Heavyweights were a staple of the early no-holds barred UFC. Before formal weight classes were set by the New Jersey State Athletic Commission at UFC 28, fighters over 206 pounds headlined 20 of the promotion’s 32 events.

In the modern era, there’s much more talent spread across divisions and far less reliance on the big boys. Out of 462 events to feature weight classes, only 16 percent have been headlined by heavyweights.

With 12 recognized divisions between men and women, the UFC has more options than ever for the division that takes the marquee spot. The promotion doesn’t need heavyweights. But the ethos of the “baddest man on the planet” still comes in handy when it needs to sell a fight.

In advance of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 3 meeting between former champion Junior Dos Santos, a 12-time headliner, and Francis Ngannou, we take a look at heavyweight fight cards that really delivered – and a few that fizzled.

(For the sake of brevity, we’ll stick to the modern era.)

Delivered

1. UFC 31: Locked and Loaded

A classic Randy Couture performance. Pedro Rizzo was a big free agent signing in the new UFC, no thanks to the heavy hands and leg kicks that stopped Dan Severn and Josh Barnett. Couture wore out Rizzo in the clinch and dominated him on the ground for a unanimous decision. Then he did it again in shorter time six months later.

2. UFC 59: Reality Check

A prime Andrei Arlovski tapped Tim Sylvia with a white-belt Achilles lock in their first meeting at UFC 51. One year later, Arlovski had the undisputed belt and almost kept it when he dropped Sylvia with his kryptonite – an overhand right – early. Then Arlovski got greedy and walked into a right that stopped him cold, setting up a trilogy. Read that other list at the end for the final word on that one.