UFC 140 Results: Ranking the Top 10 Heavyweights in the UFC

On Saturday night, Frank Mir had one of the most impressive, legendary and brutal submissions in UFC history, as he was able to break the arm of Minotauro Nogueira in the first round.

This was one of the best performances of Mir's career, and he now has the chin and the arm of Nogueira on his mantle.

With the victory, Mir is sure to move up the rankings, so let's take a look at where he stands.

10) Stefan Struve

Stefan comes in at the No. 10 spot, and he always has the potential to move further up this list.

With an impressive submission over Barry, Struve reminded everyone that he is more than just a kickboxer.

Unfortunately, he is becoming more and more like a gatekeeper, suffering losses to Travis Browne, Junior dos Santos and Roy Nelson—all of whom are ranked above him on the list.

9) Travis Browne

Travis Browne is the first of three people on this list who have beaten Struve.

Browne knocked out Struve at UFC 130, then earned a sloppy decision win over Rob Broughton at UFC 135.

Browne may not have looked impressive in his last fight, but he did still earn the win. He is slowly but surely moving up the heavyweight ranks and proving he could be a contender in the future.

8) Cheick Kongo

Cheick Kongo is another person who could be considered a gatekeeper in the UFC. He has defeated the likes of Paul Buentello and Pat Barry, but he's lost against the upper echelon, such as Cain Velasquez and Frank Mir.

Kongo also fought Travis Browne, and that fight ended in a draw.

At UFC 137, Kongo stopped the Matt Mitrione hype train and earned a unanimous decision victory over "Meathead."

Kongo may be a gatekeeper, but that doesn't mean he isn't a handful for anyone to deal with.

7) Roy Nelson

At UFC 137, Nelson got back in the win column with a third-round (T)KO victory over Mirko Cro Cop.

Prior to this fight, Nelson had fallen on some hard times, dropping two straight fights to Junior dos Santos and Frank Mir.

Not only did he get the win on Saturday, but he also looked to be in much better shape. It was clear he had lost some weight, and his cardio looked much better.

6) Minotauro Nogueira

On Saturday night, Minotauro Nogueira almost avenged his loss to Frank Mir.

But then Mir locked in a kimura, and he proceeded to break the arm of Nogueira.

Nogueira has now gone 2-3 in his last five, alternating wins and losses.

He may not be much more than a gatekeeper now, and with that broken arm, he is sure to be out for quite some time.

5) Shane Carwin

Shane Carwin is the former UFC interim heavyweight champion, and he's a force to be reckoned with.

Unfortunately, he was manhandled by Junior dos Santos in his last fight. JDS earned a 15-minute beatdown of Carwin and the unanimous decision victory.

Carwin is currently out dealing with injuries and isn't likely to return until the middle of 2012.

4) Frank Mir

Frank Mir is back, and Frank Mir is kicking ass and taking names.

Mir looked to be in prime form on Saturday night, as he defeated Minotauro Nogueira by submission, therefore becoming the first man to ever knock him out, and the only man to ever submit him.

Mir will be gunning for a title fight in 2012, and with one more win, he'll be on a four-fight win streak and definitely deserving of a title fight.

3) Brock Lesnar

It's pretty clear that the No. 3 heavyweight is the former champion, Brock Lesnar.

Lesnar has beaten Nos. 4 and 5 on this list, and he's definitely a top heavyweight.

After coaching on season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter, Lesnar was supposed to fight Junior dos Santos for the No. 1 contender spot, but he was forced to pull out of the fight due to a recurrence of diverticulitis.

Lesnar makes his long-awaited return to the Octagon at UFC 141 against Alistair Overeem.

2) Cain Velasquez

Unfortunately for Cain Velasquez, he was knocked out in vicious fashion by Junior dos Santos, and he lost his heavyweight belt.

Cain has wins over Nos. 3, 6 and 8 on the list, so he will stay firmly cemented in the No. 2 spot in the division.

Cain will likely have his next fight against the loser of the upcoming Brock Lesnar-Alistair Overeem fight, or Frank Mir.

1) Junior Dos Santos

At UFC on Fox 1, JDS knocked out Cain and became the heavyweight champion of the world.

This was the first clear No. 1 vs. No. 2 heavyweight matchup in a long time, and dos Santos treated Velasquez the same way he treated all his other opponents.

JDS is now the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, but he's got Lesnar and Overeem looking for a crack at the title.

Tim McTiernan is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. For the latest news on everything MMA, follow me on twitter @tmt2393.

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