Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Heavyweight

1. Stipe Miocic (17-2)

Miocic has enjoyed one of the best runs in heavyweight MMA history over the last four years but now finds himself without an obvious next contender for what could be his record-setting third consecutive UFC title defense. UFC President Dana White said Miocic might have fought light heavyweight champion Jon Jones at UFC 218 in December before Jones' second failed USADA test. Miocic may stay on the Dec. 2 card or he may not fight until 2018, but with Jones out, Junior dos Santos embroiled in his own USADA drama and Cain Velasquez on the sidelines, surging Francis Ngannou or a rematch with Alistair Overeem might be the only options for Miocic.

2. Alistair Overeem (43-15, 1 NC)

After his so-close-yet-so-far-away loss to Stipe Miocic in their September 2016 UFC heavyweight title fight, “Ubereem” has bounced back in style this year, wasting Mark Hunt and then clinching a trilogy with a second win over Fabricio Werdum. In the wake of Overeem's comeback wins, fans have quickly begun to beat the drum for him to face hot prospect Francis Ngannou. The former K-1 World Grand Prix winner has publicly accepted the challenge in principle.

3. Fabricio Werdum (21-7-1)

Werdum might be 40 years old and 1-2 in his last three bouts, but the former UFC champion is still one of the five best heavyweights ever and is always eager to compete. Keen to erase the recent memory of losing a close majority decision in his July rubber match with Alistair Overeem, “Vai Cavalo” has signed on to face big-hitting “Black Beast” Derrick Lewis at UFC 216 on Oct. 7 in Las Vegas.

4. Cain Velasquez (14-2)

After being forced out of his UFC 207 rematch with Fabricio Werdum over his use of cannabidiol, Velasquez underwent successful back surgery in early January. Following his operation, Velasquez took to social media in March to state that while he was excited to get back into the Octagon, he could not commit to a timeline for his return, stating he was “listening to [his] body.” Velasquez now expects to return in the new year.

5. Junior dos Santos (18-5)

Dos Santos is 3-4 with three knockout losses in his last seven bouts, but owing to his splitting a pair of bouts with champion Stipe Miocic and the dire nature of the heavyweight talent pool, “Cigano” could have been back in another title fight if he had beaten red-hot Francis Ngannou at UFC 215 in Edmonton, Alberta. However, dos Santos was pulled from the contest on Aug. 18 after being informed of a potential USADA violation that placed the former heavyweight champ in limbo. Dos Santos is now one of three top-10 Sherdog heavyweights currently embroiled in a USADA case.

6. Ben Rothwell (36-10)

Rothwell was scheduled to get a major bout in his next outing, as the Wisconsinite was penciled in to face former UFC champion Fabricio Werdum at UFC 211 on May 13 in Dallas. However, in early March, the UFC announced that Rothwell had been flagged for a banned substance in a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency test administered on Feb. 6, putting his immediate future in doubt. Seven months later, there is still no update on Rothwell's case.

7. Josh Barnett (35-8)

In a USADA test on Dec. 9, Barnett tested positive for an undisclosed banned substance, giving him his fourth blown drug test in 15 years. However, after nearly eight months of silence, Barnett reappeared recently with UFC color commentator Joe Rogan on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast and said he had been informed he likely would not face a suspension as a result of a diluted, contaminated supplement. The UFC and USADA have yet to comment on Barnett's case.

8. Francis Ngannou (10-1)

Ngannou is the most thrilling thing to come along at heavyweight since champion Stipe Miocic himself. Now 5-0 with five stoppages in the UFC, it is time for “The Predator” to step up in competition. That has led the MMA world to crave an Ngannou-Alistair Overeem showdown. Ngannou and Overeem both seem publicly satisfied with the pairing, knowing the winner would be the inevitable next challenger for Miocic. Ngannou-Overeem remains a strong possibility for December or January, unless one of them is granted a shot at Miocic outright.

9. Vitaly Minakov (20-0)

Minakov stayed busy on June 2, taking a fight in his native Russia for his home base promotion Fight Nights Global and knocking out a shopworn Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in the second round. A seven-year pro, the 32-year-old Minakov is unbeaten in 20 fights, but it remains anyone's best guess if he will end up back in Bellator MMA, where he previously held the heavyweight title, the UFC or stay as a feature attraction for Fight Nights Global.

10. Mark Hunt (13-11-1, 1 NC)

At 43 years old and having installed himself as the modern MMA heavyweight division's Earnie Shavers, Hunt is unlikely to grab another UFC title shot. Nonetheless, as he reminded us in his native Auckland, New Zealand, in June, when he punched out rising contender Derrick Lewis in the fourth round, “The Super Samoan” can still throw hands and expose a not-ready-for-primetime prospect. The 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix will get a chance to do it again his next time out and once more in a geographically preferential, headlining role: Hunt meets up-and-coming Polish contender Marcin Tybura in his adopted home of Sydney.

Other Contenders: Blagoy Ivanov, Cheick Kongo, Derrick Lewis, Marcin Tybura, Alexander Volkov.

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