Interim Epidemic: A History of Heavyweight Placeholders

Few could hold a candle to Shane Carwin’s punching power. | Photo: Sherdog.com

UFC 111 “St. Pierre vs. Hardy”
March 27, 2010 | Newark, N.J.
Shane Carwin def. Frank Mir -- KO (Punches) 3:48 R1
HOW WE GOT THERE: A year after Mir wrested the interim belt from Nogeuira, he received a sound beatdown at the hands of Lesnar, who then became the undisputed champion. Meanwhile, undefeated up-and-comer Carwin started making ripples of his own in the heavyweight pool, reeling off three knockout wins in a total of 3:24. Likely due to Carwin’s imposing physicality, he leapfrogged fellow undefeated prospect Cain Velasquez for a shot at Lesnar. Understandable hype followed, with the biggest of the big men slated to square off in the most titanic matchup in heavyweight history. It is probably in poor taste to jest about Lesnar’s intestinal fortitude at the time, so let us transplant metaphors and say that diverticulitis became the iceberg that sunk the matchup -- at least momentarily. Thus, the door opened for another interim champion to be crowned.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT: A familiar face popped up in Lesnar’s absence. No, not Sylvia. Mir, who appeared unfazed by his TKO loss to Lesnar, dropped and choked one-dimensional enforcer Cheick Kongo in a minute to throw himself back into the title picture. Naturally, he leaped at the opportunity to showcase his continuing evolution against an equally massive opponent as Lesnar. Unfortunately for the submission standout, Carwin made quicker work of him than Lesnar did, dispatching him with punches halfway through the first round of their encounter. It had been 259 days since Lesnar’s unification win against Mir and the UFC’s decision to institute yet another interim champion.

UNDISPUTED: Carwin enjoyed a short-lived tenure as the division’s interim titleholder, eventually becoming the final victim of Lesnar’s championship reign. The behemoth fought once more, losing to future champion Junior dos Santos before injuries forced him to call it quits.

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CONCLUSION: A curious trend appears when we look back at the heavyweight division’s unprecedented interim spree: The same names make several appearances. One can look at that and say, like the other divisions, there are just a few fighters who consistently stay ahead of the rest of the pack, that by virtue of their talent alone the Sylvias and Mirs stayed relevant amidst the changing tides of the division. To be sure, no one is questioning their abilities. However, that seems like a shaky foundation to explain the preponderance of interim champions in the heavyweight division.

The alternative interpretation would be that the heavyweight division is painfully thin and has been for quite some time. To compound that problem, there has never been a long-term dominant champion in the modern era, unlike every single division beneath it. The middleweight division has been historically thin, as well, but the singular greatness of Anderson Silva and the effective hype machine of UFC advertising kept it afloat without the need of an interim introduction. Combined with the fact that heavyweight headliners are the biggest pay-per-view draws and championship fights are equally important for casual fan interest -- the sorely needed demographic that makes the difference between an average buy rate and a blockbuster -- it makes sense why there have been so many heavyweight interim champs.

The fact is Werdum is the first interim champion resulting from a normal injury to the undisputed boss. Mir’s motorcycle accident and Lesnar’s intestinal condition are far from common fighter afflictions. Thus, the intuitive hypothesis, that bigger fighters are simply more prone to injury, does not hold up to analysis. What is clear is that the UFC has little patience for a sidelined heavyweight champion -- and for good reason; wallets open in droves to watch the big boys throw down, and even a contrived championship is still a championship.

If anything, the UFC waited longer -- a total of 392 days -- before calling in the interim reinforcements this time around. Perhaps it is a good sign, as maybe the UFC is not in as much of a rush to slap together a gimmick championship bout as it used to be; or perhaps it is business as usual, with the company having a few more names with which to play. Either way, the MMA world will be watching.