UFC's most dominant heavyweight ever hasn't even fought for the title

Being the heavyweight champion has to beryllium the astir chest-thumping acquisition imaginable for a fighter, if for nary different crushed than that the rubric comes with the swaggering nickname "baddest antheral connected the planet."

That glorifying designation archetypal surfaced wide successful boxing successful the precocious 1980s during the heavyweight title reign of Mike Tyson. His aggression, punching powerfulness and spine-chilling demeanor near opponents defeated by intimidation arsenic overmuch arsenic fisticuffs. No 1 since has duplicated his fearsome aura successful boxing, and the "baddest man" moniker has fundamentally shifted to MMA, a athletics with a broader assortment of combat engagement than thing the Marquess of Queensberry ever envisioned. Just inquire three-weight boxing champion James Toney, who was taken disconnected his feet with easiness by Randy Couture wrong 18 seconds and beaten down for the duration of their one-sided 2010 UFC fight.

When an MMA heavyweight gains designation arsenic the "baddest antheral connected the planet," it's often an outgrowth of the communicative down however helium won the championship. Francis Ngannou captured the UFC loop successful 2021 by knocking retired Stipe Miocic, whose 3 rubric defenses established a heavyweight grounds that inactive stands. Miocic archetypal won the rubric successful 2016 by knocking retired Fabricio Werdum, who earlier had secured a spot of grant successful the sport's annals by finishing 2 of the top ever, Fedor Emelianenko and Cain Velasquez. Velasquez, whose multifaceted accomplishment acceptable and revving motor made him dissimilar immoderate erstwhile heavyweight, became UFC champion successful 2010 with an iconic wrecking of the seemingly indestructible Brock Lesnar.

Contrast those splashy ascents to the apical of the upland with the unimpeded emergence of the existent proprietor of the UFC heavyweight belt, Tom Aspinall. Whereas Ngannou, Miocic and galore different greats established their supremacy with connection victories, Aspinall did not dethrone a reigning champion to summation the title. The UFC simply elevated him from interim champion to undisputed champ 4 months agone to capable a vacancy near by the status of Jon Jones.

Aspinall volition support the loop for the archetypal clip connected Saturday, facing third-time rubric challenger Ciryl Gane astatine UFC 321 successful Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (2 p.m. ET connected ESPN PPV, prelims astatine 10 a.m. connected ESPN+). But adjacent earlier the caller champion steps wrong the Octagon this weekend, here's thing indispensable to cognize astir him: Aspinall has already established himself arsenic the astir ascendant heavyweight successful MMA history.

If that sounds premature oregon adjacent preposterous, see that this is not a proclamation that Aspinall (15-3) is the top heavyweight ever. That's an grant mostly bestowed upon Emelianenko, who amassed a 29-fight unbeaten streak that extended for astir the full archetypal decennary of the 2000s.

Aspinall is not MMA's astir accomplished heavyweight, either. There's a beardown statement determination for Miocic, who defended the UFC rubric much than anyone other and owns the heavyweight grounds with six rubric combat wins. Perhaps the astir accomplished is Couture, the lone combatant to reign 3 times arsenic UFC heavyweight champion.

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