The Top 10 UFC Fights Remaining in 2011

Impressive lineup leaves quality fights off the list

We have just over a quarter of the year left.

I know. I can’t tell you where the first eight months of 2011 went, either. Somehow, next week is the final week of August, a.k.a. the last week of summer. I don’t remember summer beginning, yet alone reaching the time where elementary school kids are preparing their “what I did on my summer vacation” speeches.

If there is one saving grace in all this — one ray of light that makes it all okay — it’s that we have a kick-ass UFC fight calendar ahead of us. Between now and the time a bunch of drunken party goers sing Auld Lang Syne once more, all seven UFC titles will be defended and a handful of other intriguing and (hopefully) entertaining fights find their way into the Octagon.

Here are my picks for the top 10 UFC fights remaining in 2011.

10. George Roop vs. Hatsu Hioki – UFC 139

This fight may not have the name brand appeal of some of the bouts left off this list — Chael Sonnen vs. Brian Stann, Pat Barry vs. Stefan Struve — but it has been a fight I’ve been counting down to since it was announced.

For the longest time, Hioki was the top featherweight fighting outside of the Zuffa-run organizations. When he signed with the UFC at the end of June, he became an instant title contender. Boasting a pair of wins over former title challenger Mark Hominick and victories over Bellator featherweight tournament participants Ronnie Mann and Marlon Sandro, Hioki has the pedigree to excel in the Octagon.

Roop is a solid challenge for the incoming Japanese star. His length is problematic, and he’s finished both Chan Sung Jung and Josh Grispi in the last calendar year. If Hioki is able to get by the former Ultimate Fighter contestant, he’ll be on a very short list of challengers for the winner of the UFC 136 featherweight title fight that makes an appearance a little later on in this list.

9. Michael Bisping vs. Jason “Mayhem” Miller – TUF 14 Finale

With an entire season of The Ultimate Fighter to build to this fight, there is no question that it will become of the most anticipated bout of the last quarter of 2011.

Bisping always seems to be on the verge of becoming a full fledged contender, and win over Miller could push him into that designation for the first time in his career at middleweight. He’s won three straight since losing a close decision to Wanderlei Silva at UFC 110 and a high profile win over “Mayhem” could set him up for a future title shot.

What makes this bout all the more compelling is that Miller is a wild card inside and outside the cage. During the upcoming season of TUF, you can be sure he’ll entertain and attempt to get under the skin of his British counterpart. In the cage, he has the abilities to handle Bisping, especially on the ground.

Of all the fights on this list, this is the one that has the greatest potential to climb the rankings in regards to level of anticipation.

8. BJ Penn vs. Carlos Condit – UFC 139

You know you have a great upcoming calendar of fights when this is only the eighth best remaining match-up on the UFC schedule.

As I said heading into his bout with Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 132, Condit is one of those guys you just have to watch. He’s always exciting, always looks to finish, and is on the cusp on contention. A win over Penn earns him a title shot, no doubt about it.

And what really needs to be said about “The Prodigy?” He faded in the final round of his UFC 127 draw with Jon Fitch, but proved in the opening two frames that he can hang with the very best the welterweight division has to offer. Knowing that a title shot could certainly be at stake, expect to see the best Penn we’ve seen since he pulverized Diego Sanchez at UFC 107.

7. Jose Aldo vs. Kenny Florian – UFC 136

We’ve only got title fights from here on out, and this one ranks lowest on the list because of a combination of reasons.

First, Aldo has been so damn dominant since bursting on the scene in the WEC that he starting to fall into that “is anybody going to beat him?” category. You try to come up with ways that someone will take the belt from him, and nothing seems all that plausible.

Second — and I mean this with all due respect to the challenger — I can’t get too jacked up for Florian in a big time fight. He’s 0-2 with the title on the line, and came up well short against Gray Maynard in their lightweight title eliminator. He looked good against Diego Nunes in his featherweight debut, but not “this guy could give Aldo fits” good.

Third – this isn’t even the best fight on the UFC 136 card.

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.

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.

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.