UFC Top Five Heavyweight contenders
Here is my take on who should be the top five contenders for Nogueira’s world heavyweight title. You may agree or disagree but leave your comments, complaints, or compliments!
Andrei Arlovsk
I’m not getting why people are saying Werdum should be next in line for a shot at the gold. At UFC 73 he lost to Arlovski via unanimous decision, so why does he deserve a shot at the title first? Granted the match was not overly exciting, a loss is a loss. He is a former champion who, in the last five years, has only lost two fights, both close losses to Tim Sylvia. He has not had a crack at the title since 2006, and deserves a chance to prove himself against Nogueira.
His upcoming fight with youngster Jake O’Brien will prove whether or not he still can produce an exciting fight or if his best days are behind him. It also could be his last fight in the UFC, I’m sure he will be out for the kill.
Match up with Nogueira: Arlovski would no doubt have the advantage on feet. His kickboxing skills would create enough distance to make Nogueira’s striking next to useless. The question would be whether or not Arlovski could keep the fight from going to the ground. If so, he could put Nogueira in a very precarious predicament and would likely defeat him.
Fabricio Werdum
With a big victory over former number one contender Gabriel Gonzaga, Werdum proved his dismal loss to Arlovski was indeed a onetime affair and he is now ready to prove his skills. He had a lot of success in Pride, and is hoping to have similar success in the UFC. His next fight has not yet been announced but many are assuming it will be against the heavyweight champion, Nogueira. Werdum has already suffered a loss to Nogueira in his career via unanimous decision at Critical Countdown Absolute in 2006.
Match up with Nogueira: Both men are known for their Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The fighters would not stay on their feet long, and it would come down to which one has the better BJJ skills. Their skills would likely cancel each other out to an extent and comedown to who has the better submissions and submission defence
Tim Sylvia
Although Sylvia just had an opportunity at the title, his elevated status in the UFC will likely give him another shot before anyone else on this list gets a chance. The first fight against Nogueira was a very close encounter that Sylvia could have secured with one or two more solid punches.
Match up with Nogueira: There isn’t much to breakdown as they just had a bout less than a month ago. It is the typical striker vs Jui-Jitsu match up which comes down to a challenge of style. If he had better takedown defence, it is likely that Sylvia could have kept Nogueira off long enough to edge out a victory.
Frank Mir
A big win over the heavily-hyped (and heavily favoured) Brock Lesnar has thrown Mir back into the heavyweight spotlight. After a few miserable performances, Mir needed this victory badly to keep his job in the UFC. With another top 10 victory Mir could find himself with a shot at the title once again.
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10 months ago
I think Frank Mir is a cool guy but why is he so hyped up? (is it b/c the poor guy was almost killed in that motorcycle accident? who knows) Granted Frank has some wicked cool submission skills and he is tuff; but I just don't think that he has the resume to be considered a top heavy weight contender, Just my .02$
10 months ago
Shawn - don't know if you heard but there is a contract out to Fabricio Werdum and Brandon Vera to fight each other at UFC 85 ... pending two signatures
10 months ago
talk about a joke, brandon vera is not going to be able to keep up in the heavy weight division. he is the smallest heavy out there, its another kendall grove. i would give a bit more than an honorable mention to gonzaga, let us not forget the head kick felt round the world. unfortunately its the thinnest division, but watch out for brock lesnar, antonio silva, and after a few more wins kimbo. three upstarts that might actually have an impact.
and in the distance, there's a gathering, that is chanting RANDY RANDY RANDY
10 months ago
Randy, how long have you been watching MMA? Frank Mir was the MAN before his motorcycle accident. He wasn't beaten for the title; it was stripped from him because he was unable to fight. He had a couple hiccups in his rehab fights after the accident, but after his fights with Antoni Hardonk and Brock Lesnar, it looks like Mir is getting back to top form. I think he's one more win from deserving a title shot.
On another note, Dana White promised a title shot to Andre Arlovski if he could beat Fabricio Verdum, but since Andre was unimpressive in that win, Dana reneged on his promise. I think that's crap, because anyone who watched Tim Sylvia beat Brandon Vera knows that Tim was WAAAY less than impressive in that fight, being unable to put Vera away even though Vera broke his hand in the first round. But Tim got a title fight right away. Just another example of the UFC playing favorites.
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