MMA Heavyweight Rankings - Outside the UFC

A review and ranking of the top MMA heavyweight fighters not under contract with the UFC - September 2009

Pro Fighting Fans MMA staff writer Nick Russell takes a look at the Top MMA heavyweight fighters outside of the UFC.

1. Fedor Emelianenko (30-1) – Winning twenty-seven fights in a row is a task in itself, however Fedor has done it with flare. Prior to shunning the UFC, Fedor dispatched two of their former Heavyweight champions, Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia. The new Strikeforce investment will be looking to pay major dividends come October when he faces up-and-coming Brett Rogers.
2. Brett Rogers (10-0) – Only time will tell whether Rogers is legitimate or just a heavyweight fad. Up to now, his career resume favors legitimate; as he had stopped all ten of his opponents including a 22 second thrashing of Andrei Arlovski in June. “The Grim” will put his undefeated record on the line when facing “The Last Emperor,” Fedor Emelianenko in October.
3. Josh Barnett (24-5) –Even though “The Babyfaced Assassin” is blamed for the crash of Affliction, he commands respect in the cage. Barnett has won four consecutive and five out of his last six bouts overall, losing only to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via decision in 2006 during that span. Since his failed drug test this summer, Barnett has not made a “peep” to the US media, however he is rumored to be fighting the winner of Antonio Silva vs. Jim York for Sengoku in November.
4. Alistair Overeem (29-11) – The “Demolition Man” is vastly underrated as one of the top heavyweights, due mostly to being a virtual unknown in the States. The fact is Overeem hasn’t lost since a September 2007 KO loss to Sergei Kharitonov while fighting for K-1 Hero’s. Overeem was scheduled to defend his Strikeforce HW belt against Fabricio Werdum last month before pulling out with an injury. In a surprising twist, Overeem will now battle in a K-1 rules bout on September 26 against Peter Aerts.
5. Fabricio Werdum (12-4-1) – After being kicked out of the UFC last fall, Werdum looked impressive in submitting Mike Kyle at the August Strikeforce event. Despite being criticized as a boring fighter, Werdum has won three of his last four bouts which include back to back UFC victories against Brandon Vera and Gabriel Gonzaga. In spite of calling out Fedor Emelianenko after his recent victory, Brett Rogers was given the bout, therefore Werdum will have to wait and will probably fight a different Strikeforce heavyweight in November.
6. Andrei Arlovski (15-7) – After winning five straight bouts, “The Pit-bull” has been dealt back-to-back defeats, albeit to division kings Fedor and Rogers. The knockout artist has struggled over the last year and with the UFC making it clear that they have no interest in the KO artist; he may have to build himself back up through the mid-level ranks.
7. Jeff Monson (31-8) – The rebellious master grappler has kept busy, fighting seven times since this time last year. In this past year, “The Snowman” has defeated the likes of Ricco Rodriguez, Roy Nelson and Sergei Kharitonov. Monson looks to get back into the major MMA promotions soon but must first get by Pedro Rizzo at the September 12 th Bitetti Combat in Brazil.
8. Antonio Silva (12-1) – “Bigfoot” has won five straight since being handed his only career loss, a controversial TKO loss to Eric Pele in 2006 for Bodog Fight. Once an Elite XC heavyweight prospect, Silva now fights mainly in Japan for the Sengoku promotion. The promotion has promised big things for Silva, if he wins against “Big” Jim York on September 23, he will get Josh Barnett in a Sengoku HW title bout.
9. Semmy Schlit (26-14-1) – At 6’11”, “Hightower” is intriguing to watch in action and lately has been efficient as well. He has steadily built a three fight win streak, although the level of his competition has been mid-level. Splitting his time between K-1 and MMA, Schlit will have to fight soon to stay in the rankings. He does not have any MMA bouts scheduled but does have plans to fight in K-1 rules twice in the next two months, beginning with September 26.
10. Paul Buentello (27-10) – One of the few holdovers from the Affliction promotion that hasn’t found a new fighting home. “The Headhunter” is clearly a valuable asset for any promotion, as evidence of his performance in winning 6 of his last 7 fights. In a recent interview, Buentello cited both Strikeforce and the UFC as possibilities.

> Check out all of the 2009 MMA rankings including our pound for pound rankings online provided by ProFighting-fans.com and buy Affliction shirts & apparel!

By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com MMA Staff Writer

More Non-UFC MMA Fighter Rankings:

• Top Light Heavyweights not in the UFC
• Top Middleweights not in the UFC
• Top Welterweights not in the UFC
• Top Lightweights not in the UFC

Past Rankings for the MMA Heavyweights Not in the UFC:

• August 2009 Non-UFC Heavyweight Rankings
• June 2009 Non-UFC Heavyweight Rankings