6. Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami – UFC 134
Saturday’s main event is one I’m looking forward to, just not nearly as much as the five fights that follow.
Silva is the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet for my money, and I have yet to see anything out of Okami over his 12 fights in the UFC that lead me to believe his going to take the belt from the champion.
The challenger is definitely talented, but he’s never beaten anyone on that next level. Much like Florian, he looked good in the fight that earned him this title shot, out-pointing Nate Marquardt at UFC 122, but at no point did I think he looked like the man to halt Silva’s unbeaten run inside the Octagon.
UFC bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz
His pal Chael Sonnen almost proved me wrong around this time last year, and I would give Okami all the respect in the world if he manages to beat Silva on Saturday. But from what I’ve seen so far, I can’t see that happening, and leaves my interest in this fight a little lower than the rest of the title tilts on this list.
5. Dominick Cruz vs. Demetrious Johnson – UFC on Versus 6
I don’t care what the critics say — I love watching Cruz fight. The bantamweight champ brings a unique style with non-stop motion to the cage, and his fights are always entertaining.
Cruz doesn’t get the respect he deserves, but if he pushes his winning streak to double digits — which he’ll do with a win over in this one — people will have to take notice and give him his due.
When you pair him with the the-only-speed-I-know-is-full-throttle approach of “Mighty Mouse,” you have a bout that is sure to deliver in terms of the WOW factor. Mix in the fact that it’s on basic cable and you have a sure fire must-see-TV moment.
4. Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz
Like Silva and Aldo before him, GSP suffers from the “is this guy really going to beat him?” syndrome.
I truly believed Jake Shields had a good chance to upset the welterweight champ in Toronto, then St-Pierre managed to outwork him even though he only had the use of one eye for more than half the fight. That salted it away for me — until further notice, I’m never picking against GSP again.
This fight rates high for me because I want to see the build-up to the fight. Diaz is wildly entertaining and capable of saying just about anything. While I don’t think he can beat St-Pierre, I’m certainly excited to watch him try.
3. Jon Jones vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
This one ranks as high as it does because of what comes next; the winner fights Rashad Evans, and if it’s Jones, that will instantly be the first must-see fight of 2012 for me.
“Rampage” has gotten me a little interested with his cryptic and creepy message to his real fans where he told them “I’ve got this.” Unfortunately, like so many of the other title challengers on this list, his last performance left me with a “no way he beats Jon Jones” feeling, and I don’t see that dissipating.
UFC heavweight champion Cain Velasquez
As for Jones, he’s at or near the top of my “I don’t care who he’s fighting, I’m dying to see it” chart because of his incredible potential. I still can’t truly believe how much he smashed on “Shogun” on six weeks notice after stopping a robbery earlier in the day and only training MMA for three years.
2. Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos – UFC 139
Cain looked tremendous taking the belt from Brock Lesnar back in October, and has all the tools to potentially become one of the greatest heavyweights ever. Yeah, I said it.
“Cigano” completely dominated Shane Carwin in June, leaving his face a bloody mess thanks to his quick, powerful, precision boxing, and mixing in a couple “oh yeah, I got wrestling” takedowns for good measure.
These are the top two heavyweights in the UFC – potentially the sport — and seeing them collide in the cage is going to be outstanding. This is the kind of fight you long to see; two evenly matched adversaries who will put it all on the line for as long as needed.
1. Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard – UFC 136
How could this not top the list?
They started 2011 off with the Fight of the Year and I’ve been waiting for them to settle things every day since. The fact that it was supposed to happen and then got yanked out from under us due to injuries only fuels my interest even more, as does the fact that both guys are sick and tired of talking about the other.
I know not to expect the third installment to top the second; it’s an unrealistic expectation, and how often does the third part of a trilogy turn out to be the best? Next to never.
That being said, if they even come close to delivering a sequel to the sequel, it will be one hell of a fight.