Top 10 Greatest Heavyweight MMA Fighters of All Time
It's the most brutal chess match you'll ever watch. Two giants locked in a cage, looking to rearrange each other's jawlines while avoiding having their lights switched off. Heavyweight MMA is a different beast. One punch can end a fight. One takedown can flatten a career. And the legends who've survived, thrived, and bulldozed through this division? They're made of something else entirely.You're not just picking your favorites here. You're weighing knockouts that echoed across arenas, title reigns that felt more like hostage situations, and fighters who didn't just beat the best. They scared them. Some ruled with cold precision. Others with chaos in their eyes and dynamite in their fists. A few came out of nowhere, steamrolled names you thought untouchable, then vanished just as fast.
So throw your vote behind the ones who raised the bar. And often the blood pressure of anyone watching.
Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenko (born September 28, 1976) is a Russian heavyweight mixed martial artist, sambist, and judoka. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight fighters in MMA history and held an undefeated streak from 2000 to 2010. He retired from competition on February 4, 2023,... read more I think he has the best instinct in combat sports. We saw it, for example, in the Randleman fight, where he made the right decisions in a situation most people wouldn't survive.
Greatest MMA heavyweight of all time. No debate. No one else is even close. Ten years, 32-fight win streak. RINGS, PRIDE, and AFFLICTION heavyweight champion. No heavyweight will dominate for ten years across three organizations the way he did.
The only fight he lost was his first-ever fight, but he beat that opponent later in his career. I am an MMA fanatic and absolutely no one can beat him. His record is 47-0 and he is still fighting in Strikeforce. Stop hating!
A deserved third place on this list. He will be remembered as one of the most explosive fighters in heavyweight history and surely as the best striker in heavyweight history.
What is Lesnar doing at number two? Mirko would kick his head off his shoulders!
Ends most of his fights in knockouts and has been in many MMA battles.
Brock Edward Lesnar (born July 12, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler, football player, and mixed martial artist who is currently signed to WWE. He first gained prominence as the youngest WWE Champion in history after winning the title in 2002. He later became the... read more Freak of nature. The UFC has not found another heavyweight who is as agile, intimidating, and a crowd puller as him.
The current UFC heavyweight champion and seems impossible to defeat at this time.
He has kicked Goldberg's ass down and now he will destroy everyone in MMA.
Cain Ramírez Velásquez is an American former mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. He is best known for being a two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion and has also competed in WWE. In March 2025, he was sentenced to five years in prison and four years of supervised probation in connection with... read more Injuries and long layoffs have played a significant role in Cain's fighting career. If it weren't for those setbacks, Cain would have easily established himself as the greatest heavyweight fighter in MMA. He might even be the best MMA fighter ever.
It was the high altitude conditions that caused Cain to lose to Fabricio Werdum. Watch what happens when the rematch takes place elsewhere.
Laugh out loud! You don't know who Cain Velasquez is? He defeated Lesnar, Dos Santos, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira!
Fabrício Werdum is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and a former UFC Heavyweight Champion. He won the title in 2015 by defeating Cain Velasquez at UFC 188. Werdum has also competed in other major organizations, including PRIDE, Strikeforce, and the Professional Fighters League. Why isn't he number one? He schooled Cain Velasquez for the heavyweight title and made Fedor submit.
Should be number one. Beat Fedor and Cain Velasquez and, at the moment, is the UFC heavyweight champion.
Randall "Randy" Duane Couture (born June 22, 1963) is an American actor and retired mixed martial artist. He was a six-time UFC champion, winning the Heavyweight Championship three times and the Light Heavyweight Championship twice, along with an Interim Light Heavyweight title. Couture was inducted... read more He's one of the most respected fighters on the planet. The guy has so much respect to add to his amazing fight resume.
Has held multiple titles in the UFC and has been around for a long time.
Stipe Miocic, born on August 19, 1982, is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion and holds the record for most wins in heavyweight title fights, with four successful defenses. He retired in November... read more If he can continue his title defenses to include N'Gannou and Velasquez, he will be number one of all time.
Alistair Cees Overeem is a Dutch mixed martial artist and former kickboxer. He has competed in major organizations such as UFC, Strikeforce, Pride, and K‑1. Overeem is known for holding titles in multiple promotions, including being the former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion and the K‑1 World Grand... read more The greatest striker in the division right now. He has beaten six former champions. The term reigns supreme.
Daniel DeWayne Severn (born June 8, 1958), nicknamed "The Beast," is an American retired professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, and amateur wrestler... read more Dan "The Beast" Severn is so underrated. He should be at least in the top five.
The Newcomers
Big Nog should be at number two, second only to Fedor. It's a joke having Lesnar at number two when he shouldn't even be on this list.
Legendary. His wins over Bob Sapp and Mirko Cro Cop showed the greatest heart in MMA history. Having Lesnar ranked ahead of Minotauro is a joke in very bad taste.
He fought so many wars and was the only fighter to hold both PRIDE and UFC heavyweight titles. Enough said.
Shattered Cro Cop, and all of his past victories have been exceptional.
When Gonzaga knocked out Cro Cop, it sent chills down my spine. That was the ugliest, most devastating knockout ever. Not only did Cro Cop get knocked out cold, but he also broke his leg on the way down. Ouch.
Andrei Valeryevich Arlovski, nicknamed The Pit Bull, is a Belarusian mixed martial artist, actor and former UFC Heavyweight Champion, currently competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A multiple-time UFC champion who has defeated many greats.
Junior dos Santos (born January 30, 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and former UFC Heavyweight Champion. He held the title from 2011 to 2012 after defeating Cain Velasquez and has since continued competing in various MMA promotions. Dos Santos remains a prominent figure in heavyweight MMA... read more Should be higher. Top heavyweight fighters are: Fedor, Stipe, Cain, Randy, Mirko, Antonio, Junior, and Dan. Maybe I've forgotten some guys.
The best boxer in the history of heavyweight MMA. Enough said.
Daniel Ryan Cormier is an American former Olympic freestyle wrestler and mixed martial artist. He represented the United States in wrestling at the 2004 Summer Olympics, finishing fourth in his weight class. Cormier later became a two-division champion in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and was inducted... read moreThis guy is 250+ lbs, yet fights like a featherweight. He brought the word "submission" to the heavyweight world. He made Lesnar tap and made Abbott tap. It is truly unfortunate what happened to him. I hope he fully recovers one day.
Great submission expert and has done what others have yet to do: defeat Lesnar. A former two-time UFC heavyweight champion.
Joshua Lawrence Barnett is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler who competes in the heavyweight division of the UFC where he is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion.
Vítor Vieira Belfort is a Brazilian-American former professional mixed martial artist and boxer. He was the UFC 12 Heavyweight Tournament Champion and a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. In June 2025, Belfort was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in the Pioneer Wing. Heavyweight tournament winner in the older UFC and a living legend. Defeated Couture.
A former UFC champion who ripped through most of his competition very well.
Mark Richard Hunt is a New Zealand mixed martial artist and former kickboxer of Samoan descent, currently living in Sydney, Australia. Hunt competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and was the winner of the 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix.