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At UFC 230, UFC Heavyweight Champion, Daniel Cormier will defend his crown for the first time against number one contender, Derrick Lewis.
Veteran Cormier is new to Heavyweight and will be towered over and outweighed by Lewis in a very intriguing encounter.
Cormier had long been rumored to defend the strap versus former Champion, Brock Lesnar following their unforgettable post-match encounter at UFC 226 following Cormier's win over Stipe Miocic ending Miocic's reign (the most successful Heavyweight Championship reign in history) as Champion.
Should Cormier be victorious in both those fights then he would be listed on this slideshow near the top of the list as one of the greatest Heavyweight Champions of all time as well as one of the best ever Light-Heavyweights in UFC history.
The UFC Heavyweight Championship dates back to February 7, 1997 when Mark Coleman became the first ever UFC Champion at UFC 12 when as the reigning UFC Tournament Champion, having been victorious at UFC 10 and UFC 11, he defeated Superfight Champion, Dan Severn to unify the belts.
Coleman who at that point in his career was undefeated was expected to enjoy a long reign but was shockingly defeated by former Kickboxer, Maurice Smith.
From there the title quickly bounced around different fighters Randy Couture to Bas Rutten to Kevin Randleman, only being defended once successfully in that run, before finding more stability when Couture regained the title and twice successfully defended the belt.
The title has been held by 16 different men in total during it's 21 year existence each to varying degrees of success.
In this slideshow SK reviews the five best UFC Heavyweight Champions in the history of their promotion, looking at their levels of success as Champion.
#5 Brock Lesnar
One Reigns
Two Defences
UFC fans were dismayed when former WWE and New Japan Wrestling World Champion, Brock Lesnar stepped foot inside the Octagon for the first time at UFC 81 on February 2, 2008.
Lesnar was perceived as a "fake fighting" Champion and not worth a spot in the MMA powerhouse among athletes who had been competing legitimately for their entire lives.
That was an oversimplification of a viewpoint with Lesnar having a long background in amateur wrestling as a former NCAA Division 1 Champion (a very prestigious honour in amateur wrestling circles) which spoke volumes about his fighting capabilities.
Another knock against Lesnar was that he had only had one MMA fight upon his signing with UFC and was vastly more inexperienced then the rest of the roster. That was a legitimate complaint, however MMA like any sport is a business first and foremost and like it or not, Lesnar brought many more eyes to the product that many of it's more established stars.
Lesnar's UFC debut did not go to plan. Pitted against former Champion, Frank Mir, Lesnar was thrown in at the deep end. Despite that, the larger Lesnar manhandled his foe but his inexperience told as he carelessly allowed himself to be caught by a heel hook and had no choice but to tap out.
Lesnar made no such mistakes in his second UFC bout, dominating veteran, Heath Herring from start to finish as he earned a title shot against Heavyweight Champion, Randy Couture at UFC 91.
Couture matched Lesnar for the first round before the younger fighter's superior strength told and he brutally Knocked the legend out to win the title in just his fourth professional bout.
Lesnar's reign was marred by illness and injury as his three title defences spanned two years. He impressively outgunned Mir in a re-match at UFC 100 and the previously undefeated Shane Carwin at UFC 116 before he lost to Cain Velasquez at UFC 121.
Had Lesnar remained free from illness, he likely could have become the finest Heavyweight Champion in history given his size, strength and mix of striking and wrestling skills.
Should Lesnar's impending UFC return in 2019 go well, he may well become Heavyweight Champion again and stake a claim as one of the very best Champions in the history of the company, more so than he is already.
#4 Tim Sylvia
Two Reigns
Three Defences
Whilst not as widely regarded or fondly remembered as others on this list, there can be no doubt as to Tim Sylvia's legacy in the UFC when it comes to the Heavyweight Championship.
Sylvia had won the first 14 fights of his MMA career when he lined up opposite defending Champion, Ricco Rodriguez at UFC 41 on February 28, 2003.
Sylvia dispatched the Champion with ease in only his second fight inside the Octagon and successfully defended the title versus Gan McGee, a giant that dwarfed even the six foot eight inch Sylvia, standing a shade under seven feet tall.
McGee had only ever been defeated once in his 13 MMA fights but proved no match for the Champion who knocked him out in under two minutes.
Post-fight, Sylvia failed a drugs test and was stripped of the title. Nine months later, he returned to face Frank Mir with the title on the line. Sylvia suffered his first ever loss when Mir sickeningly snapped his arm. The former Champion wanted to continue but with his arm uselessly dangling by his side he was in no condition to do so.
Sylvia cemented his legacy when he regained the Heavyweight Championship defeating Andrei Arlovski, a man who had previously defeated him by submission, via Knockout. Sylvia defended the strap against Arlovski successfully in the third match of their series at UFC 61. He defended the title a second time against Jeff Monson before succumbing to veteran, Randy Couture in a colossal upset at UFC 68.
After losing a contest to Brazilian legend, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 81 on February 2, 2008, with the interim Heavyweight title at stake, Sylvia departed UFC, never to return. However, the giant's history with the belt was long and successful and should never be discounted.
#3 Stipe Miocic
One Reign
Three Defences
Stipe Miocic shocked the world when he defeated Fabricio Werdum to win the Heavyweight Championship at UFC 198 on May 14, 2016 and surprised even more observers when he beat MMA legend, Alistair Overeem at UFC 203 on September 10, 2016.
Displaying incredible punching power and unmatched conditioning, Miocic caused a doubting public to buy him as a very real threat and legitimate Champion.
Even so, he was still favored to lose the title to former Champion, Junior Dos Santos at UFC 211 but entered an unbelievable performance to vanquish his more famous opponent in less than three minutes, once more with punches.
Miocic then became the first man in UFC history to defend the Heavyweight crown three times when he beat Francis Ngannou. Ngannou had defeated big names, Overeem and Arlovski in his previous two bouts but could not find any way past the Champion who won every round en route to a Decision victory.
Miocic's record-breaking reign was finally ended versus reigning Light-Heavyweight Champion, Daniel Cormier.
Cormier ended Miocic's six-fight undefeated streak to lift the strap but record breaker Miocic's legacy was already assured.
#2 Cain Velasquez
Two Reigns
Two Defences
Cain Velasquez impressed the world when he destroyed the "Beast" Brock Lesnar at UFC 121 in just four minutes, overpowering the Champion to win his first UFC Heavyweight Championship.
Velasquez was tipped to hold the title for a long time but surprisingly dropped the strap in his first defence versus Junior Dos Santos in a thrilling encounter on November 12, 2011 on UFC's debut on Fox Television.
Velasquez was knocked out in just 64 seconds as he suffered his first ever MMA loss.
He soon bounced back in style, however, avenging his loss to Dos Santos in a re-match at UFC 155, winning a Unanimous Decision in a classic bout.
Velasquez next took just 81 seconds to dispatch the intimidating Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva at UFC 160 before defending the belt in another classic versus Dos Santos. In a bloody fight, Velasquez knocked out his great rival in the fifth round following a slam and punches.
That was to be his final defence of the Championship as he lost the strap to Brazilian, Fabricio Werdum at UFC 188 on June 13, 2015, choked out in the second round.
Velasquez has fought just once more since then with injury causing his UFC future to be questioned. Regardless of whether the two time Champion ever returns or not, his explosive striking style and classic Championship battles ensure his is a legacy that will endure.
#1 Randy Couture
Three Reigns
Three Defences
"The Natural" Randy Couture holds the distinction of being the only man in history to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship on three occasions.
Incredibly, Couture's three UFC title wins spanned 10 years, having won his first title way back at UFC Japan on December 21, 1997 and his final Championship on March 3, 2007.
"The Natural" defeated Maurice Smith to win his first strap in a lackluster 21-minute encounter via Decision. Couture spent the majority of the match sprawled on top of Smith but could not produce a submission or Knockout.
Couture never defended the belt as he soon left UFC due to a contract dispute.
Upon his return three years later, he was immediately granted a crack at the title he never lost versus Champion, Kevin Randleman at UFC 28 on November 17, 2000.
"Captain America" showed all his typical guile and staying power as he was overwhelmed by his larger foe in the first two rounds but stayed in the fight and on securing a clinch, caught Randleman with some heavy strikes, ultimately battering the Champion for the stoppage win.
Couture next defended the title in consecutive matches with contender, Pedro Rizzo. Their first encounter was an extremely tight Decision win for Couture whilst he dominated the re-match.
In his next defence, Couture lost the bout to the giant, Josh Barnett who later tested positive for steroids after the fight and was stripped.
After competing and losing a match for the vacant title to Ricco Rodriguez at UFC 39, Couture moved down to the Light-Heavyweight division and ultimately retired for the first time after his UFC 57 loss to Chuck Liddell.
Couture was enticed out of retirement with an offer to fight UFC Heavyweight Champion, Tim Sylvia at UFC 68.
To the amazement of observers, Couture dominated his much younger and larger opponent with dirty boxing (Sylvia's speciality) and his traditional grappling offense to win the title for a record third time.
He would successfully defend the belt versus Gabriel Gonzaga with another stunning display of striking against a renowned puncher, before he lost the title to Brock Lesnar at UFC 91 on November 15, 2008.
Clocking up a mammoth nine UFC Heavyweight Championship bouts during his career and being successful in six of them, Couture unquestionably stands atop the rankings of greatest Heavyweight Champions in UFC history.
