Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Heavyweight

1. Stipe Miocic (15-2)

It has been 52 years since the city of Cleveland had any kind of major sports championship, but in front of 45,000 Brazilian fans in Curitiba, Miocic snapped that streak by taking Fabricio Werdum’s UFC heavyweight championship with a beautiful right hook. The Strong Style Fight Team product is now staring down the barrel of challenges from the likes of Cain Velasquez, Travis Browne and Alistair Overeem in his first potential title defense.

2. Fabricio Werdum (20-6-1)

After 11 months away from the cage, Werdum entered UFC 198 in Curitiba, Brazil, expecting a hero’s welcome and ensuing victory in front of 45,000 fans. Instead, Stipe Miocic was keen on destroying “Vai Cavalo’s” fairy tale, knocking out Werdum in less than three minutes and embarrassing the legendary grappler. It was Werdum’s first loss since his dreadful June 2011 unanimous decision defeat to Alistair Overeem.

3. Cain Velasquez (13-2)

Returning from an injury-laden layoff of nearly two years, Velasquez struggled mightily and ultimately surrendered his heavyweight crown to Fabricio Werdum at UFC 188. Whether due to ring rust or the Mexico City altitude, Velasquez faded fast after the opening round; by the third frame, Werdum’s strikes rocked him into an ill-advised takedown attempt which ended in a guillotine choke submission. It was the first submission loss of Velasquez’s career and his first defeat since falling to Junior dos Santos in November 2011. The former champion will return to the cage opposite Travis Browne at UFC 200.

4. Alistair Overeem (41-14, 1 NC)

Fighting before a Dutch crowd for the first time since 2009, “The Demolition Man” lived up to his name on May 8 by blowing up Andrei Arlovski with a second-round front kick and follow-up punches. After the win -- his fourth in a row, including three knockouts -- Overeem called for a shot at the UFC heavyweight title, which now could mean a date with Stipe Miocic.

5. Junior dos Santos (18-4)

Dos Santos executed a perfect game plan in his April 10 bout with Ben Rothwell, as the hard-hitting Brazilian used his speed and boxing prowess to beat Rothwell to the punch for five rounds. It was the sharpest outing for “Cigano” since he lost his UFC heavyweight belt to Cain Velasquez in 2013; now, dos Santos will look to string together back-to-back wins for the first time since 2011.

6. Andrei Arlovski (25-12, 1 NC)

Arlovski’s chin could not hold up under the weight of Alistair Overeem’s firepower, as “The Pit Bull” fell via second-round stoppage against the Dutchman in their May 8 encounter. The former UFC heavyweight champ has now lost back-to-back bouts for the first time since 2011, ending the four-fight Octagon winning streak which had propelled Arlovski back to the cusp of title contention.

7. Ben Rothwell (36-10)

Rothwell’s surprising romp through the heavyweight division came to an end on April 10, when he was battered for the better part of 25 minutes by the quicker, slicker boxing of ex-champ Junior dos Santos. “Big Ben” had won four in a row heading into that bout, including surprising finishes against the likes of Josh Barnett and Alistair Overeem.

8. Mark Hunt (12-10-1)

Hunt recorded another walk-off knockout on March 19, when he starched former UFC champ Frank Mir with a single punch in Brisbane, Australia. Hunt’s record may not be a flashy one, but the “Super Samoan” has gone 3-2 in his last five outings with losses only to former titleholder Fabricio Werdum and new champion Stipe Miocic.

9. Travis Browne (18-3-1)

Browne collected an ugly, foul-marred win on Jan. 17 in Boston, as he polished off Matt Mitrione with third-round punches after twice poking him in the eye. Nonetheless, the fight put “Hapa” back in the win column eight months after he was knocked out by Andrei Arlovski. Browne began his UFC stint on a 7-1-1 tear but has alternated wins and losses in his last four outings. The Hawaiian will be back in action at UFC 200, where he will battle former champion Cain Velasquez.

10. Vitaly Minakov (17-0)

Vitaly Minakov has been stripped of the Bellator MMA heavyweight title, but unlike fellow former champion Will Brooks, the 31-year-old Russian has not been granted a release. For the last two years, Bellator’s former heavyweight ace has been in contract disputes with the company, routinely fighting in his home promotion of Fight Nights in his native Russia, as his contract allows. Bellator boss Scott Coker claims the company hopes to reconcile with the unbeaten Minakov, but the stripping of his title makes the proposition seem unlikely.

Other Contenders: Josh Barnett, Karol Bedorf, Ruslan Magomedov, Matt Mitrione, Roy Nelson.

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