Heavyweight Rankings - Outside the UFC

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

Pro Fighting Fans MMA staff writer Nick Russell takes a look at the Top 5 MMA heavyweights outside of the UFC.

1. Fedor Emelianenko (30-1) – It looks likely that Fedor will remain outside of the UFC; at least as long as M-1 insists they co-promote the event. Anyway, Fedor has dominated for almost a decade now and doesn’t seem to be slowing at all. He hasn’t lost in 27 straight fights dating back to December 2000. Just find him a fight already, you can’t be on top forever and not fight.
2. Josh Barnett (24-5) – After failing two steroid screenings in a row, it’s hard to imagine Barnett getting a job in the States; lucky for him there is Japan. During his four-fight win streak Barnett hasn’t exactly been defeating top-five talent, earning consecutive wins over Yoshida, Monson, Rizzo, and Yvel. He may get to test himself against Fedor at some point, just not this month.
3. Brett Rogers (10-0) – The Team Bison fighter has stopped all ten of his opponents, knocking out 9 and submitting one. He passed his most recent test in June, knocking former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski out cold in 22 seconds. Next Strikeforce fight should be against a top heavyweight, possibly champion Alistair Overeem.
4. Alistair Overeem (29-11) – The “Demolition Man” hasn’t lost a fight since September 2007. He has finished four of his five opponents since then; the exception was a ‘No Contest’ to Mirko "Cro Cop," a fight in which he dominated with striking. The Golden Glory product was to defend his Strikeforce title against Fabricio Werdum but had to bail out with a lingering hand injury.
5. Andrei Arlovski (15-7) – The “Pit-Bull” is coming off a back to back brutal knockout losses to Brett Rogers and Fedor. Training with boxing guru Freddie Roach can’t hurt his already potent striking game; causing many think he may try his hand in boxing. He was not picked up when Affliction was bought out in July.
6. Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1) – He belongs in the top-five based on the level of his opponents, but he hasn’t had the best luck as of late despite never shying away from a tough fight. In 2008 he won back-to-back fights against Gabriel Gonzaga and Brandon Vera but was knocked out by Junior dos Santos in devastating fashion later in the year. In 2009, he signed with an upgraded version of Strikeforce and was scheduled to fight for their heavyweight title until Alistair Overeem pulled out with a hand injury.
7. Jeff Monson (31-8) – “The Snowman,” one of American Top Team’s best heavyweights, has won seven in a row, dating back to September 2008. Included in his most recent streak, Ricco Rodriguez, Roy Nelson, and Mark Kerr have all been defeated by Monson. He has two bouts on his upcoming schedule, Tony Sylvester in August and Pedro Rizzo in September.
8. Antonio Silva (12-1) – Another ATT fighter, Silva has stopped 11 of his 13 total opponents. The 6 foot 4 inch, 300 pound giant’s only loss was a controversial TKO by Eric Pele in December 2006 for Bodog Fight. Since that loss, Silva has won five in a row, of which four have been for the now defunct Elite XC. He currently fights for Sengoku and has been quoted as wanting to take on Josh Barnett.
9. Gilbert Yvel (36-13-1) – “The Hurricane” has been victorious in 8 of his last 9 bouts, losing only to Josh Barnett for Affliction. Although known as a dirty fighter, Yvel is dangerous with extremely heavy hands. He owns victories against UFC’s Cheick Kongo, as well as former UFC fighters Gary Goodridge and Semmy Schlit. He was scheduled to take on Paul Buentello at Affliction: Trilogy before the event was cancelled.
10. Semmy Schlit (26-14-1) – Although he splits his time between MMA and K-1 rules fighting, Schlit has been somewhat of a threat by winning 4 of his last 5 MMA bouts. The PRIDE, Pancrase and UFC veteran made his debut almost 13 years ago. He most recently submitted Mighty Mo last December at a K-1 MMA event.

> 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 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