The heavyweight division, as defined by the unified rules of MMA via the Association of Boxing Commissions, consists of fighters who are between 206 and 265 pounds.
Prior to the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board conceiving a set of rules and weight classes in 2000 that became the base of operations we are now familiar with today, MMA was essentially the Wild West when it started out in the 1990s.
From open-weight matches to one-night tournaments, heavyweight fighters and classifications were a common occurrence in MMA’s early days. However, since the early 2000s, the heavyweight classification has largely stayed consistent across major promotions (despite some disarray amongst the lower weight classes).
With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to revisit some of the classics that this iconic division has given us throughout the years by listing my top five heavyweight wars of all time.
As usual, these lists reflect my personal tastes and biases and are not meant to serve as some ultimate authority. That said, I feel very strongly about not only my list but also my honorable mentions at the end – which are more than strong enough to serve as their own top five.
So, without further ado …
5
Randy Couture vs. Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 74: RESPECT (Aug. 25, 2007)
Although there are a ton of choices when it comes to Randy Couture’s catalog, I ended up going with a personal favorite that represents two of “The Natural’s” best traits: clinch fighting and defying the odds.
Randy Couture uses an overtie to kill Gabriel Gonzaga's double collar tie and feeds him an uppercut pic.twitter.com/kLyI0vdVjT
— MixingMartialArts (@RyanAWagMMA) July 13, 2023
When Couture stepped in to defend his title opposite Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 74, he did so at 44 years of age and as a clear underdog.
Even his fans were worried for him going into the bout, but Couture – as he did so many times prior – was able to demonstrate the blueprint for defusing younger, more explosive athletes through smart tactics and an unrelenting will.
15-years-ago today: Randy Couture TKOs Gabriel Gonzaga in a three-round Fight of the Night. Couture became the oldest fighter to ever defend a UFC title at age 44 pic.twitter.com/EnYCbpMqSZ
— Shakiel Mahjouri (@Shak_Fu) August 25, 2022
Couture became the oldest fighter to defend a UFC title that night and still finds himself at the top of the standings for “most wins in heavyweight title bouts” with names like Stipe Miocic beneath his.
4
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Mirko Filipovic at PRIDE: Final Conflict 2003 (Nov. 9, 2003)
When it comes to the David and Goliath dynamic in MMA, the only person who can hold a candle to Couture is none other than Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
And though “Minotauro’s” epic battle with Bob Sapp may come to mind for most of us, his upset win over Mirko Filipovic at PRIDE: Final Conflict 2003 carried all the classic Nogueira tricks and tropes with a huge emotional payoff at the end.
Despite Nogueira being a former heavyweight champion at this point in his career, the Gen Pop of MMA was counting out the Brazilian, listing “Big Nog” as more than a 2-1 underdog.
This may seem strange to some reading this, but you have to keep in mind that Filipovic was still undefeated in MMA at this time, as the hype on “Cro Cop” was reaching a fever pitch.
The fight started as many expected in regard to Filipovic utilizing his footwork and athleticism to keep things standing. This, of course, had Nogueira resorting to some of his classic guard-pulling tactics in order to force a ground fight.
Nogueira failed to get anything meaningful going in the first round, which saw Filipovic land a nasty left high kick on the former champ to close the frame. That said, come round two, it was classic Nogueira.
After taking heavy punishment and a head kick to close the first round, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira comes back to finish Mirko Cro Cop at Pride: Final Conflict 2003 to take the interim heavyweight title.
The size of the Tokyo Dome crowd and the emotion of Big Nog fights… amazing. pic.twitter.com/7RPLd6N9te
— Dan Tom (@DanTomMMA) August 29, 2023
After almost getting finished at the end of the first frame, Nogueira scored a takedown to start the second as he immediately went to work from topside, showing why he was one of the best submission fighters to ever compete at heavyweight.
From setting smart traps to finish top-level fighters to bringing out tears of joy in his fans, watching Nogueria fight was an absolute experience.
3
Daniel Cormier vs. Stipe Miocic 2 at UFC 241 (Aug. 17, 2019)
Notching the number three spot is a heavyweight classic between two championship-level Hall of Famers in Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic.
Cormier was able to take the belt from Miocic a year prior at UFC 226 to become just the second “double-champ” in UFC history. And for the first two rounds and a half rounds or so, history appeared to be repeating itself as Cormier won grappling exchanges and landed the better shots standing.
However, after experiencing some brief success by changing things up toward the end of round three with some takedown looks, Miocic seemingly remembered how to throw body shots come round four and was able to quickly run away with the victory.
Stipe remembering how to throw body shots in R4 and then spamming them is my favorite Miocic moment pic.twitter.com/kewT9el04S
— Scousers_Fan_Club (@CaliforniaChin) August 16, 2022
It may have been a simple adjustment on the surface, but I’m a big fan of bodywork and comebacks alike, and this classic encounter offers all that and more at a fairly breakneck pace for heavyweight.
2
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Mirko Filipovic at PRIDE: Final Conflict 2005 (May 28, 2005)
Even though I could’ve easily put Fedor Emelianenko’s classic battle with Mirko Filipovic at the top of this list, it’ll have to settle for the No. 2 slot.
In what became the blueprint for fighting superior kickers and strikers (both in the ring and the cage), Emelianenko met the oncoming force of Filipovic head on in the Croatian’s strongest phase.
Utilizing heavy pressure and outside-foot awareness, Emelianenko was able to weather some serious storms in order to close down kicking ranges and suffocate striking space.
Fedor Emelianenko vs Mirko Cro Cop
Once In A Lifetimepic.twitter.com/GWPxCgikcs
— Cerebral Vigilante (@Delisketo) May 16, 2023
Similar strategies have been adopted by other Sambo greats like Khabib Nurmagomedov, who demonstrated excellent examples of the principles at hand in his fight with Edson Barboza.
1
Mark Hunt vs. Antonio 'Bigfoot' Silva at UFC Fight Night 33 (Dec. 6, 2013)
Coming in at No. 1 is the unforgettable war that was the first meeting between Mark Hunt and Antonio Silva.
Putting Silva’s post-fight results aside, this fight had everything you could ask for from two men of their size.
Today marks the 9-year anniversary of this LEGENDARY war between Mark Hunt and Bigfoot Silva pic.twitter.com/vcrYpxcQXL
— Shakiel Mahjouri (@Shak_Fu) December 6, 2022
From leg kicks and counters on the feet to jiu-jitsu and ground-and-pound on the floor, these men delivered for 25 minutes Down Under.
This fight, like many on this list, happened during the pinnacle of their late career primes and ended with each man arguably leaving their best on the canvas. It’s important to respect the cost of these encounters as we continue to honor these fighter’s performances.
*Honorable mentions: Don Frye vs. Ken Shamrock at PRIDE 19: Bad Blood; Randy Couture vs. Pedro Rizzo at UFC 31; Andrei Arlovski vs. Travis Browne at UFC 187; Junior Dos Santos vs. Stipe Miocic 1 at UFC on FOX 13; Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Randy Couture at UFC 102.
