6 Fights We Need To See In 2011

6. Jose Aldo vs Ben Henderson

Fights in the Way: Jose Aldo vs Manny Gamburyan, Jose Aldo vs Josh Grispi, Ben Henderson vs Anthony Pettis, Ben Henderson vs Shane Roller

Jose Aldo is a guy that I think could compete with some of the top ranked Lightweights in the world. In fact, Aldo vs Edger is almost the fight I pulled the trigger on here. However, I reined back my expectations for now, pitting the two dominant looking WEC champions. Both fighters are probably two fights away from proving that this WEC super-fight is warranted but as the divisions stand right now both might not have the worst time getting there. The biggest concern is the amount of time it might take given how much space we see between title defenses in the organization. That said, 2011 could see the WEC pose its first interdivision super-fight if both fighters can do their part, the winner potentially finding no place to go but the UFC.

5. Gilbert Melendez vs Eddie Alvarez

Fights in the Way: Eddie Alvarez vs Pat Curran, Gilbert Melendez vs. Billy Evangelista

When goliath is as big as the UFC and the rest of the mixed martial arts world seems to favor a freer flowing structure for the sport, ripe with inter-promotional fights, working together is a must. Strikeforce and Bellator have the power and the presumed motivation to bring these two fighters together if the circumstances present themselves. Alvarez has a date with Curran on the upcoming season of Bellator and Evangelista is as deserving as anyone of a shot at Melendez; however, these two powerhouses could easily find themselves without ranking opponents in their own organizations in the not too distant future. Both fighters share a flare for excitement and a passion for punching. Between Alvarez’s 5 strait submissions and Melendez’s highly publicized top control the fight could present edge-of-your-seat action no matter where it ends up. The powers that be outside the UFC must keep us interested and this is one way to do it.

4. Wanderlei Silva vs Chris Leban

Fights in the Way: None

This might be the easiest one to make happen but it might also be the most entertaining of the lot. Chris Leban stepped in for Wanderlei Silva and pulled off one of the biggest wins of his career recently. While Leban is very similar to Silva in many ways, the two fighters are very different. Leban is willing to throw anything and everything at his opponent while Wandi condenses everything he has into being a hunched over punch machine. Given what we have seen from Silva since joining the UFC and what we have seen from Leban in his last two fights, this fight is wide open. Silva is vulnerable to being hit on the button but he will never give an inch to any opponent. On the other hand Leban comes forward like a zombie. Anderson Silva even had to hit him, what seemed like, 100 times before he finally went down. There is no doubt that both men would come into the fight like their careers depended on it and while both fighters are coming off solid wins, they kind of do. The most recent word is that Dana White wants Leban back in the cage sooner rather than later but giving him a reasonable break seems like only the right thing to do. If these two throw down like everyone expects no one really comes out a loser with this fight, especially not the fans.

3. Jake Shields vs Georges St. Pierre

Fights in the Way: Georges St. Pierre vs Josh Koscheck, Jake Shields vs Fitch/Alvez Winner

Jake Shields has had his share of critics for the majority of his professional career. Just when he shakes the perception that there is one glass ceiling to his talent he gets matched up against someone perceived to be significantly more talented. His win against Dan Henderson put him on the map as one of the best Welterweights in the world, but his likely move to the UFC should present a whole new set of challenges, challenges that will keep him in the underdog role for some time to come. It is quite doubtful that Shields will be thrown to the wolf as it were with GSP. Much more likely is a scenario where he meets someone like Thiago Alvez or Jon Fitch in a number one contenders match. Only the UFC’s fear of cornering themselves into a rematch could fast-track Shields. The Shields/GSP fight is where the money is though. Shields has a skill-set to combat what GSP does really well and while GSP will always be the favorite, Shields could present a significantly more interesting fight than one of the many fighters the champ has already disposed of via unanimous decision.

2. Cain Velasquez vs Junior Dos Santos

Fights in the Way: Cain Velasquez vs Brock Lesnar, Junior Dos Santos vs Roy Nelson

Unequivocally, this is the best fight we can hope for in the Heavyweight division. Dos Santos and Velasquez are the two more talented fighters in a deep lot the UFC has built in its most marketable division. JDS has had a dynamic rise to top with a KO pace that may rival that of Cro Cop in Pride. Velasquez on the other hand seems to show us something new in every fight, looking like the most well rounded HW we have seen in years. Despite the oversized wrestlers that steal the headlines as of late, these two could be the new prototypes for HW fighting styles in the future. Not only is this a fight that I would like to see happen, it is a fight I very much think WILL happen. Velasquez will be by far the stiffest test for Lesnar, whom is going to have all kinds of trouble standing with Velasquez. A win over Brock Lesnar will establish Velasquez as the man to beat, a fighting machine with the skills to slay any beast, no matter how physically daunting. Dos Santos doesn’t have a walk in the park with Nelson but his hands are on another level right now and should give him a significant advantage. Another brutal KO could put JDS on the map as the most skilled striker in the HW division today. What’s more, his takedown defense and scramble ability are no joke. So what happens when the most dangerous striker in the HW division tries to KO a well-rounded super-fighter? Perhaps we will get the opportunity to find out.

1. Anderson Silva vs Shogun Rua

Fights in the Way: Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnan, Anderson Silva vs Vitor Belfort, Shogun Rua vs Rashad Evans

While many fans pine for Silva vs Georges St. Pierre, Anderson Silva vs. Shogun Rua is now far and away the top dog on this writers’ dream fight list. Size matters in MMA and even though the jump from MW to LHW is larger than WW to MW a move by The Spider is far more practical than one by GSP at this point. St. Pierre still strikes me as a bit small to make a fight with Silva the epic battle everyone hopes for; not to mention the style match-up begs for a quick finish or a 25 minute snoozer. If GSP puts on the weight over the next year or so I will reconsider. However, Silva is a big MW with experience (although limited) at the next weight-class. Many pundits and fans alike have argued for Silva to get a title shot at 205 when his friend and training partner Machida held the belt. The undisputed pound-for-pound king is slowly but surely running out of challengers and becoming one of the most divisive (and in turn marketable) fighters in the sport. In short, he needs to fight the best in the world and bring the biggest super-fights to the table. Across the hypothetical cage, Shogun looks like a world-beater again. His aggressive and well-timed approach has lead him to three very impressive performances, two over a world-class fighter (and counter-puncher) against which we can gage Shogun’s chances opposite Silva. It is the precise aggression he showed in those fights that make him dangerous against a fighter like Silva who clearly needs to have the fight taken to him by a highly skilled and well-rounded fighter. If Shogun returns to from his surgery in form and Silva gets past the only two real challenges left for him at 185 UFC matchmaking would do themselves a lot of favors to look at Light heavyweight for their next super-fight.

Brock Lesnar’s meteoric rise to prominence in MMA has certainly been impressive, but his win over Shane Carwin at UFC 116 is far and away his most awe-inspiring performance to date. Many critics, like myself, saw Lesnar’s career to this point one of favorable match-ups. Carwin was a different story all together, a skilled wrestler with incredible punching power. The fight seemed to be a toss up on paper. Lesnar’s ability to weather an early storm, one that has put many fighters before him out, demonstrated his toughness and endurance. Better still, Lesnar turned heads by locking on a textbook arm triangle. Even Rogan and Goldberg seemed as caught off guard as Carwin by the telegraphed submission. All credit to Lesnar for demonstrating his resilience and an evolving skill-set. Potential challengers for the top heavyweight in the world now have two more qualities to keep them up at night. His performance seems to be dividing the masses though. Some think this is a sign that the monster might just be unbeatable while others saw signs of his eventual demise in round one. Either way, one more win for Brock and one more chapter in MMA’s most profitable story.

Brock was not the only one to turn heads with a come from behind win. Chris Leben notched the biggest win of his career as he locked down a submission on Akyama in the closing seconds of what certainly would have been a decision victory for Sexyama. One got a funny feeling watching that fight that Leben was going to make something happen. Much like the feeling the first Scott Smith vs Chung Le fight brought as the third round closed and Smith seemed all but out on his feet before shocking the world. I for one had given up on Leben just seconds before, thinking the position would be enough for Akyama to grind out a win, taking nothing away from an extremely game Leben – silly me. Chris Leben has earned himself a real break this time around but the UFC would be smart to get him back in the cage in a reasonable amount of time to capitalize on the momentum both in the cage and in the press. Akyama didn’t come out of this a total loser, demonstrating some toughness that American fans were yet to really see in him. However he isn’t storming the UFC castle like many thought he could.

More than anything UFC 116 as a whole demonstrated that UFC matchmaker Joe Silva and anyone else with any say in the matter are on fire as of late. Excitement abound as fights are getting very competitive in the UFC these days. Matt Brown and Chris Lytle lit up the cage with their scrap before Lytle duplicated their first encounter by submitting The Immortal. Both fighters seem to be perennial mid-tier drifters but rarely disappoint in the cage. Just when you think Stephan Bonnar’s UFC career is ending before your eyes, he refuses to die. The man is as tough as they come and showed a lot of heart by swinging with Soszynski till one of them could finally finish the other off. Both fighters seem to be remaining in the UFC. Rounding out an action packed ppv card, George Sotiropoulos continues his rise at 155 pounds by grinding out an exciting win over Kurt Pellegrino. Neither guy is particularly good at being boring so the pace surprised no one. Sotiropoulos is on the rise and hould see another visible fight and a game opponent in the near future. Spike TV was not without its share of wow moments as Brendan Schuab provided the most dominant performance of the night be making very short work of Chris Tuchscherer. Ricardo Romero and Jerald Harris had to survive some violent attacks before finishing their respective opponents in dazzling fashion. Romero appeared as if he might have broken Seth Petruzelli’ arm while Jerald Harris polished off David Branch with a stunning KO by way of slam. UFC 116 delivered and it delivered big. A fantastic card with a huge headliner, the event made good on its promise of action and even with UFC on Versus 2 around the corner it should keep the MMA world buzzing until UFC 117.