Top 5 Heavyweights to Never Win a UFC Title

The UFC has hosted some of the greatest heavyweight mixed martial artists in history, but some were never given the chance or were able to capture UFC gold. These are the five greatest heavyweights in history to have never captured a UFC title.

#5 Mark Hunt

Mark Hunt was known as the king of the walk off knock out. His power was extraordinary despite being only 5’ 10”, and broke some of the hardest chins ever seen in the UFC. The “Super Samoan” left legendary fighters in his wake, such as Ben Rothwell, Stefan Struve, Cheick Kongo, Frank Mir, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, Derrick Lewis, and the ultra tough Roy “Big Country” Nelson. Hunt was also the 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion in kickboxing, which gave him an excellent base for mixed martial arts. Despite the fact that he has a 13-14-1 record with one no contest, he will forever be remembered as one of the great UFC heavyweights to ever compete

#4 Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

Whether you know him as "Lil' Nog," "Minotouro," or simply as the younger of the two Nogueira brothers, everyone knew that Antonio Rogerio Nogueira was one of the hardest fights anyone could take. Nogueira was known for his excellent grappling skills and complimented that with ferocious power in his hands. Before arriving in the UFC, he was crowned the inaugural Pride FC Heavyweight Champion, which at the time was seen as the most prestigious mixed martial arts promotion in the world. Despite the fact that he later moved down to Light Heavyweight later in his career, he still left exceptional fighters in his wake such as Rachad Evans, Tito Ortiz, Alistair Overeem, Dan Henderson, and Kazushi Sakuraba. Nogueira will forever go down as one of the greatest heavyweight grapplers and fighters of all time.

#3 Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic

“Right leg hospital, left leg cemetery” was the mantra of the most dangerous strikers in heavyweight history. “Mirko Cro Cop” was given his nickname because he served in the Croatian special forces, and was seen not as another mixed martial artist, but a seasoned killer. He defeated a litany of incredible fighters, such as Muhammad “King Mo” Lewal, Hong Man Choi, Josh Barnett, Wanderlei Silva, Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, Aleksander Emelianenko , and Igor Vovchanchyn. His stoic persona was something that sent chills down the spines of all of his opponents, and is what made him a fighter with an aura that could be felt through one’s television. Despite the fact that he was not able to replicate his dominance in the UFC, similar to many of his Pride FC Alumni, he was still one of the very best fighters who was never able to capture a UFC title.

#2 Alistair Overeem

Despite the failed drug tests, horse meat consumption, and glass chin, no one can deny the greatness of Alistair Overeem. He had some of the most crisp kickboxing in mixed martial arts history, proven by the fact that he was the first fighter to hold world titles in both kickboxing and mixed martial arts. He won the Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship as well as the K-1 Kickboxing World Championship, making him one of the only men to ever achieve such a goal. “The Demolition Man” has left fighters such as Aleksei Oleinik, Sergei Pavlovich, Fabricio Werdum, Mark Hunt, Junior Dos Santos, Andrei Arlovski, Roy Nelson, Frank Mir, Stefan Struve, and Brock Lesnar in his path. Based solely on the fighters he has beaten, he deserves to be on this list, and despite the controversies he has been in he will forever be remembered.

#1 Fedor Emelianenko

To this day, some regard Fedor Emelianenko as the greatest heavyweight fighter in mixed martial arts history. His dominance in Pride FC was something of legend, remaining undefeated during his tenure in the promotion. “The Last Emperor” has left virtually every legendary heavyweight in his wake, such as Mirko Cro Cop, Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia, Mark Hunt, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Kevin Randleman, Mark Coleman, and Chael Sonnen. He is one of the heavyweights one would mention when they talk about having a wholistic skill set, being as lethal on the feet as he was on the ground. He suffered his first loss in Strikeforce against eventual UFC Heavyweight Champion, Fabricio Werdum, but the fact that he made it to 31-0 before he suffered a loss is incredible in its own right. Fans will forever wonder what would have happened if the UFC had been able to sign Emelianenko.