# Who is the best UFC heavyweight champion of all time?

> Wrestling pioneers, knockout artists, and modern finishers alike have worn the heavyweight crown, each defining an era of the sport in their own way. Who's your pick?

*By YPB Team · Published July 27, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/who-is-the-best-ufc-heavyweight-champion-of-all-time*

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## Current results (3 votes)

1. **Stipe Miocic** — 66.67% (2 votes · score 1000/1000)
   Held the UFC heavyweight title across two reigns and set the division record for most title defenses.
2. **Jon Jones** — 33.33% (1 votes · score 943/1000)
   Long-reigning light heavyweight champion who moved up to capture UFC heavyweight gold with dominant finishes.
3. **Brock Lesnar** — 0% (0 votes · score 724/1000)
   Former WWE star who won the UFC heavyweight title in just his fourth professional MMA fight.
4. **Mark Coleman** — 0% (0 votes · score 665/1000)
   One of the UFC's first heavyweight champions, a wrestling pioneer known as 'The Hammer.'
5. **Cain Velasquez** — 0% (0 votes · score 517/1000)
   A dominant two-time champion known for relentless pressure and elite wrestling-based grappling.
6. **Randy Couture** — 0% (0 votes · score 517/1000)
   A three-time UFC heavyweight champion nicknamed 'The Natural,' famous for reinventing his career deep into his 40s.
7. **Frank Mir** — 0% (0 votes · score 517/1000)
   An early UFC heavyweight champion celebrated for his dangerous submission grappling skills.
8. **Junior dos Santos** — 0% (0 votes · score 423/1000)
   A powerful Brazilian striker who won the title by knocking out Cain Velasquez in the first round.
9. **Fabricio Werdum** — 0% (0 votes · score 423/1000)
   Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist who submitted Cain Velasquez to become the undisputed heavyweight champion.
10. **Josh Barnett** — 0% (0 votes · score 423/1000)
   A submission specialist who won UFC heavyweight gold with a dominant ground game.
11. **Daniel Cormier** — 0% (0 votes · score 310/1000)
   A two-division champion who added the heavyweight title to his light heavyweight reign with a knockout of Stipe Miocic.
12. **Tim Sylvia** — 0% (0 votes · score 310/1000)
   A two-time UFC heavyweight champion known for his size and reach advantages in the division's early years.
13. **Maurice Smith** — 0% (0 votes · score 310/1000)
   A kickboxing-based champion who proved technical striking could overcome pure wrestling power in the division.
14. **Ricco Rodriguez** — 0% (0 votes · score 310/1000)
   A UFC heavyweight champion known for his jiu-jitsu credentials and come-from-behind finishes.
15. **Francis Ngannou** — 0% (0 votes · score 310/1000)
   Known for the hardest recorded punch in UFC history, he won heavyweight gold with explosive knockout power.
16. **Andrei Arlovski** — 0% (0 votes · score 172/1000)
   A Belarusian striker who held the heavyweight title during the UFC's early 2000s expansion era.
17. **Tom Aspinall** — 0% (0 votes · score 172/1000)
   A modern British heavyweight champion known for his speed and finishing ability uncommon in the division.

Tags: ufc, fighting, mma