The list below was compiled by MMAviewers.com.

Karlos Vemola

Within the past 2 or 3 years, the heavyweight division in mixed martial arts (mma) has had a rebirth of a sort. During the quiet years of mixed martial arts, it appeared that it wasn’t as many talented fighters  in comparison to today’s numbers.  And with that, the talent pool was hit and miss, especially in the big boy division. There simply wasn’t any true heavyweight that was able to garner the attention of the casual fan, which is the fanbase that has recently fueled the rebirth of mma.  And as we’ve seen with boxing, if there’s not one or two dominating and well-known heavyweights, the entire sport seems to border on the realm of obscurity to the general masses.

This is a comprehensive list of up and coming heavyweights from around the world.  Also within this list are those heavyweight mixed martial arts fighters who may not be well known to the casual mma fan.  So, fighters that have fight experience as well as being relatively known amongst the American fanbase such as a Fabricio Werdum, Roy Nelson,& Ben Rothwell….to name a few, aren’t included in this list.

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MMA’s Top 25 Unknown & Up and Coming Heavyweights

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There are a few fighters that can be held responsible for pumping life back into the heavyweight division as of recent years. Arguably one of the best heavyweights ever, Fedor Emelianenko(31-1) of Russia, has been at the top of this list for a few years now, even with the air of unfamiliarity that accompanies him. No one has been able to sufficiently beat him, minus a disqualification. His mystique comes from fighting primarily outside of the US in Japan and other international locations. Whether you like Fedor or not, you want to tune in to see what the hype is all about; or perhaps, you want to witness Fedor’s first real lost in mma.  He has dominated the majority of his opponent with an elite level of submission wrestling and intelligence that’s isn’t always seen amongst the heavyweight fighters.

Randy Couture (46), in 2007 reinvigorated the UFC and the heavyweight division when he defeated champ Tim Sylvia to regain the title he once had 7 years prior.  He was 44 years of age at the time.  Couture is a 4 time UFC heavyweight champion.   Couture is arguably the most revered American mma fighter amongst the loyal mma fanbase. And this is in part due to his lunch bucket mentality as well as his longevity.

No longer can the talents in the heavyweight division be overlooked.  One of the most top tier grappling talents is Frank Mir, another big guy.  Mir, a former UFC champion is 1-1 against Brock Lesnar, and is looking for a rubber match.  Lesnar knocked out Mir in their last bout. And in Lesnar’s very brief mma career, he has brought in an array of differing viewers from his days as an entertainment wrestler.  There’s no denying the fan appeal that Lesnar has added to the mma world!

Mariusz Pudzianowski

This list entails a variant of talents and skill sets.  There’s the guy who beat last beat Fedor, Blagoi Ivanov, which was in a Sambo fighting style event….to win Gold from the 4-time champion of the event.  And you have Marius Pudzianowski, The Polish Muscle, who’s known as the Strongest Man In The World.  That alone is scary, however,  He has some mma skills; he’s quick, aggressive, and athletic, and is trained in Kyokushin kaikan karate and was an amateur boxer.  Lavar Johnson, a guy with pure one punch knockout power, was shot earlier this year at a family reunion in which one other person was killed by a 15 year old girl.  He’s expected to fight again in 2010.

The UK faithful are already calling Vemola a legend, with just 6 fights under his belt.  This guys act is to walk into the cage and walk right up to his opponent and snarl nose to nose, then turns  his back in pure disregard for his opponent…all before the fight begins.    And is the Filipino-American Shane Del Rosario the best American Heavyweight prospect to date?  Time will tell.  King Mo continues to look impressive.   Of the quickest knockout in UFC history belongs to Todd Duffee, another muscle bound fighter.  And then there’s all the talented and elite and top tier heavyweight Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu masters in Roger and Rolles Gracie, and Alexander Ribeiro.  And lastly, Kimbo Slice makes this impressive international list, simply from the standpoint of pure grit and knockout power.

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