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Heavyweight
1. Francis Ngannou (17-3) | UFC [1]
Ngannou displayed a significant step in his evolution at UFC 270, as he relied on takedowns and positional control to grind out a unanimous decision win over Ciryl Gane to unify the heavyweight title at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. While it wasn’t the most thrilling performance, the effort speaks volumes about Ngannou’s resolve, when in previous fights he struggled to do anything of note when forced to go past the second round. After being sidelined for the remainder of 2022 due to knee surgery, Ngannou was unable to come to terms with the UFC for a deal to defend his heavyweight crown against Jon Jones. As a result, he was stripped of his belt and granted his release, making him one of the most coveted free agents in combat sports.2. Ciryl Gane (11-1) | UFC [2]
After coming up short in his bid to unify the heavyweight belts against Francis Ngannou at UFC 270, Gane rebounded in emphatic fashion with a third-round knockout victory against Tai Tuivasa in the UFC Fight Night 209 headliner at Accor Arena in Paris. Gane was his usual technical self, landing stiff jabs and a variety of kicks to the legs and body virtually at will, but perhaps the most impressive aspect of his latest triumph was his ability to recover after being dropped in Round 2. Following the release of Ngannou due to a contract dispute, Gane will square off against Jon Jones for the vacant heavyweight crown at UFC 285.3. Sergei Pavlovich (17-1) | UFC [3]
Pavlovich authored a frightening performance at UFC on ESPN 42, battering and dropping Tai Tuivasa on multiple occasions en route to a first-round stoppage victory. The Russian has won five straight via knockout or technical knockout since falling to Alistair Overeem in his UFC debut — including wins over Tuivasa and Derrick Lewis in less than a minute apiece. The Eagles MMA representative is as fearsome a finisher as there is in the heavyweight division, and he appears to be knocking on the door of a title shot.4. Tai Tuivasa (14-5) | UFC [4]
In what was billed as a heavyweight slugfest, Tuivasa was overwhelmed by the punching power of Sergei Pavlovich en route to a 54-second knockout loss at UFC on ESPN 42 in Orlando. After compiling a five-bout winning streak from October 2020 to February 2022, “Bam Bam” has suffered back-to-back KO defeats at the hands of Pavlovich and Ciryl Gane. The affable Aussie has proven in the past that he can bounce back from a losing streak, and he figures to remain one of the most popular fighters in the organization regardless of what the future might hold.5. Derrick Lewis (26-10, 1 NC) | UFC [5]
While the stoppage was controversial, Lewis nonetheless was on the wrong end of a first-round technical knockout loss against Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 277 in Dallas. The two-time heavyweight title challenger has lost three of his last four Octagon appearances — all inside the distance. “The Black Beast” was forced to withdraw from a headlining clash against Sergey Spivak at UFC Fight Night 215 due to illness just hours before the bout. The fight with Spivak will now take place on Feb. 46. Curtis Blaydes (17-3, 1 NC) | UFC [6]
For the second consecutive fight, Blaydes faced a rising contender in the heavyweight division at UFC Fight Night 208 in London. Though he was once again victorious, the method was not what “Razor” would have preferred, as the bout ended when Tom Aspinall suffered an apparent knee injury just 15 seconds into Round 1. That unfortunate ending aside, Blaydes is still 7-1 in the UFC’s heavyweight division since 2019 — with his lone loss during that stretch coming via KO against Derrick Lewis.7. Tom Aspinall (12-3) | UFC [7]
Aspinall entered UFC Fight Night 208 with a chance to cement himself as perhaps the top contender in the heavyweight division with a victory over Curtis Blaydes. Instead, a knee injury short-circuited those hopes 15 seconds after the headlining bout began. Not only does Aspinall see an eight-fight professional winning streak—including five victories in UFC competition—come to an end, but he could be facing a lengthy road to recovery before he returns to the Octagon.8. Alexander Volkov (35-10) | UFC [8]
Volkov returned to the win column in emphatic fashion at UFC Fight Night 207, when he dispatched Jairzinho Rozenstruik with power punches 2:12 into the opening round of their heavyweight headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The former Bellator and M-1 Global champion flashed the power in his hands in earning his 23rd career KO/TKO victory, and he maintains his relevance in the division. Volkov has alternated wins and losses in his last four UFC outings, but his two defeats — Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane — have come against two of the top new talents in the weight class.9. Ryan Bader (30-7) | Bellator [9]
It certainly wasn’t pretty, but Bader’s wrestling-heavy approach was plenty effective in propelling him to a five-round verdict over Cheick Kongo in the Bellator 280 main event in Paris. Not only does Bader gain some closure in his rivalry with Kongo after their first meeting ended in a no contest due to an accidental eye poke, but he has two successful heavyweight title defenses to his credit after fending off interim champ Valentin Moldavsky earlier in 2022.Bader will remain at heavyweight for a rematch with Fedor Emelianenko in the Russian’s farewell bout at Bellator 290 on Feb. 4.10. Marcin Tybura (23-7) | UFC [10]
Tybura ended Alexander Romanov’s 16-fight unbeaten run, winning a majority decision against the Moldovan at UFC 278 on Aug. 20. The former M-1 Global champion bounces back from a decision defeat to Alexander Volkov at UFC 267 and has won six of his last seven promotional appearances overall. It’s been quite the turnaround for the Pole, who once lost four of five in UFC competition from November 2017 to September 2019. His next assignment comes against Blagoy Ivanov at UFC Fight Night 218.Other Contenders: Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Valentin Moldavsky, Philip De Fries, Sergey Spivak, Chris Daukaus.
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