5 best UFC heavyweights of all time - Stipe Miocic, Francis Ngannou, and more

The UFC’s heavyweight division has always been one of the most popular in the promotion, with the big men renowned for landing nasty knockouts and producing exciting fights.

Over the years we’ve seen some truly great heavyweights grace the octagon, but who stands above the rest as the best in UFC history? With a total of 20 champions to choose from, it’s difficult to whittle the list down to five, but there are definitely a few standouts.

Here are the five best UFC heavyweights of all time.

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#5. Frank Mir – former UFC heavyweight champion

Frank Mir's submission skills turned him into a legend [Image Credit: @thefrankmir on Instagram]

It’s unfortunate that Frank Mir’s only reign as undisputed UFC heavyweight champion was cruelly cut short when he was involved in a motorcycle accident that nearly ended his career.

Had he not suffered such a devastating injury, it’s hard to tell where he might rank on a list like this. As it is, his overall accomplishments, particularly his list of victims, land him a spot here.

Mir’s initial run to the top saw him hyped as the best submission-oriented heavyweight in the promotion, and he proved that when he snapped Tim Sylvia’s arm to claim the title in the summer of 2004.

When he returned following his injury in 2006, he didn’t look like the same fighter at all, suffering a handful of bad defeats. However, a thrilling tap-out of Brock Lesnar in early 2008 got him back on track, and he ended that year by beating the legendary Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira to claim an interim title.

Mir suffered a loss to Lesnar in their rematch, ending his hopes of becoming undisputed champion again. However, he continued to fight at the top for the best part of another decade, beating the likes of Cheick Kongo, Mirko Cro Cop, Roy Nelson, and Antonio Silva along the way.

While he also suffered his fair share of losses, Mir’s longevity, list of opponents he beat, and entertaining fighting style land him a spot on this list above the likes of Lesnar, Fabricio Werdum and Junior dos Santos.

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#4. Cain Velasquez – former UFC heavyweight champion

Cain Velasquez is probably the most talented heavyweight ever [Image Credit: @officialcainvelasquez on Instagram]

In terms of pure talent, it’s arguable that there is no better heavyweight in UFC history than Cain Velasquez. At his peak, the two-time champion possessed unbelievable wrestling skills, looked like a high-end kickboxer on the feet, and had unmatched cardio, too.

Velasquez actually joined the roster in early 2008 after just two professional fights. The word was that nobody would sign to fight him, and all it took was Dana White witnessing him training to sign him to a contract.

From there, he skyrocketed up the ranks, destroying everyone in his path, from Ben Rothwell to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira before smashing Brock Lesnar to claim the heavyweight title in late 2010.

Unfortunately, the bane of his career – injuries – then struck. Velasquez spent a year on the shelf with a shoulder injury, and then suffered the first defeat of his career, losing his title to Junior dos Santos.

A year later, he regained the title from ‘JDS’ in a career-best performance, and then dismantled him in their trilogy bout too, cementing himself as the best heavyweight of his generation.

However, Velasquez could never quite stay healthy. A litany of injuries wrecked his body over the next couple of years. After he lost his title to Fabricio Werdum in an upset in 2015, his run was essentially over.

At his peak, though, Velasquez was basically untouchable, and there’s no doubt he belongs on any list of great heavyweights.

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#3. Francis Ngannou – former UFC heavyweight champion

Francis Ngannou beat a number of legends during his octagon career [Image Credit: @francisngannou on Instagram]

Currently the talk of the combat sports world following his boxing match with Tyson Fury this past weekend, there’s no doubt that Francis Ngannou belongs on any list of great UFC heavyweights.

‘The Predator’ claimed the heavyweight title in 2021, and while his reign didn’t exactly go to plan, his list of victims almost stands alone in terms of the number of fellow greats he beat.

Ngannou burst onto the scene back in late 2015 and immediately began to cut a path of destruction through the rest of the division. He shot up the rankings, and going into 2018, he had knocked out a pair of legends in Andrei Arlovski and Alistair Overeem to cement himself as a title contender.

2018 turned out to be a bad year for him as he suffered disappointing losses to Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis. However, he bounced back quickly, smashing his way through former champions Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos to climb back up the ladder.

2021 saw ‘The Predator’ avenge that loss to Miocic by knocking him out brutally, and a year later he defeated interim champion Ciryl Gane, surprisingly using his wrestling to outwork the Frenchman.

A contract dispute saw Ngannou depart the promotion earlier this year without losing his title, denting his octagon legacy somewhat. However, based on his unparalleled knockout power, and his victories over a number of other legendary heavyweights, he definitely belongs here.

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#2. Randy Couture – former UFC heavyweight champion

Randy Couture remains a legend of the octagon [Image Credit: @xcnatch on Instagram]

As the only fighter in UFC history to hold the heavyweight title on three separate occasions over a period of nearly a decade, Randy Couture clearly warrants a spot on this list.

‘The Natural’ is persona non grata with the promotion today, of course, thanks to a couple of nasty contract disputes that saw him eventually depart for good in 2013.

It’s impossible to play down his accomplishments when he was on the roster, though. After debuting back in 1997, Couture made his name by becoming the first man to beat Vitor Belfort, who was at the time seen as unstoppable.

Couture’s brand of top-class Greco-Roman wrestling and an underrated boxing game made him a nightmare opponent for most heavyweights, despite ‘The Natural’ not being a huge man in his own right.

He claimed the heavyweight title for the first time in 1999, outpointing kickboxer Maurice Smith, and after leaving for Japan for a year, returned to claim his crown back from Kevin Randleman in what was a major upset.

When the 38-year old Couture lost his title to Josh Barnett in 2002, it looked like his time at the top of the sport was largely over. Remarkably, though, it was only just beginning.

After stunning everyone by claiming gold at 205 pounds at the age of 40 in 2003, ‘The Natural’ went one better when he returned from retirement in 2007 – at the age of 43 – to down Tim Sylvia and win the heavyweight title for a third time.

While he lost his title to Brock Lesnar – after another contract dispute – in 2008, ‘The Natural’ continued to compete at the very top until his eventual 2011 retirement.

Given the nature of MMA, to see a fighter in his mid-40’s continue to dominate remains astonishing over a decade later, marking out Randy Couture as one of the all-time best heavyweights.

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#1. Stipe Miocic – former UFC heavyweight champion

Stipe Miocic remains the UFC's heavyweight GOAT [Image Credit: @stipemiocic on Instagram]

While 20 fighters have claimed the UFC heavyweight title in some iteration, actually holding onto it and defending it successfully has proven trickier for most of them.

Even legends like Randy Couture and Cain Velasquez only managed a couple of successful defenses before they were unseated at the top.

That’s why Stipe Miocic, who held the title twice between 2016 and 2021 and made a record four combined successful defenses, remains the best heavyweight in octagon history.

Never a flashy fighter, Miocic’s climb to the top saw him overcome the likes of Roy Nelson and Andrei Arlovski, but his title shot actually came on late notice as a replacement for Velasquez.

The native of Ohio shocked the world by knocking out champion Fabricio Werdum to win the title, and then defended it successfully on three occasions. He beat Alistair Overeem, Junior dos Santos and Francis Ngannou before Daniel Cormier upset him to claim the title in 2018.

However, Miocic then returned a year later, beat Cormier in a rematch and then reeled off his fourth successful defense in their trilogy bout.

2021 saw Miocic fall to Ngannou in their second meeting, and he has not fought since, although he is expected to challenge current champ Jon Jones for the title next year.

If he can defeat ‘Bones’ and regain the crown, then he’ll basically be untouchable at the top of this list. Even without this, Miocic remains the best heavyweight in UFC history.