The 10 Most Anticipated Heavyweight Title Fights in UFC History

Coupled with the UFC's debut on Fox, an upcoming fight between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos has become one of the most anticipated heavyweight title fights in UFC history.

With the organization's future success on the line, UFC president Dana White entrusted the world's top heavyweights to deliver fireworks.

However, given former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar's success in drawing eyes to the sport, is this bout between Velasquez and dos Santos the most anticipated heavyweight title bout in MMA history? Let's take a look.

10. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Tim Sylvia

Shortly after making his way over to the UFC from Pride, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira was given a chance to compete for an interim UFC heavyweight title against former champion Tim Sylvia.

While the growing contingent of UFC fans may not have known too much about Nogueira, long-time MMA fans flocked to watch this main event at UFC 81, which drew 600,000 pay-per-view buys.

To the delight of the Pride fanatics, Nogueira walked away from the fight with a submission victory and a UFC belt around his waist.

9. Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Years after a career-threatening motorcycle accident stripped him of the heavyweight title, Frank Mir finally climbed his way back to the top of the division for another championship bout.

Mir's story and opponent were more than enough to draw the interest of MMA fans to the bout. At UFC 92, Mir met Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in a fight for the interim title.

In the second round, Mir recorded a technical knockout and reclaimed a UFC belt.

8. Randy Couture vs. Gabriel Gonzaga

Coming off of his incredible head-kick knockout of Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, Gabriel Gonzaga earned a title shot against fan favorite Randy Couture. With the momentum both fighters were riding, there was plenty of interest in this UFC 74 main event.

In the event's Fight of the Night, Couture picked up a victory by scoring a technical knockout in the third round. The win marked Couture's first successful title defense in nearly six years.

7. Tim Sylvia vs. Andrei Arlovski III

After splitting their first two meetings, Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski met in a third heavyweight title fight at UFC 61. Trilogies are always intriguing, but they are even more so when a belt is on the line.

While the event drew 771,000 pay-view-buys, the main event turned into a disappointment. Both fighters were tentative throughout the five-round bout, which Sylvia won in a unanimous decision.

6. Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez

Any Brock Lesnar fight is a highly anticipated fight, so it should come as no surprise that his arguably least intriguing title bout still comes in as the sixth most anticipated heavyweight championship fight in UFC history.

While the fight only drew slightly more that 1 million pay-per-view buys, an unimposing number for an event headlined by Lesnar, Velasquez showed fans that they should have paid more attention to the fight by upsetting Lesnar in a first-round beatdown.

5. Randy Couture vs. Tim Sylvia

After more than a year away from the Octagon, Randy Couture returned for a heavyweight title fight against Tim Sylvia. Although he was the underdog, fans were intrigued to see if Couture could defy time and become champion once again.

In the twilight of his career, few believed Randy Couture could put a stop to Sylvia's six-fight winning streak. However, Couture knocked Sylvia down in the opening seconds of the fight and battled his way to a decision victory to win the heavyweight belt for a record third time.

4. Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin

Marking the return of Brock Lesnar from diverticulitis, this title-merging bout between two heavyweight behemoths was one of the most captivating fights in UFC history.

With 1.16 million pay-per-view buys for UFC 116, it was also the second most-watched heavyweight title fight in UFC history.

After surviving a first-round onslaught from Carwin, Lesnar took advantage of his exhausted opponent by winning the fight via submission in the second round.

3. Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos

While they may be more talented fighters, Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos simply don't have the same name recognition as Brock Lesnar.

Competing on the UFC's debut on Fox will help this fight generate more interest, but it won't receive nearly the same attention as a Lesnar fight on Fox would have seen.

Still, this fight between Velasquez and dos Santos will be seen by countless people and will be a pivotal moment in the history of MMA.

2. Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir II

Headlining UFC 100, the biggest pay-per-view event in UFC history, the second meeting between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir was witnessed by more people than any other heavyweight title fight in the UFC's history.

Avenging his loss to Mir from their first fight, Lesnar pounded Mir in a second-round technical knockout victory to defend his heavyweight strap.

1. Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Couture

A meeting between the two biggest heavyweight draws in the organization's history, a fight between Brock Lesnar and Randy Couture was the first UFC heavyweight title fight to ever draw 1 million pay-per-view buys, which it did without the support of much star power on the rest of the fight card.

In what was his first shot at a UFC belt, Lesnar defeated a legend in Couture by overpowering him en route to a second-round stoppage.