Going by FightMatrix, Fedor and Cro Cop are both top 20 heavyweights

[executionermma]

Here is the top 15-20.

Spoiler: The rest of the top 14

1

Daniel Cormier (39) 22-1-0
2467
Last Fight: 11/03/2018 [UFC] vs [#4 HW] Derrick Lewis

2

Stipe Miocic (36) 18-3-0
1477
Last Fight: 7/07/2018 [UFC] vs [#1 HW] Daniel Cormier

3

Francis Ngannou (32) 12-3-0
Last Fight: 11/24/2018 [UFC] vs [#6 HW] Curtis Blaydes
Next Fight: 2/17/2019 [UFC] vs [NR] Cain Velasquez

4

Derrick Lewis (33) 21-6-0
Last Fight: 11/03/2018 [UFC] vs [#1 HW] Daniel Cormier
Next Fight: 3/09/2019 [UFC] vs [#8 HW] Junior dos Santos

5

Ryan Bader (35) 26-5-0
Last Fight: 10/12/2018 [BellatorFC] vs [#13 HW] Matt Mitrione
Next Fight: 1/26/2019 [BellatorFC] vs [#19 HW] Fedor Emelianenko

6

Curtis Blaydes (27) 10-2-0
Last Fight: 11/24/2018 [UFC] vs [#3 HW] Francis Ngannou

7

Alistair Overeem (38) 44-17-0
Last Fight: 11/24/2018 [UFC] vs [#35 HW] Sergei Pavlovich

8

Junior dos Santos (34) 20-5-0
Last Fight: 12/01/2018 [UFC] vs [#20 HW] Tai Tuivasa
Next Fight: 3/09/2019 [UFC] vs [#4 HW] Derrick Lewis

9

Alexander Volkov (30) 30-7-0
Last Fight: 10/06/2018 [UFC] vs [#4 HW] Derrick Lewis

10

Alexey Oleynik (41) 59-11-1
Last Fight: 9/15/2018 [UFC] vs [#12 HW] Mark Hunt

11

Justin Willis (31) 8-1-0
Last Fight: 12/01/2018 [UFC] vs [#12 HW] Mark Hunt

12

Mark Hunt (44) 13-14-1
Last Fight: 12/01/2018 [UFC] vs [#11 HW] Justin Willis

13

Matt Mitrione (40) 13-6-0
Last Fight: 10/12/2018 [BellatorFC] vs [#5 HW] Ryan Bader
Next Fight: 2/15/2019 [BellatorFC] vs [#17 HW] Sergei Kharitonov

14

Cheick Kongo (43) 29-10-2
Last Fight: 10/13/2018 [BellatorFC] vs [#47 HW] Timothy Johnson
Next Fight: 2/16/2019 [BellatorFC] vs [#16 HW] Vitaly Minakov

Fedor and Cro Cop fought nearly 14 years ago. Fedor is now fighting for the Bellator heavyweight title, while Cro Cop is on a 9 fight win streak. They are 42 and 44 years old, respectively. PRIDE never dies, boys.

Also, according to FightMatrix, UFC has under contract only 22 of the top 50 heavyweights.
To put in perspective, UFC has 33 lightweights and 36 welterweights in the top 50 worldwide.
To some extent, it means heavyweight it's the division UFC has been having the most trouble securing top talent.
Most promising prospects are Russian and unfortunately UFC doesn't seem that high on poaching talent from that region. ACA (former ACB) is also doing a great job of scouting there.

 

[Mohawk Banditó]

Is number 1 Lebron?

 

[AFewDollarsMore]

Who's #1, Tim Sylvia?

 

[mayorcrazyeyes]

UFC has all the best fighters. If you arent in the UFC, you arent any good.

 

[Soul On Ice]

HW is trash
Breaking news

 

[bjpenngoat]

If you look at the top 20 hws, 13 of them are late 30s into 40s. Fucking crazy.

 

[tehMoose]

PRIDE HWs >>> UFC HWs

 

[executionermma]

Is number 1 Lebron?

Who's #1, Tim Sylvia?

Added the top 14 in a spoiler.

HW is trash
Breaking news

Sure, but my point, and the interesting thing about this thread, is that as i said it seems that UFC isn't doing everything they could to sign new talent, because it is out there. These 28 heavyweights not in UFC, some of them are promising and interesting.

 

[tenniswhiz]

PRIDE HWs >>> UFC HWs

Thank you, Captain Obvious.

 

[2004 account]

Mma rankings have always been a joke. It's so subjective, it's not precise math so it's hard to conclude positions for fighters.

 

[fractal]

Marcin Tybura above Fedor, Kharitnov and Mirko? Is this a joke?

Is it because he beat the ever so dangerous P4P king Stefan Struve <Lmaoo>

 

[markg171]

Fightmatrix also has Vadim Nemkov as their #2 LHW.

Fightmatrix is and has always been one of the shittiest rankings out there, and tends to be used by fans only when someone wants to say either an irrelevant fighter is highly ranked as no other site ranks them as high as Fightmatrix, or a fighter they dislike is lower ranked there compared to everywhere else. AKA when they're trying to be biased.

 

[ferrisjso]

Fedor's going for a belt in the number 2 promotion. Of course he's in the top 20 of one of the smallest divisions. Thought Cro Cop was on a sick streak in kickboxing though?

 

[NorrinRadd]

UFC has all the best fighters. If you arent in the UFC, you arent any good.

This is false.

More false every day.

 

[executionermma]

Fightmatrix also has Vadim Nemkov as their #2 LHW

Well, considering DC is currently at heavyweight, who you would rank above Nemkov other than Gus? That win over Phil Davis is better than anything Gus did recently by the way..

Fedor's going for a belt in the number 2 promotion. Of course he's in the top 20 of one of the smallest divisions. Thought Cro Cop was on a sick streak in kickboxing though?

Nah, that's his MMA win streak, on RIZIN, he hasn't been competing in KB for a while.

 

[ferrisjso]

Well, considering DC is currently at heavyweight, who you would rank above Nemkov other than Gus? That win over Phil Davis is better than anything Gus did recently by the way..
Nah, that's his MMA win streak, on RIZIN, he hasn't been competing in KB for a while.

Ah. Interesting.

 

[Kinger85]

lol at anyone who tries to use numbers to determine MMA rankings.

 

[Evangelion]

Here is the top 15-20.

Spoiler: The rest of the top 14

1

Daniel Cormier (39) 22-1-0
2467
Last Fight: 11/03/2018 [UFC] vs [#4 HW] Derrick Lewis

2

Stipe Miocic (36) 18-3-0
1477
Last Fight: 7/07/2018 [UFC] vs [#1 HW] Daniel Cormier

3

Francis Ngannou (32) 12-3-0
Last Fight: 11/24/2018 [UFC] vs [#6 HW] Curtis Blaydes
Next Fight: 2/17/2019 [UFC] vs [NR] Cain Velasquez

4

Derrick Lewis (33) 21-6-0
Last Fight: 11/03/2018 [UFC] vs [#1 HW] Daniel Cormier
Next Fight: 3/09/2019 [UFC] vs [#8 HW] Junior dos Santos

5

Ryan Bader (35) 26-5-0
Last Fight: 10/12/2018 [BellatorFC] vs [#13 HW] Matt Mitrione
Next Fight: 1/26/2019 [BellatorFC] vs [#19 HW] Fedor Emelianenko

6

Curtis Blaydes (27) 10-2-0
Last Fight: 11/24/2018 [UFC] vs [#3 HW] Francis Ngannou

7

Alistair Overeem (38) 44-17-0
Last Fight: 11/24/2018 [UFC] vs [#35 HW] Sergei Pavlovich

8

Junior dos Santos (34) 20-5-0
Last Fight: 12/01/2018 [UFC] vs [#20 HW] Tai Tuivasa
Next Fight: 3/09/2019 [UFC] vs [#4 HW] Derrick Lewis

9

Alexander Volkov (30) 30-7-0
Last Fight: 10/06/2018 [UFC] vs [#4 HW] Derrick Lewis

10

Alexey Oleynik (41) 59-11-1
Last Fight: 9/15/2018 [UFC] vs [#12 HW] Mark Hunt

11

Justin Willis (31) 8-1-0
Last Fight: 12/01/2018 [UFC] vs [#12 HW] Mark Hunt

12

Mark Hunt (44) 13-14-1
Last Fight: 12/01/2018 [UFC] vs [#11 HW] Justin Willis

13

Matt Mitrione (40) 13-6-0
Last Fight: 10/12/2018 [BellatorFC] vs [#5 HW] Ryan Bader
Next Fight: 2/15/2019 [BellatorFC] vs [#17 HW] Sergei Kharitonov

14

Cheick Kongo (43) 29-10-2
Last Fight: 10/13/2018 [BellatorFC] vs [#47 HW] Timothy Johnson
Next Fight: 2/16/2019 [BellatorFC] vs [#16 HW] Vitaly Minakov

Fedor and Cro Cop fought nearly 14 years ago. Fedor is now fighting for the Bellator heavyweight title, while Cro Cop is on a 9 fight win streak. They are 42 and 44 years old, respectively. PRIDE never dies, boys.

Also, according to FightMatrix, UFC has under contract only 22 of the top 50 heavyweights.
To put in perspective, UFC has 33 lightweights and 36 welterweights in the top 50 worldwide.
To some extent, it means heavyweight it's the division UFC has been having the most trouble securing top talent.
Most promising prospects are Russian and unfortunately UFC doesn't seem that high on poaching talent from that region. ACA (former ACB) is also doing a great job of scouting there.

I'd agree both guys are top 20. The good HWs in Russia are already making good money and would take entry level contracts. Hence the reason it took so long to sign Pavlovich and the reason he fought Reem in his debut.

 

[AndyHugMercury]

Sad that Tai Tuivasa is considered #20 just for the Arlovski robbery

 

[Ghostoftheville]

Marcin Tybura above Fedor, Kharitnov and Mirko? Is this a joke?

Is it because he beat the ever so dangerous P4P king Stefan Struve <Lmaoo>

and who has Mirko or Fedor beaten worth mentioning in the last 5 years?
Gabriel Gonzaga who retired before coming back for a payday against the other Emelianenko and Frank Mir?