Velasquez was a dominant force in the division for the next five years, defending the belt three times in total as well as losing it to Junior Dos Santos in 2011 before reclaiming it. Velasquez produced a ferocious display of striking, leading to a first round TKO and a new heavyweight champion. Lesnar’s third title defence was against Mexican-American Cain Velasquez at UFC 121 in 2010. Lesnar’s reign as heavyweight champion was badly dogged by illness and injury, leading to him defending his belt just twice between 20. Lesnar beat Couture via TKO in the second round and just like that, Couture had lost the belt for the third and final time. Despite losing his debut fight in 2007, Lesnar won his next match and earned a shot at the heavyweight title. Lesnar was already a star in WWE wrestling, and his move to the UFC generated a lot of hype. Despite his time away form the octagon, Couture won the fight by unanimous decision.Īt 43 Randy Couture became the oldest UFC champion in history.Ĭouture defended his belt twice more before fighting Brock Lesnar at UFC 91. The fight took place at UFC 68 in 2007, with Couture putting on a dominant display of both striking and wrestling. Rodriguez in turn lost the title in his first defence, to Tim Sylvia, who began a rivalry with Andrei Arlovski form Belarus at the top of the heavyweight division, with neither man able to hold onto the title for more than a couple of fights.Īfter losing and regaining the title from Arlovski, it was announced that Sylvia would defend his belt against Couture who was returning from retirement in a bid to regain the title for the third time. He successfully defended his belt twice in the coming year, as well as losing a fight to Josh Barnett only for the result to be overturned due to the challenger’s steroid use.Ĭouture finally lost the title for the second time in a gruelling five-round encounter against Ricco Rodriguez at UFC 39 in 2002. Couture won by TKO in the third round to begin his second spell as heavyweight champion. Kevin Randleman eventually won the title and held it until 2000, when Couture was offered the chance to return to the UFC to take a shot at his previous title. He had the title stripped when he signed with a rival MMA company. Mark Coleman was the first holder of the UFC heavyweight title in 1997, before it changed hands twice in the same year, first to Maurice Smith and then Randy Couture.Ĭouture would go on to have a storied career in the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions, becoming one of only six men to hold titles in two separate classes.Ĭouture’s first reign as heavyweight champion was short-lived however. Here are the main things to know about the heavyweight class: Fighters in the UFC’s heavyweight division are the biggest and strongest in the sport.Īmong other things, these seriously heavy athletes are less durable than the wiry lower-weight athletes over time, which is partly why we have seen the heavyweight title change hands so many times.
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Check out UFC Rankings Men and Women’s Pound-for-Pound.Ĭlick here for our in-depth strategy guide for how to bet on the UFC. Keep reading for in-depth info on every UFC weight class from heaviest to lightest. You should know what styles of fighting are most common in each class and the most common reasons for stoppages.Įach weight class has its own distinct qualities and the better you understand them, the more likely you are to win your bets. If a fighter moves up to an unfamiliar class to fight his next opponent, you should be aware of it. Keeping an eye on weight classes is essential to maximize your betting profits.
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