experienced fighter in this tournament, and it would show in this fight with Frank Mir.

Expect Schaub to come out early and try to take Mir out as quick as possible. He would probably have some success with the attack, but Mir is tough enough to get through it.

Most of their wins have come in the first round, and I don't expect this one to go any further than the second, which is where I see Mir pulling off the submission victory.

Quarter Finals Match No. 3—Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Brock Lesnar

This would be the most anticipated quarter-finals match. A lot of people wanted to see this fight before Nogueira lost to Velasquez. Since both were knocked out by Velasquez, it could finally happen.

Lesnar's biggest weakness is his standup, and while Nogueira doesn't present the dangerous types of strikes Junior Dos Santos or Cain Velasquez does, he does have decent boxing that would give him the advantage on the feet.

Nogueira could possibly win this fight in the third round, but I don't see this fight lasting very long. A quick takedown by Lesnar would be followed by a relentless ground and pound. He would be risking getting caught in a submission, but Nogueira would fare better late in the fight when Lesnar is tired.

Nogueira's chin isn't what it use to be, and it would have to be to take strikes from Lesnar on the ground. I see Lesnar getting a first round stoppage.

Quarter Finals Match No. 4—Shane Carwin vs. Junior Dos Santos

This would be a fun fight for however long it lasts. Both are standup fighters who like to knock their opponents out.

The winner of this fight is determined by who has more technique in their striking game, especially their boxing. Although he doesn't do it much, I could see Dos Santos using kicks to set up his punches. Going the distance with Roy Nelson showed he has the gas tank to go three hard rounds. This is something Carwin doesn't have, and it would show in this fight.

Expect Santos to take Carwin late in the fight and finish him in the third round with strikes.

Semi-Finals Match No. 1—Cain Velasquez vs. Frank Mir

Velasquez will be the one who controls where this fight takes place, and this would be the key to him being victorious. He has to keep it standing and avoid taking it to the mat where Mir is most dangerous.

This is a tough fight to break down. I see Mir patiently waiting for Velasquez to attack for the majority of this fight. While he tries to run out the clock, Velasquez would be able to keep his distance, out-strike him and secure the victory by using takedowns late in the round.

This is the only fight I expect to go the distance in the tournament up to this point, but it would be a clear-cut unanimous decision victory for Velasquez.

Semi-Finals Match No. 2—Brock Lesnar vs. Junior Dos Santos

This is another exciting match. Revenge would be on Santos' mind for this fight and the next one if he is able to make it. It would also be an important win in hyping the fight with Cain Velasquez in the finals. It's the fight everyone wants to see.

The biggest question for Dos Santos is how is he off his back? Will he be able to keep his composure and control a better wrestler from the bottom? How are his submissions? Can he get back to his feet? I think these questions would be answered in this fight, and it will make the Velasquez fight even bigger when Santos passes them.

Expect Santos to get taken down early in this fight, but don't expect him to be helpless. I could possibly see Santos submitting Lesnar because he won't be expecting it, but I will go with the majority and choose Santos by knockout in the second round after losing the first.

Finals Match—Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos

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LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 24: UFC fighter Cain Velasquez poses after his victory over UFC fighter Ben Rothwell (not pictured) in their Heavyweight bout at UFC 104: Machida vs. Shogun at Staples Center on October 24, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Vela

In the final match of the tournament, Cain Velasquez would be fighting Junior Dos Santos. If Santos makes it past Lesnar and shows he has takedown defense and can get back up, this fight will be bigger than ever.

Being it's for the UFC heavyweight championship belt and the grand prix belt, it will also be the biggest and most important fight in recent memory.

I think Santos will show in this fight what we will have learned from the Lesnar fight, but it won't be enough to win a decision. I see this fight going all five rounds with Velasquez controlling most of it with takedowns and control on the ground.

The first two rounds could be fairly close because of Santos' early momentum, but Velasquez's cardio will come into play late in the fight, and he will take the remaining rounds to secure a victory in a career-defining fight.