10 Fights That Need To Happen In 2011

Is it just me or does UFC matchmaker Joe Silva have the coolest job in the world? Well, aside from Playboy photographers and professional beer tasters.

How cool would it be to spend your days making fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship? Well today I’ve decided to fantasize what it would be like to be Joe Silva for a mere 24 hours. Here are 10 fights that I would sign for the year 2011.

Urijah Faber vs. Miguel Torres

As exciting as this matchup would be, they both have upcoming fights on the horizon that they need to focus on first. Faber will meet Takeya Mizugaki next week in his bantamweight debut at WEC 52 and Torres is set to battle Antonio Banuelos at UFC 126. Regardless if they are victorious in those matchups the UFC could easily market a high profile bout between the two, possibly even as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter.

Diego Sanchez vs. Matt Serra

Fresh off a unanimous decision victory over Paulo Thiago at UFC 121, it looks like Sanchez is back to full form at 170-lbs. The win earned Sanchez both the FOTN bonus and his first victory at welterweight in over two years. Now it’s time to keep the momentum flowing and pair Sanchez up with fighters who can bring out the best in him.

Former welterweight champ Serra has the name recognition and the style to do just that. At 36 years old, Serra is at a point in his career where he just wants to put on memorable fights for the fans. A fight with Sanchez would be beyond thrilling.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic II

If recent performances can tell us anything it’s that both “Minotauro” Nogueira and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic are dwindling towards the end of their illustrious careers. These two legendary heavyweights no longer have what it takes to hang with the division’s top young stars but there are still nostalgic PRIDE fans interested in seeing them fight, especially against each other.

Their first fight at PRIDE-Final Conflict 2003 was a classic so a rematch could be interesting.

Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben

Assuming Leben gets past Brian Stann at UFC 125, a bout with Silva should be signed immediately. Fans have been craving for this fight ever since Leben called Silva out in the Octagon at UFC 116, following his win over Yoshihiro Akiyama. Judging from the style of both fighters, there would not be any dull moments between the two. You’re going to see two strikers swinging for the fences until one man is left standing.

Frank Mir vs. Brendan Schaub

After completely dominating Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 121, Schaub called out former champion Mir in the post-fight press conference. It wasn’t out of malice or anything, Schaub just wants to test himself against the best and continue climbing the heavyweight ranks. Mir is among the division’s elite and a win over a fighter of his caliber would solidify Schaub as a true contender.

Some might argue that it’s too soon for Schaub to fight someone like Mir but I disagree. Schaub has proven in recent fights that he is ready for a big step up in competition. Plus, after the snooze-fest with “Cro Cop”, Mir needs to fight a young lion that can push the pace.

Donald Cerrone vs. Takanori Gomi

Former PRIDE lightweight champion Gomi is the perfect opponent, stylistically speaking, to welcome Cerrone into the UFC. Despite never holding a championship, Cerrone was one of the WEC’s premier stars. He became a hot commodity for the WEC simply based off his exciting performances in the cage so it makes sense to pair him up with fighters who can cater to that style.

Gomi may not be as great as he once was but he’s still a top ranked lightweight that’s fun to watch.

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Thiago Silva

In interviews leading up to his upcoming bout with Lyoto Machida at UFC 123, “Rampage” announced that he only wants to fight exciting fighters from here on out. An aggressive Muay-Thai fighter like Silva can absolutely give Jackson the barn burner he’s looking for.

Realistically, Jackson probably loses a decision to Machida. With two straight losses in fights that presented poor stylistic matchups for Jackson, it would be time to go the opposite route and give “Rampage” a fight that favors his style.

Mike Brown vs. Mark Hominick

4-0 in his last four fights, Hominick was rumored to be next in line for a title shot against Jose Aldo at UFC 125. Unfortunately the Canadian suffered an injury after his bout with Leonard Garcia and had to turn down the title shot for the time being. When his injury heals up, an interesting fight for Hominick would be against former featherweight champ Brown.

Brown is an explosive wrestler with punching power but Hominick could pick him apart on the feet if able to avoid the takedown.

Brian Bowles vs. Joseph Benavidez

Separately, Bowles and Benavidez are known for their action packed performances so a fight against each other would surely produce fireworks. If the UFC plan on highlighting the bantamweight division at its best then this is a fight they need to make. They also both claim fame to stoppage victories over arguably the best 135-lbs fighter of all time in Miguel Torres.

Brock Lesnar vs. Roy Nelson

Both heavyweights want this fight and the fans have also showed interest in it so let’s make it happen. There have been talks of the UFC promoting a rubber match between Lesnar and Frank Mir but let’s be honest, nobody wants to see that fight. Coming off his loss to Cain Velasquez, it doesn’t make sense to match Lesnar up with a fighter he thoroughly dominated once and almost twice before in Mir.

Fans want to see if Lesnar can evolve in this sport. They want to see the former heavyweight champion face new challenges and “Big Country” is certainly a challenge.