Alistair Overeem, Brock Lesnar, Frank Mir and MMA's Top 25 Heavyweights
With an abundance of heavyweight fights in June and the recent match-ups that have already taken place, I thought I would try to sort out the depth of the division instead of limiting it to the top 10.
There has been the same makeup of top-10 fighters for awhile now, so this should give everyone a view of who isn't mentioned every time a rankings list comes out for the big boys of MMA.
No. 25: Daniel Cormier
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Daniel Cormier was an outstanding wrestler for Oklahoma State, coming in second in the 2001 national championship. He also represented the US on the Olympic team in 2004, placing fourth. He has since took his high caliber wrestling ability and has moved on to post a 7-0 MMA record while finishing six of his seven fights.
He was also the wrestling coach on Josh Koscheck's team during the Ultimate Fighter, which should give you some insight to how good this prospect is.
Cormier has had success in the regional based King of the Cage and Australian based Xtreme MMA promotions, picking up the heavyweight title in each of those
He has a very tough battle against a 14-year veteran of the MMA world in Jeff Monson that will take place on June 18. A win over Monson would have a huge impact on Cormier's ranking.
No. 24: Cole Konrad
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Cole Konrad is best known as the current Bellator heavyweight champion and as a Minnesota Golden Gopher as a two time NCAA champion.
As an MMA fighter, Konrad trains with fellow Minnesota wrestling standout Brock Lesnar and DeathClutch.
Konrad has posted a 7-0 record but hasn't fought since October 2010 and doesn't appear to have any fights upcoming.
No. 23: Brett Rogers
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Brett Rogers was once considered a top-10 heavyweight after he defeated Andrei Arlovski in 2009. Since then, we have learned two important facts.
1- Arlovski should have retired, as he gets brutally knocked out by everyone that touches his chin.
2- Rogers couldn't live up to the hype, as he went on to lose to both Fedor and Overeem by KO.
Rogers is a very large and powerful heavyweight but really has no notable wins to his credit, unless you remember Jon Murphy from Bully Beatdown.
Rogers has posted a record of 11-2 and looks to climb back to the top of the heavyweight rankings, as he is scheduled to face-off with Josh Barnett on June 18.
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No. 22: Dave Herman
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Dave Herman just won his debut match in the UFC by defeating Jon Olav Einemo at UFC 131 that earned "Fight of the Night" honors.
Herman has an excellent record of 21-2 with one loss coming by DQ and is known for being a diverse striker while winning 15 bouts by knockout.
Not too bad for a guy that "home" trained himself until after his 16th pro MMA fight. He now trains with team Quest, and with that, the future looks bright for this guy.
No. 21: Cheick Kongo
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Cheick Kongo was a guy that was thought to be able to challenge for the UFC heavyweight title when Tim Sylvia reigned over the division.
Kongo has since had his ups-and-downs but has been a UFC mainstay.
The former kickboxer has seemed to have forgotten what got him to the dance, as he has been attempting to drag his opponents to the ground in his last few fights. His ground game still has something to be desired.
With a record of 15-6, Kongo will be looking for his 16th win against another kickboxer on June 26 in Pat Barry.
No. 20: Travis Browne
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Travis Browne just had the biggest win of his career with his win over Stefan Struve in May.
With a record of 11-0-1 with nine knockouts, Browne looks poised to step up and face a better level of competition in the UFC. I'm not sure how high he can go, but for now, he has earned himself a good match-up.
He has some decent wins over Abe Wagner, James McSweeney and of course, Stefan Struve.
No. 19: Pat Barry
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Pat Barry has the most devastating kicks in the MMA world as made painfully clear by having opponents quitting from his thunderous strikes. There aren't too many times you watch a fight and can actually feel what you hear.
Though his striking is excellent, Barry's ground game has been terrible. If he can figure out how to remain standing, he will be a very strong force, but until that happens, he will remain in the middle of the division.
Barry has a record of 6-2 and has an upcoming match against Cheick Kongo on June 26 in Pittsburgh.
No. 18: Ben Rothwell
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Big Ben Rothwell was a former IFL champion that made his UFC debut in 2009 against Cain Velasquez. Since then, he has only fought one other time inside the UFC in a winning effort against Gilbert Yvel, where he tore his ACL.
Rothwell is a well respected mixed martial arts fighter with a record of 31-7, but his lack of being inside the cage has really dampened his ranking.
Hopefully we will see him back inside the cage soon and find out if he is a pretender or a contender.
No. 17: Jeff Monson
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Jeff "The Snowman" Monson is one of the more under-appreciated fighters in MMA.
Monson has a record of 42-11 and has fought under about every banner in the history of MMA. Even at 40, he has been competitive, as he is currently riding a eight-fight win streak.
For those of you that don't know him, don't let his picture fool you. He is all about submissions, as he has 26 wins by forcing his opponents to tap.
He again gets his chance to fight with a major organization, as he steps in to replace Shane Del Rosario on June 18 as he faces off against Daniel Cormier.
No. 16: Josh Barnett
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Josh Barnett has a record of 29-5, which includes a six fight win streak. The winning streak isn't overly impressive due to his opponents, which holds him back in the rankings.
What also follows Barnett around is his steroid usage, which has a larger negative impact than his losses have on him.
Barnett is probably on his last leg for steroid suspensions, so his career could be cut short if he cannot perform without using PED's.
He has the overall talent and can showcase it against Brett Rogers on June 18 in Texas...if he is cleared to fight in that state.
No. 15: Roy Nelson
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Roy "Big Country" Nelson has been feeding off of poor competition for years, and it seems like he has been exposed when it comes to fighting the top competition in the UFC's heavyweight division. He was defeated handily by both Frank Mir and Junior Dos Santos in his last two fights.
He still has a record of 15-6, with four of those six losses coming in his last six fights. What saves him from disappearing is that he was finished only once in his career and has lost to only top level competition in that time.
No. 14: Shane Del Rosario
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The momentum of Shane Del Rosario of making himself a real contender took a serious step backwards when he was involved in an automobile accident that put him on the shelf and took him off the card to face Daniel Cormier.
Del Rosario has some heavy hands and has started to display a good submission game, as he has won all 11 fights he has been involved in.
Hopefully, he will recover soon and start where he left off by moving into contention for the Strikeforce heavyweight title.
No. 13: Matt Mitrione
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Matt Mitrione might be a surprise to most people for being ranked this high, but what hasn't been impressive about "Meathead" since his stint on The Ultimate Fighter?
At only 4-0, it seems like he should be ranked lower but his competition level isn't really that bad, especially for someone new to the sport.
His win over Joey Beltran and Tim Hague were very impressive, and he gets some bonus points for sending Kimbo Slice packing.
His next fight will be in Pittsburgh on June 26 against (7-1) Christian Morecraft.
No. 12: Sergei Kharitonov
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Sergei Kharitonov has wins over Alistair Overeem, Andrei Arlovski and Fabricio Werdum with a 18-4 record overall.
Kharitonov has only been out of the first round two times in his career, as he has finished 17 of his opponents and winning by decision only once.
Kharitonov has a really big opportunity to climb into the top 10 if he can make it through the Strikeforce Grand Prix.
No. 11: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
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Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira has been rumored to be on his last leg as an MMA fighter, and it might be true. I believe that people had too much belief that he would dominate the UFC competition, but he has only lost to Frank Mir and Cain Velasquez while on the UFC roster.
Big Nog has an overall record of 32-6 but has been injured quite a lot recently, as he has only fought one time per year starting in 2009.
Even only having three fights in three years, pending he fights Brenden Schaub on August 27 in Brazil, it hasn't hurt the legend's overall ranking too badly.
A loss to Schaub, though, would make it hard to argue that he is still a top 15 fighter.
No. 10: Brenden Schaub
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"The Hybrid" Brenden Schaub (8-1) still has a lot of doubters out there, but I believe he is a firm top-10 selection, as he has been unbeaten since losing to Roy Nelson on The Ultimate Fighter Finale.
Schaub is a powerful striker, as he has impressive wins over Gabriel Gonzaga and Mirko Cro Cop. He has the chance to add another big name to his list when he squares off with Minotauro Nogueira.
A win over Nogueira solidifies Schaub as a top-10 fighter, but it will be interesting to see if Nog can get him down and keep him there.
No. 9: Fedor Emelianenko
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Fedor will go down as the best heavyweight of all when he decides to retire from the sport, and who can really argue that, as he was undefeated for a decade.
Now having faced some setbacks in his last two fights and having a record of 31-3, Fedor is now scheduled to fight against Strikeforce Light-Heavyweight Champion Dan Henderson in what may be Fedor's last stand as emperor.
Regardless of the outcome, Fedor will always remain in the discussion of "best fighter of all-time".
No. 8: Alistair Overeem
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Alistair Overeem has achieved what many consider to be a lot in combat sports. What I tend to see is a severe lack of competition and a resume that only has wins over one big name in Vitor Belfort.
Overeem has a record of 34-11, which also is not that impressive, as he has losses to multiple Strikeforce heavyweights he is supposedly the champion of, yet rarely ever defends.
We will get to see if Overeem deserves a lot of the hype he gets credit for when he fight Fabricio Werdum on June 18. I still believe that won't do enough to convince people he should be in the top five, but it will go a long way in helping his case.
No. 7: Shane Carwin
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Shane Carwin just came off of a devastating loss to Junior Dos Santos in which he was dominated in every round.
You can blame this on multiple reasons. He was just coming off a long layoff, he changed his diet and was fighting a lot lighter then his last couple of match-ups, or he was just plain outclassed.
Regardless, Carwin stands at 12-2 and is still a very dangerous fighter. Though he has lost his last two fights, look for him to bounce back with a strong showing in his next fight.
No. 6: Antonio Silva
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I couldn't determine who was who in this picture, but Antonio Silva has been very impressive in his MMA career so far by posting a record of 16-2 and displaying some good overall striking ability.
With his last victory of Fedor, he awaits the winner of Overeem/Werdum as the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix continues.
The true question about Silva is, did he catch Fedor at his worst? This is my theory, but give credit where it's due; he walked away with the win and the reward.
No. 5: Brock Lesnar
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Brock Lesnar is hurt and has been hurt a lot recently. At only 5-2, it seems absurd to have a fighter ranked fifth as Lesnar is, but he has some very good wins on his resume.
He has only had three fights in three years with no fights in 2011 and not expected to return until the beginning of 2012, which doesn't improve his status.
As he has had even more surgery with body tissue removed and repaired, you have to wonder if he will ever regain his form that he once had as he continues to get weaker and older.
Brock has beaten some very big names but has looked terrible in his last two fights against Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez, showing that he does not take punches very well and relies upon a fetus position defense while on his back.
Regardless, Lesnar is still the highest paid MMA fighter and is a tough matchup for anyone in the heavyweight standings with his size and wrestling ability.
No. 4: Frank Mir
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Frank Mir is and has been one of the best heavyweights in the world for a decade while fighting the entire time under the UFC flag.
Mir has overcome huge obstacles and re-invents himself to stay current with the newer fighters that have entered MMA as his record of 15-5 indicates.
Mir is 6-2 in his last eight fights and has positioned himself as the No. 3 Heavyweight in the UFC after his latest win over Roy Nelson.
Mir ranks only behind Junior Dos Santos and the UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez, who will be facing off soon enough.
No. 3: Fabricio Werdum
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Fabricio Werdum (14-4) has established himself as one of the top heavyweights in MMA today, with amazing wins over Alistair Overeem, Antonio Silva, Gabriel Gonzaga, Brandon Vera and Mike Kyle and is the only fighter to defeat both Emelianenko brothers.
Werdum, though, is in a very odd position in the Strikeforce Grand Prix, where he is facing off again with Alistair Overeem. A win over Reem will not make Werdum the champion, yet he will remain the No. 1 contender, forcing Werdum to beat Overeem three times to become the champion.
Werdum will be looking to utilize his submission skills to carry him throughout the tournament, as he has eight victories by way of submission.
No. 2: Junior Dos Santos
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Junior Dos Santos has proven all the doubters wrong with his amazing win over Shane Carwin. Dos Santos brutalized Carwin for three full rounds and was moments away from having him finished in the first round.
Dos Santos now has his shot at Cain Velasquez set for UFC 136 sometime this fall as he looks to capture the heavyweight championship.
Dos Santos, at 13-1 and 7-0 in the UFC, will be looking to use his keen striking ability to win his matchup as he has been doing since he came to the UFC, as he has finished five of his seven opponents before the final bell.
No. 1: Cain Velasquez
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No surprise here, as the UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez (9-0) reigns on top of the mountain.
Velasquez has great wrestling and striking ability that he has used to finish six of his seven opponents inside the UFC Octagon.
Velasquez has some question marks surrounding him, as he is coming off of a shoulder injury which caused him to miss some significant time inside the cage,
He will face his toughest test to date when he squares off with the No. 2 ranked heavyweight, Junior Dos Santos, in what should be an excellent fight since they have finished 11 of their 14 opponents in the UFC combined.
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