The UFC’s heavyweight division has produced some elite level talent over the years. Becoming the UFC heavyweight champion requires overcoming some of the most formidable men in MMA history, each possessing an exceptional skill set. Whether facing the bone-crushing striking power of someone like Francis Ngannou or contending with the elite ground game of Daniel Cormier, the journey to claim the title demands conquering opponents of unparalleled strength and ability.

These men are warriors and can deal some of the most damaging blows in the sport, which often makes watching heavyweight fights extremely entertaining. Let’s take the time to dive into the history of the division, the all time UFC heavyweight power rankings and come to a conclusion on the best heavyweight fighter of the UFC’s very best.

Who is the Heavyweight UFC Champion?

Jon Jones is now the champion of the heavyweight division after taking Cyril Gane out in the first round of his UFC return. Jones had fought at light heavyweight for his entire career before challenging Gane for the heavyweight belt and coming out on top.

While he might not qualify as an all time heavyweight just yet, having only had one fight in this specific weight class, he is the latest to join the list of champions. He will have the opportunity to defend his belt and become one of the class's most successful champions, and at that point he could quickly climb the list of UFC heavyweight fighters.

Famous Heavyweight UFC Fighters

Daniel Cormier is one of the most famous fighters in the weight class, having been one of the best heavyweight UFC fighters of all time before jumping into the booth as one of the programs top commentators.

Cormier made a name for himself as a dangerous wrestler and became the heavyweight champion at UFC 226.

Stipe Miocic, Francis Ngannou and Fabricio Werdum have all been at the very top of the heavyweight division in recent years, drawing UFC fans to their performances in the process. All three champions are well known faces around the UFC and some of the best heavyweight fighters in MMA history.

Brock Lesnar is also a familiar face in the heavyweight game, having bounced between pro wrestling and the WWE and fighting in MMA. While his career in the octagon was relatively short, he was a champion and defended his title twice.

Jon Jones will join the list of famous heavyweights if he continues to fight at the weight class. He is largely considered the greatest UFC fighter of all time and as a result draws quite the crowd.

Who is the Greatest UFC Heavyweight of all time?

Based on current records and performances in title fights and defenses, it’s tough to argue against Stipe Miocic right now. He’s the only UFC heavyweight to defend his title four times, and did so against three very strong opponents in Alistair Overeem, Junior dos Santos, Francis Ngannou and a rematch with Daniel Cormier.

All four of those guys are top ten heavyweights, so Stipe deserves his credit here for standing out from the crowd. Four title defenses is one more than Randy Couture’s three, and ahead of any other heavyweight in UFC history.

Honorable Mentions

Cyril Gane’s rise to the top of the heavyweight division before winning the interim title against Derrick Lewis deserves a mention, but he hasn’t quite done enough to battle his way into the top ten.

Mark Hunt was a very entertaining heavyweight to watch too, but the ‘Super Samoan’ never quite strung together enough performances to claim a top ten spot.

Some of the best heavyweight UFC fighters right now are making a name for themselves and could potentially end up challenging and earning a spot on the top ten. Tai Tuivasa, Tom Aspinall and Serghei Spivac have all become top 10 fighters in the division, but all need a couple of wins against the top heavyweight UFC fighters to make their case.

Ranking the Top 10 Greatest Heavyweight UFC Fighters of all time

10. Tim Sylvia

Career Record: 31-10-0
Awards: 1x Fight of the Night
UFC Belts: 2x Heavyweight
UFC title defenses: Three 

Tim Sylvia battled in the octagon 41 times in his MMA career, emerging as one of the early heavyweight stars in the early 2000s.

Sylvia claimed his first UFC title in just his second fight with the organization. He came into his debut 13-0 and defeated Wesley Correira to set up a title fight against Ricco Rodriguez. He won that comfortably inside the first round and went on to defend his title against Gan McGee before being stripped of the belt due to the use of steroids.

His resurgence to reclaim the title at UFC 59 was impressive too. Sylvia bounced back after a couple of losses to win three straight fights, with the third being a title challenge against Andrei Arlovski. He once again displayed his power by stopping that fight in a matter of minutes and added another two title defenses to his resume with a rematch against Arlovski and a win over Jeff Monson.

Undoubtedly one of the most experienced fighters in heavyweight history, Sylvia is a champion worth recognizing.

9. Junior dos Santos

Career Record: 21-10-0
Awards: 3x Fight of the Night, 3x Performance of the Night
UFC Belts: 1x Heavyweight
UFC title defenses: One

Junior ‘Cigano’ dos Santos' five straight losses to end his career cast a slight shadow on his legacy, but his ascension to the heavyweight champion was superb.

Cigano flew through the UFC heavyweight rankings with three straight wins in main events, including a first-round stoppage against Gilbert Yvel and unanimous decisions against both Roy Nelson and Shane Carwin. 

That run earned him a 13-1 record and a title shot against Cain Velasquez. The Brazilian took full advantage of his opportunity too and dropped Velasquez in the very first round. He was 14-1 and the heavyweight champion, and did a fine job of defending his belt against Frank Mir.

Cigano had several very entertaining fights including a trilogy against Velasquez that he might have been on the wrong end of but was always a war each time the two stepped into the octagon.

He is one of only a few to beat Stipe, and has wins against Tuivasa, Derrick Lewis and Mark Hunt to add to his credibility too.

8. Alistair Overeem

Career Record: 47-19-0
Awards: 1x Fight of the Night, 1x Performance of the Night
UFC Belts: N/A
UFC title defenses: N/A

Alistair Overeem started out as a light heavyweight, but muscled up after a few years in MMA to battle in the heavyweight division. While he showcased his strength as a light heavyweight, the shift to the heavyweight division ignited a remarkable surge in his career, propelling him forward with tremendous momentum. The transition proved to be seamless as he effortlessly adapted and found his place among the heavyweight contenders, establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with.

Overeem has fought in almost 70 MMA fights, which is crazy in itself, but some of his victories in the UFC over heavyweight MMA fighters like Mark Hunt, Fabricio Werdum and Junior dos Santos.

While he’s been around a long time and won against many of the best, Overeem never claimed the heavyweight title. His opportunity came at UFC 203 in a title fight against Stipe Miocic, but he fell short with a first-round ground and pound loss to the champ. He will always be one of the greatest UFC fighters to never claim the championship title.

Alistair Overeem’s record of 47-19 is non comparable to any other fighter on this list, having stepped into the octagon with the very best and often held his own. For that he has my respect.

7. Randy Couture

Career Record: 19-11
Awards: 2x Fight of the Night
UFC Belts: 3x Heavyweight
UFC title defenses: Three

Randy Couture fought at both light heavyweight and heavyweight, transitioning between the two multiple times throughout his MMA career.

He fought for and claimed the UFC heavyweight belt three times during his career, with those title fight wins spanning an entire decade. He first took hold of the belt in 1997 at UFC 15 in Japan, the very earliest days of the organization.

He then left the UFC amidst a contract dispute and so vacated the belt before returning to claim it in November 2000 against Kevin Randleman, who he defeated in three rounds. He defended that title twice, both times against top contender Pedro Rizzo in the space of six months.

Couture was a dominant ground and pound fighter who excelled at taking opponents to the ground, fighting his way into top position and then beating down on whoever he was facing on the night. He had a wrestling background which always gave him an advantage on the mat, and he put a lot of his opponents out that way.

After a loss against Chuck Liddell at light heavyweight in a title contention fight, Couture’s next fight was a title shot at heavyweight, and this time he won. That meant his third heavyweight belt and another spell at the very top, making him one of the all time heavyweight MMA fighters.

6. Fabricio Werdum

Career Record: 24-9-1
Awards: 1x Fight of the Night, 3x Performance of the Night
UFC Belts: 1x Heavyweight
UFC title defenses: N/A

Fabricio Werdum’s rise to the top of the heavyweight division was startling. At one point he had been out of the UFC after being knocked out by Junior dos Santos and struggling to build a brand for himself on the main stage.

He made a move over to Strikeforce in 2009 and seemingly resurrected his MMA career, going on a tear of six straight wins and a dominant streak of performances. Werdum then made his return to the UFC in 2012 and did the same thing there, winning six straight fights with some serious diversity to his approach.

Werdum submitted Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, won by unanimous decision against Travis Browne and set up a title fight for the vacant heavyweight belt. He then threw a flying knee at Mark Hunt to claim that title and choked out Cain Velasquez to claim the title for real.

It’s one of the coolest comeback stories in the UFC with a meteoric rise back through the UFC heavyweight power rankings after seemingly being eliminated for good.

5. Cain Velasquez

Career Record: 14-3-0
Awards: 4x Performance of the Night
UFC Belts: 2x Heavyweight
UFC title defenses: Two

Cain Velasquez ' career was hindered by injuries and extended gaps in his fighting schedule, only fighting 17 times in his professional MMA career. While his time at the top was short lived, it was certainly electric.

The Mexican came into the UFC at just 2-0 and defeated Brad Morris in his debut just minutes into the first round. He won his first three fights by knockout or technical knockout and then took down Cheick Kongo in a unanimous decision.

He continued to dominate in the heavyweight division with stoppages against both Ben Rothwell and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, which put him at a statement 8-0 and gave him a shot at Brock Lesnar for the title.

Velasquez proceeded to beat Brock Lesnar into a bloody mess in the first round, claiming the title belt for the first time. He would earn it a second time from Junior dos Santos and then defend it twice, including a rematch against dos Santos at UFC 166.

Had he fought for longer and had a few more wins against elite competition, Velasquez could have come in higher on this list with the skill and power he possesses as a multi time UFC heavyweight champion.

4. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Career Record: 34-10-1
Awards: 4x Fight of the Night, 4x Performance of the Night
UFC Belts: 1x Heavyweight
UFC title defenses: N/A

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira was one of the most complete and dangerous heavyweight fighters of a generation. He was a champion at Pride and would go on to claim the interim heavyweight championship in the UFC with a win over Tim Sylvia in 2008, later on in his career.

In his prime Nogueira was claiming wins from everybody he faced. At one point in his career he was 28-3-1 and won 13 fights straight before suffering a loss to Fedor Emelianenko, one of the greatest fighters never to appear in the UFC.

Nogueira has wins against Randy Couture, Fabricio Werdum and Tim Sylvia, and the run of form he had when he appeared unbeatable makes him one of the all time best heavyweight MMA fighters.

3. Francis Ngannou

Career Record: 17-3-0
Awards: 6x Performance of the Night
UFC Belts: 1x Heavyweight
UFC title defenses: One 

Francis Ngannou is one of the most powerful fighters in UFC history. ‘The Predator’ possesses extreme knockout power with 11 of his 17 wins coming via knockout or technical knockout.

Stepping into the octagon with Francis wasn’t fun if you got caught out, and he was at the very top of his game before abruptly leaving the UFC in 2022. Ngannou had won six straight and had claimed the heavyweight title from Stipe Miocic with a smooth left hook that put the champion out. 

He then defended that title against Ciryl Gane before leaving the organization, leaving UFC fans stunned at the decision. At the time Ngannou was one of the best fighters around, and looked to be unstoppable at the heavyweight level.

He won five of his last six fights with stoppages due to damaging punches and hooks, proving just how dangerous the Cameroonian was if he caught you out. Had he kept fighting and kept winning, we could be talking about Francis Ngannou as one of the very best heavyweight MMA fighters of all time.

2. Daniel Cormier

Career Record: 22-3, 1 No Contest
Weight Class: Light Heavyweight, Heavyweight
Awards: Second UFC Double-Champion, 3x Performance of the Night, 2x Fight of the Night, UFC Hall of Fame
UFC Belts: Light Heavyweight, Heavyweight
UFC Title Defenses: Four

Cormier was an elite wrestler who would handle anybody he faced on the ground in the UFC. He’s a former Strikeforce champion and only the second fighter in UFC history to claim title belts at multiple weight classes at the same time.

DC went from defending his light heavyweight title against Volkan Oezdemir straight into a heavyweight title fight against Stipe Miocic six months later and proceeded to knock the champion out with a smooth right hook out of a clinch to become the double champ at UFC 226.

Cormier then defended that title against Derrick Lewis at UFC 230 which made him the first fighter in UFC history to have title defenses in multiple weight classes. His performance at his peak was elite, able to stand and bang with any heavyweight fighter as well as possessing an elite ground game and submission ability.

DC was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2022 as one of the best UFC heavyweights in history.

1. Stipe Miocic

Career Record: 20-4-0
Weight Class: Heavyweight
Awards: 5x Performance of the Night, 3x Fight of the Night, Knockout of the Night
UFC Belts: 2x Heavyweight
UFC Title Defenses: Four 

Stipe Miocic’s career in MMA got off to a 9-0 start before he suffered a couple of losses that would set back his title hopes at 12-2. He rebounded with two wins in a brawl with Mark Hunt that ended in a round five stoppage and a win inside 60 seconds against Andrei Arlovski.

The run that followed that victory was outstanding, getting a title shot against Fabricio Werdum who he knocked out clean while on the backfoot to claim the belt and put himself on top.

Stipe then defended that belt against three elite fighters. He won with a first-round ground and pound stoppage against Alistair Overeem, a first-round stoppage against Junior dos Santos and a unanimous decision victory against a very tough Francis Ngannou. His run as the heavyweight champion during that era is the best run of any fighter at the top of the weight class.

When he lost his belt to Daniel Cormier he came back with a point to prove and corrected his errors in the rematch with the performance of the night at UFC 241. The trilogy was then complete when the two squared off once more at UFC 251 in a fight that went the distance and ended with Stipe on top at the final bell.

When it comes to dominance at the heavyweight level, Stipe takes the top spot. He’s beaten five of the other men on this list, who are mostly UFC legends and champions, and he has the best UFC heavyweight title defense record. That fact makes him the greatest heavyweight UFC fighter of all time in my mind.

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