The heavy weight division is quite a tough division to nail down. Their hasn’t been a consistent champion since Brock won the title in 2008, when he beat Randy Couture. Since then 3 fighters have held the title and lost in their first defense. The newest champion Junior Dos Santos is fighting Alistair Overeem at the end of May. Here is my breakdown of the division as a whole. Here is my 6 pack on ICE:

1. When Junior Dos Santos (14-1) steps into the octagon to defend his title against Alistair Overeem, who will walk out with the strap?

Junior has been running through his opponents as of late. In his 8 UFC fights, 5 of them have been 1st round stoppages. JDS has a black belt in brazilian jiu jitsu and very crisp boxing. With power in both of his hands, he can out point you or give a blow that will end your night sooner than you want. Alistair Overeem (36-11-1) has also been on a nice streak, winning 11 of his last 12 fights. Reem is a elite striker that has the full package at his fingertips. The former k-1 champion, who in his first UFC fight forced Brock Lesnar into retirement with a 1st round stoppage.

The one place Reem lacks is on the ground. JDS will more than likely try to take advantage of Reem, and look to bring his opponent to the ground. JDS also has the speed edge when it comes to striking. Prediction: JDS will indeed be the first HW champion to walk out of the UFC cage defending his title, in the last 4 years.

2. Will Frank Mir or Cain Velasquez be the next contender for the HW strap?

The last time we saw Cain (9-1) has was face down on the canvas, as his opponent was getting his hand raised. Cain is a wrestler with quick strikes and power in his hands. Cain has been out getting better since that loss, and has a chance to get back to the top when he faces Frank Mir. Mir (16-5) looked really good in his last fight, as he brought home his second arm. Frank broke big Nog’s arm when he wouldn’t tap. Frank has been cementing himself as one of the best HW’s for some time, but as of late he has worked on his striking, and bulked up a little bit. Both of these things have helped him tremendously.

Overall Mir is the better fighter, but Cain has a big advantage with his dominant wrestling. Cain will probably try to keep the fight standing, until he gets into some kind of trouble, then look to take Mir down and control him. This is a tough fight to pick, but Franks’s size difference may make a difference. Prediction: Cain wins a close fight with a 29-28 decision.

3. Is Cheick Kongo a future HW champion?

Since coming to the UFC, Kongo (17-6-1)  is 10-4-1, winning 3 of his last four. Kongo fight Mark Hunt this Saturday night in Japan. If he wins he will likely put himself one fight away from a title shot. Kongo has looked both great and sub par in his fights. Many say he is grimy fighter. Many ball shots and cage/short grabs have also followed him. Those things aside he is a tough draw for anyone.

Prediction: Kongo may get a title shot, but I don’t see him holding the strap.

4. Who will Fabricio Werdum face next, and will it be in Brazil?

Werdum (15-5-1) recently beat Roy Nelson just 2 weeks ago. Many said Werdum would lose this fight because of his lack of striking. Well he proved us all wrong, as he out struck Nelson, and beat him silly with knees, and punches, and kicks. Werdum has a top notch ground game, and adding striking to that game will make for some good fights. Werdum says he wants to fight in Brazil when the UFC returns in June. Two names come to mind for Werdum. If Kongo wins, and isn’t hurt after his fight, he could be ready by June. The second name is Shane Carwin. Shane is expected to return in mid-2012, and would be a great test for both men. Either way Werdum is going to get a tough fight ahead of him. Prediction: Werdum gets the Brazil fight and it will be against either Kongo or Carwin.

5. Are Pat Barry and Roy Nelson just very good gatekeepers?

The 2 fighters are 7-7 in the UFC combined. Both guys have a huge following and they both put on exciting fights, but can they really be contenders? Barry is an awesome striker with the best legs kicks in the UFC. Nelson has one of the biggest hearts, as well as a big power shot. So why cant they get to the top? Barry’s biggest problem has been his lack of any ground game. He has been working very hard on improving that, we saw some of it against Morecraft, and will surely see more when he gets his next fight. Nelson on the other hand possesses most of the tools that fighters need to rise to the top, he just isn’t putting them together at the right time. Their next loss could be the last we see of them in the UFC. Barry has a fight to prepare for, in Lavar Johnson, at  UFC on Fox 3 in May. Roy is still healing after his loss to Werdum. Prediction: Neither guy will fight for a title, but both will always have fans and be near the top.

6. Are Stefan Struve and Stipe Miocic the future of the HW division?

Struve (23-5) has won 4 of his last 5 fights and seems to improve every time he enters the octagon. Not only has the 24 year old improved, but he has been bulking up a little as well. Struve is always in an exciting fight, and brings it every time. Stipe Miocic (8-0) and 2-0 in the UFC, is a former D-1 wrestler and golden gloves champion boxer. In his 2 UFC fights Stipe has looked very good. One of the only things that may hold him back in this division, is his size. At 240 Stipe is going to be 30-60lbs lighter than his opponents. Prediction: If given the time both of these fighters can and will make a name in this division.

Bonus: Can Shane Carwin shake up the division when he returns?

Carwin has been out with back surgery, and wont make his return mid-2012, but with his power and wrestling background Shane is a tough draw for anyone. In his last bout, JDA did expose his lack of technical striking. Prediction: Though he may be on the wrong side of father time’s hill, Shane still possesses the skills to hold the strap. Giving it one last time he will in deed shake up this division and make people remember how good he is.