UFC/Pride Heavyweight Champions with least-to-most Top 10 ranked wins at Heavyweight.

[M.U.S.C.L.E.]

The Flyweight version is here.
The Bantamweight version is here.
The Featherweight version is here.
The Lightweight version is here.
The Welterweight version is here.
The Middleweight version is here.
The Light Heavyweight version is here.
Champions with most wins in each division here.
The Multi-Division version is here.

Rankings are based on FightMatrix.

Bas Rutten

Rutten has 0 top ten wins (90% of his fights took place at Openweight).

Ricco Rodriguez

Rodriguez' resume:

#3 Randy Couture

Rodriguez has 1 top ten win.

Maurice Smith

Smith's resume:

#4 Mark Coleman

Smith has 1 top ten win.

Mark Coleman

Coleman's resume:

#3 Dan Severn
#10 Akira Shoji

Coleman has 2 top ten wins.

Kevin Randleman

Randleman's resume:

#8 Pedro Rizzo
#5 Mirko Filipovic

Randleman has 2 top ten wins.

Tim Sylvia

Sylvia's resume:

#4 Ricco Rodriguez
#7 Andrei Arlovski
#10 Andrei Arlovski

Sylvia has 3 top ten wins.

Frank Mir

Mir's resume:

#4 Tim Sylvia
#2 Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
#8 Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
#7 Antonio Silva

Mir has 4 top ten wins.

Brock Lesnar

Lesnar's resume:

#9 Heath Herring
#3 Randy Couture
#3 Frank Mir
#5 Shane Carwin

Lesnar has 4 top ten wins.

Josh Barnett

Barnett's resume:

#2 Semmy Schilt
#2 Randy Couture
#6 Kazuhiro Nakamura
#7 Frank Mir
#7 Andrei Arlovski

Barnett has 5 top ten wins.

Daniel Cormier

Cormier's resume:

#6 Antonio Silva
#8 Josh Barnett
#7 Frank Mir
#1 Stipe Miocic
#5 Derrick Lewis

Cormier has 5 top ten wins.

Francis Ngannou

Ngannou's resume:

#8 Andrei Arlovski
#2 Alistair Overeem
#3 Curtis Blaydes
#4 Junior dos Santos
#7 Jairzinho Rozenstruik
#1 Stipe Miocic

Ngannou has 6 top ten wins.

Fabricio Werdum

Werdum's resume:

#4 Gabriel Gonzaga
#1 Fedor Emelianenko
#10 Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
#5 Travis Browne
#5 Mark Hunt
#8 Travis Browne

Werdum has 6 top ten wins.

Andrei Arlovski

Arlovski's resume:

#7 Vladimir Matyushenko
#7 Tim Sylvia
#9 Fabricio Werdum
#4 Antonio Silva
#4 Travis Browne
#9 Frank Mir

Arlovski has 6 top ten wins.

Randy Couture

Couture's resume:

#6 Maurice Smith
#5 Kevin Randleman
#8 Tsuyoshi Kohsaka
#5 Pedro Rizzo
#10 Pedro Rizzo
#5 Tim Sylvia
#3 Gabriel Gonzaga

Couture has 7 top ten wins.

Cain Velasquez

Velasquez' resume:

#3 Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
#1 Brock Lesnar
#9 Antonio Silva
#1 Junior dos Santos
#3 Antonio Silva
#2 Junior dos Santos
#8 Travis Browne

Velasquez has 7 top ten wins.

Stipe Miocic

Miocic's resume:

#5 Mark Hunt
#3 Andrei Arlovski
#1 Fabricio Werdum
#3 Alistair Overeem
#5 Junior dos Santos
#2 Francis Ngannou
#1 Daniel Cormier
#2 Daniel Cormier

Miocic has 8 top ten wins.

Junior dos Santos

Santos' resume:

#4 Fabricio Werdum
#9 Mirko Filipovic
#6 Shane Carwin
#1 Cain Velasquez
#4 Frank Mir
#9 Mark Hunt
#6 Ben Rothwell
#4 Derrick Lewis

dos Santos has 8 top ten wins.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Nogueira's resume:

#5 Valentijn Overeem
#5 Gary Goodridge
#3 Mark Coleman
#6 Ricco Rodriguez
#5 Mirko Filipovic
#3 Josh Barnett
#9 Tim Sylvia
#5 Randy Couture
#10 Brendan Schaub

Nogueira has 9 top ten wins.

Fedor Emelianenko

Emelianenko's resume:

#6 Semmy Schilt
#10 Heath Herring
#1 Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
#8 Gary Goodridge
#9 Mark Coleman
#2 Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
#4 Mirko Filipovic
#4 Mark Coleman
#7 Mark Hunt
#8 Tim Sylvia
#6 Andrei Arlovski
#8 Brett Rogers

Emelianenko has 12 top ten wins.

This is quite interesting! Good food for thought when comparing the greats. Thanks for sharing.

 

[acannxr]

No, but guys who aren't top fighters don't make your resume more impressive even if they did manage to crack the top 10.

When you get into the territory of debating the quality of opponents, then the discussion becomes subjective; my methodology for these series of threads was an attempt at comparing objective data only and allowing those results to speak for themselves.

You could undermine Miocic's resume by simply pointing out that half his top ten wins were against fighters from Emelianenko's era, which demonstrates how weak the division has become, but that subjective analysis doesn't really lend itself to being able to compare all champions, across all eras, in a consistent manner.

 

[kflo]

Stipe has a single win over a credible opponent in their 20s or early 30s during his epic UFC run.

There's a fun stat for ya.

You’re free to believe

#5 Mark Hunt
#3 Andrei Arlovski
#1 Fabricio Werdum
#3 Alistair Overeem
#5 Junior dos Santos
#2 Francis Ngannou
#1 Daniel Cormier
#2 Daniel Cormier

wouldn’t be top wins on ANYONE’s list. Or that most of them were better in their 20s….derp….

 

[TR1]

You’re free to believe

#5 Mark Hunt
#3 Andrei Arlovski
#1 Fabricio Werdum
#3 Alistair Overeem
#5 Junior dos Santos
#2 Francis Ngannou
#1 Daniel Cormier
#2 Daniel Cormier

wouldn’t be top wins on ANYONE’s list. Or that most of them were better in their 20s….derp….

Ah yes, old washed up AA, Hunt, Overeem in the 2nd decade of their careers. Truly top wins.

Post Cain JDS. Aaaaand 40 year old, bad back DC who he barely scraped by.

Werdum was a legit win, but again, another old guy with far more mileage than Stipe.

You can stick whatever rankings you want, lol @ AA, Hunt, Overeem being top 5 guys.

And yes, ALL those guys (aside from Ngannu), were much better earlier in their careers. Unless you think athletes get better when they enter their mid and late 30s, which is a laughable notion.

 

[kflo]

Ah yes, old washed up AA, Hunt, Overeem in the 2nd decade of their careers. Truly top wins.

Post Cain JDS. Aaaaand 40 year old, bad back DC who he barely scraped by.

Werdum was a legit win, but again, another old guy with far more mileage than Stipe.

You can stick whatever rankings you want, lol @ AA, Hunt, Overeem being top 5 guys.

Stick to thinking they wouldn’t be good in 2005…

 

[TR1]

Stick to thinking they wouldn’t be good in 2005…

Stick to thinking mileage and age is a myth.

It is a fact that Stipe has fought overwhelmingly washed up, older and more war-worn opponents.

 

[acannxr]

Updated Ngannou's resume.

 

[The Good The Bad The HBK]

How is Nog not listed for Barnett when he beat Nog in 06?

 

[NoBiasJustMMA]

How is Nog not listed for Barnett when he beat Nog in 06?

Good point, looks like he should be based on fightmatrix Big Nog was 3rd when Josh Barnett beat him.

Generated Historical Rankings - Fight Matrix

@acannxr

 

[The Good The Bad The HBK]

Good point, looks like he should be based on fightmatrix Big Nog was 3rd when Josh Barnett beat him.

Generated Historical Rankings - Fight Matrix

Big nog was top 10 from 01 to 11 I think, maybe even 12

 

[acannxr]

How is Nog not listed for Barnett when he beat Nog in 06?

Good point, looks like he should be based on fightmatrix Big Nog was 3rd when Josh Barnett beat him.

Generated Historical Rankings - Fight Matrix

@acannxr

Openweight.

 

[dog y]

Akira Shoji? Like, WTF? That short, fat dude.

View attachment 816684

Very probably the baddest man to ever compete in MMA. Or ever born. Always absolutely Outweighed, Outgunned, out everything'ed.
Always went all out and left everything there. What a badass.

 

[HHJ]

ALL HAIL FEDOR. WARRIOR OF THE NIGHT.

 

[HHJ]

Although really the iron chin is nonsense isnt it? getting caught by a massive overhand like that going for a flying knee is going to be lights out from pretty much anyone, even Mark Hunt was put down by Manhoef in a similar kind of position.

Yes one must remember

1) it was a massive punch
2) It landed right where it needed to, Placement wise,its perfect.
3) Arlovski ran and jumped right into it

 

[HHJ]

CORNERED FEDOR IS DANGER FEDOR

 

[welcometohavoc]

Whatever his limits nobody has had a tougher schedule than Brock Lesnar. One Korean can and then nothing but killers until retirement.

Brock didn't even have the hardest schedule at HW.

Mark Hunt says hello

 

[acannxr]

Curious about your orders

See OP.

 

[Greg House]

Josh Barnett​

Barnett's resume:

#2 Semmy Schilt
#2 Randy Couture
#6 Kazuhiro Nakamura
#7 Frank Mir
#7 Andrei Arlovski

Barnett has 5 top ten wins.

​

​

No way that Mark Hunt wasn't ranked when he beat him. He had beaten Mirko and was on a streak. He fought Fedor right after it too. Weird matchmaking. it should have been Barnett...

 

[acannxr]

No way that Mark Hunt wasn't ranked when he beat him. He had beaten Mirko and was on a streak. He fought Fedor right after it too. Weird matchmaking. it should have been Barnett...

Barnett vs Hunt took place at Openweight, not Heavyweight.

 

[acannxr]

HOWEVER, he can't be considered the real GOAT for various reasons that I won't get into.

Fedor is the HW GOAT.