The Mac
03-05-2011, 08:46 PM
source: Bleacher report
It doesn't matter if you've been watching MMA for a month, a year, or a decade. Every fan of the sport has talked to some of their buddies about fights that they would love to see. More than likely, most of the fights they talk about will never happen.
However, there are some fights that get thrown around that actually have a chance of happening at some point of time. History has proven that however unlikely, the fight that everyone thought would never happen gets put together.
Just take Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva for example. Dana White put Liddell in the PRIDE light heavyweight Grand Prix back in 2003 in hopes that the superfight would go down.
That was put to a halt by Quinton Jackson, when he forced Liddell's corner to throw in the towel in the second round.
In 2007, after the fall of PRIDE and the UFC's acquisition of their assets, they were finally able to put together fight the fans had been wanting to see for years. Sometimes dreams do come true.
Right now, a few of these fights could happen, but it would take nothing short of a miracle to make most of them happen.
But as MMA fans, we all know to never say never.
25. Urijah Faber Vs. Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto
Many moons ago, this was the fight that just had to be made. At 145 pounds, there was Urijah Faber, Kid Yamamoto and everyone else.
Now that the UFC has signed Yamamoto, there is a possibility that this fight could actually happen. The only problems are Faber has looked great so far at 135 and Yamamoto hasn't looked good at all lately.
If for anything else, this would be a great trip down Memory Lane to see this fight actually happen.
24. GSP Vs Nick Diaz
Here's a better question: Who wouldn't want to see this fight? Since both fighters have won the welterweight titles in their respective promotions, they have destroyed all challengers.
Would St. Pierre's superior wrestling be able to control the fight? Would Diaz' pitter-patter boxing be able to knock out another world class athlete?
Champion vs. Champion fights. They don't get much better than this.
23. Eddie Alvarez vs Gilbert Melendez
This fight has been talked about for what seems like forever. Both Scott Coker and Bjorn Rebney are open to the idea of making this fight happen, but for some reason it hasn't happened yet.
It goes without saying that Alvarez and Melendez are the best lightweights not under contract with the UFC. If this fight were to come to reality, it could make both Strikeforce and Bellator a ton of money, but it wouldn't come without risk.
How would the public perceive the losing champion's promotion? Odds are they would look inferior, which is something neither promotion could risk right now.
22. Michael Bisping Vs. Chael Sonnen
Many people still have a bitter taste in their mouth after witnessing what “Spitsping” did during and after his fight against Jorge Rivera at UFC 127.
There are a bunch of people out there who want to see Bisping get his arse handed to him for the way he acted.
Who would be better than Chael Sonnen to perform that butt-kicking? Nobody.
While Bisping tries to talk a big game, there is nobody in MMA who can even come close to keeping up with the mouth of Sonnen. It's pretty safe to say that Chael would win the battle of smack-talking hands down.
The only thing that could make this fight better is if it were held in London just to see how badly Sonnen would get booed by the crowd. I bet they'd be so loud, you wouldn't even be able to hear Bruce Buffer.
21. Hector Lombard Vs. Any Top 10 Middleweight
Lombard is one of the most talented fighters that you may have never seen. The reigning Bellator middleweight champion has easily handled everyone the promotion has placed in front of him.
At the age of 34, Lombard isn't exactly getting any younger or more talented. Now is the time when we need to see if he has what it takes to hang with the best in the division.
Bjorn Rebney, founder of Bellator, claims that nobody wants to fight Lombard. Call me crazy, but I'm sure he can find someone more talented than Jay Silva to take on the Cuban wrecking machine.
20. Josh Koscheck Vs. Dan Hardy
Sure, this has some potential of being an entertaining fight, but that's not why it's on the list.
The smack-talking leading into the fight would be nothing short of epic.
Both Koscheck and Hardy can talk a huge game. It may not be as huge of a game as Chael Sonnen talks, but it's huge nonetheless. The verbal war alone would be worth the price of admission
19. Jose Aldo Vs. Frankie Edgar
Edgar became the premier lightweight in the world last year as he beat the best lightweight in the history of MMA not once, but twice.
Then this year, he survived an onslaught that many couldn't and was able to walk out of the cage with a draw in his fight with Gray Maynard.
What makes those feats even more incredible is that he could easily make the cut to featherweight.
Jose Aldo resembles a Rubik's cube after someone changed around two of the stickers. For those of you who don't know, doing that makes the cube unsolvable.
Since he made his WEC debut, Aldo has made every fighter placed in front of him look like they didn't belong in the same building with him.
With his mix of great boxing and wrestling, would Edgar be able to put those stickers back in place and take out the seemingly unstoppable force that is Aldo?
18. Thiago Alves Vs Paul Daley
There is no doubt that Alves and Daley are two of the best Muay Thai fighters in MMA today. So what would happen if they got stuck in a cage against each other?
I'd go out on a limb and say that there would be a lot of punches and kicks thrown, followed by someone lying on the mat “face down, a** up.”
17. King Mo Lawal vs Jason Miller
Let's make this fight happen at a 195 pound catchweight. Lawal would more than likely be too big and strong for Miller to handle on the ground, but the 20 minutes they would spend walking to the cage would be the most entertaining 20 minutes of our lives.
Just imagine all the fireworks, rose petals, glittery coats, and Japanese schoolgirls. You know you would love every second of it
16. Diego Sanchez vs Nick Diaz II
Their first fight was nothing short of amazing. It was a hard-fought, three-round war that ended with a bloodied-up Sanchez working like no other to keep the referee from stopping the action to check the nasty gash on his head.
Since that fight, Diaz has gone on to have more success in his career than Sanchez. But a rematch between these two would definitely be one of the more fan-friendly fights that could be put together.
15. Jon Jones vs Phil Davis
Without a doubt, Jones and Davis are the two most explosive, dynamic fighters in all of MMA. Every time you see either of these men fight, you know you're in for a treat.
Davis is still the greener of the two, but give him a few more fights against quality opposition and he will be at the top of the UFC's light heavyweight division.
On the other hand, Jones has proven he's ready for the next level, as he will be taking on Shogun Rua for the title at UFC 128.
If, or when, the time comes that these two meet in the middle of the Octagon, it could go down as one of the greatest fights of all time.
14. Fedor Emeilianenko Vs. the UFC Light Heavyweight Division
While Fedor chooses to fight at heavyweight, everyone can see that if he laid off the ice cream and went on the Dolce Diet, he could be a lean, mean, wrecking machine at light heavyweight.
The possible match-ups are endless. Whether it be Rashad Evans, Quinton Jackson, Jon Jones, Shogun Rua, and so on, there are many very intriguing fights to be made.
13. Gray Maynard Vs. Eddie Alvarez
Most of the time, second-best match-ups don't draw much intrigue. But in this case, you have the second-best lightweight in the UFC against the second-best lightweight in the world.
Maynard proved he has what it takes to compete against the best when he nearly defeated Frankie Edgar on New Year's Day.
Alvarez has proven time and time again why he is the second-best lightweight in the world.
This is a case where a runner-up match would be better than most championship matches.
12. B.J. Penn vs Jon Fitch II
While I'm not personally not a fan of rematches just because the first match ended in a draw, a second go-around between Penn and Fitch would not only be entertaining, but would answer many questions that came up after their first meeting.
Can Penn really out-wrestle Fitch? Would Fitch make the adjustments to prepare for Penn's new-found wrestling? Do either of these guys deserve a shot at the winner of St. Pierre-Shields?
Only a rematch can answer these questions.
11. Anderson Silva Vs. Shogun Rua
Silva and Rua are two of the best Brazilian MMA fighters ever. With rumors swirling that Silva will be making the move to light heavyweight and the UFC's plans on expanding operations to Brazil, could anyone think of a better fight to reintroduce the UFC to South America?
Even if the fight didn't take place in Brazil, could anyone think of a more exciting Brazilian vs. Brazilian match up?
10. Alistair Overeem Vs. Cain Velasquez
There are no heavyweights on the planet who are more feared that “The Reem” and Velasquez. Velasquez is still riding high after his domination of Brock Lesnar, and Overeem beat up four guys last December alone.
It has been a long while since we have seen what one could call “a heavyweight fight for the ages” in either boxing or MMA. This could be the biggest heavyweight fight since the Mike Tyson era of boxing.
I wonder what Bob Arum thinks about that.
On second thought, I couldn't care less what "The Bobfather" thinks.
9. Jon Jones Vs. the Heavyweight Division
At only 23 years of age, Jones is already a monster at light heavyweight. There will come a time when he will make the move to heavyweight.
When that time comes, there will probably be a whole new breed of heavyweights running the division that we haven't seen yet.
But when that day comes, you know Jones will be there to fight the best the division has to offer.
8. Fedor Emelianenko Vs. Anderson Silva
The best heavyweight of all time against the best middleweight of all time in a light heavyweight showdown.
Do I really need to explain why anyone who has ever called themselves a MMA fan would want to see this?
Didn't think so
7. Robbie Lawler vs Melvin Manhoef II
The first match between Lawler and Manhoef was nothing short of a war. They stood toe-to-toe and traded bombs until Manhoef finally fell to the mat with less than two minutes left in the first round.
Their first match may have been short and sweet, but they need to go at it again.
Even if the rematch only last three minutes, they could both say they were involved in the most exciting six minutes of MMA the fans have ever seen.
6. Wanderlei Silva vs Vitor Belfort II
I've seen it, you've seen it, your kids (if you have any) have seen it, and odds are your grandchildren will see it.
At UFC 17.5 in Brazil, Belfort came storming across the cage at Silva, with fists that looked like a blur, and became the first person ever to knock out the future PRIDE light heavyweight kingpin.
Now that they're both in the UFC, this is a fight that must be made so they can settle the grudge once and for all.
.
5. Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen II
In their first fight, Chael pushed Silva beyond what anyone in the UFC has ever been able to push the champion.
Chael easily won the first four rounds, and was en route of taking the title away from Silva before Sonnen's lack of submission defense once again reared its ugly head.
Could Chael learn from his mistakes and knock the Spider off the top of the division if the two were to ever meet each other again? Nobody knows, but everyone would be watching
4. Anderson Silva vs Jon Jones
Jones hasn't even won a championship, yet there is already a buzz surrounding a fight between Bones and the Spider.
But the buzz is warranted. There hasn't been a fighter in years that has burst on the MMA scene as quickly as Jones.
Since he debuted in the UFC, Jones has defied all odds and is one step away from being the best fighter in one of the promotion's deepest divisions after only three years of training.
While Jones doesn't have the skill set of Silva, his overall athletic prowess would make a fight between the two very entertaining and one that no fan would miss.
3. Fedor Emelianenko vs Randy Couture
This fight was so close to happening on a few different occasions, but one reason or another kept the fight from being made.
This is very similar to the Liddell-Silva fight I talked about in the opening slide. Even though both fighters are past their prime and this match would have been much more significant five years ago, it still has all the makings to be a fight for the ages.
Both Fedor and Randy have earned their title of “Legend.” Seeing these two legends square off would be something you would take a second mortgage out on your house, get a second job, or donate as many platelets as you could to go see live
2. Anderson Silva Vs. Georges St. Pierre
This is a fight that Dana White said would happen once both fighters have cleaned out their respective weight divisions.
Should Silva get past Okami and St. Pierre get past Shields, one would be hard-pressed to make an argument that both fighters haven't cleaned out their division.
Over his past few fights, St. Pierre has added some noticeable muscle mass to his upper body, which should point to a move to middleweight.
If, or when, this fight happens, don't be surprised if it's the most purchased pay-per-view sporting event ever.
1. Jorge Santiago vs Kazuo Masaki III
If you didn't get the chance to see this fight from Sengoku 14, do yourself a huge favor and get your hands on a copy of it by any legal way possible.
Santiago and Masaki went to hell in back in what some have called the greatest fight in MMA history. Both fighters had each other in trouble multiple times, and I lost count how many times the referee could have stopped the fight and nobody would have complained.
Towards the end of the fight, Santiago was finally able to impose his will on Masaki as he pounded away on him late in the fourth round.
With just 29 seconds left in the fight, Masaki's corner threw in the towel. Most fighters would be angry if their corner threw in the towel with such little time left, but the fight was such a war that Masaki did not complain one bit.
If a rematch between these two was even half as good as their first fight, it would easily be fight of the year again, no matter in what year it took place.
It doesn't matter if you've been watching MMA for a month, a year, or a decade. Every fan of the sport has talked to some of their buddies about fights that they would love to see. More than likely, most of the fights they talk about will never happen.
However, there are some fights that get thrown around that actually have a chance of happening at some point of time. History has proven that however unlikely, the fight that everyone thought would never happen gets put together.
Just take Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva for example. Dana White put Liddell in the PRIDE light heavyweight Grand Prix back in 2003 in hopes that the superfight would go down.
That was put to a halt by Quinton Jackson, when he forced Liddell's corner to throw in the towel in the second round.
In 2007, after the fall of PRIDE and the UFC's acquisition of their assets, they were finally able to put together fight the fans had been wanting to see for years. Sometimes dreams do come true.
Right now, a few of these fights could happen, but it would take nothing short of a miracle to make most of them happen.
But as MMA fans, we all know to never say never.
25. Urijah Faber Vs. Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto
Many moons ago, this was the fight that just had to be made. At 145 pounds, there was Urijah Faber, Kid Yamamoto and everyone else.
Now that the UFC has signed Yamamoto, there is a possibility that this fight could actually happen. The only problems are Faber has looked great so far at 135 and Yamamoto hasn't looked good at all lately.
If for anything else, this would be a great trip down Memory Lane to see this fight actually happen.
24. GSP Vs Nick Diaz
Here's a better question: Who wouldn't want to see this fight? Since both fighters have won the welterweight titles in their respective promotions, they have destroyed all challengers.
Would St. Pierre's superior wrestling be able to control the fight? Would Diaz' pitter-patter boxing be able to knock out another world class athlete?
Champion vs. Champion fights. They don't get much better than this.
23. Eddie Alvarez vs Gilbert Melendez
This fight has been talked about for what seems like forever. Both Scott Coker and Bjorn Rebney are open to the idea of making this fight happen, but for some reason it hasn't happened yet.
It goes without saying that Alvarez and Melendez are the best lightweights not under contract with the UFC. If this fight were to come to reality, it could make both Strikeforce and Bellator a ton of money, but it wouldn't come without risk.
How would the public perceive the losing champion's promotion? Odds are they would look inferior, which is something neither promotion could risk right now.
22. Michael Bisping Vs. Chael Sonnen
Many people still have a bitter taste in their mouth after witnessing what “Spitsping” did during and after his fight against Jorge Rivera at UFC 127.
There are a bunch of people out there who want to see Bisping get his arse handed to him for the way he acted.
Who would be better than Chael Sonnen to perform that butt-kicking? Nobody.
While Bisping tries to talk a big game, there is nobody in MMA who can even come close to keeping up with the mouth of Sonnen. It's pretty safe to say that Chael would win the battle of smack-talking hands down.
The only thing that could make this fight better is if it were held in London just to see how badly Sonnen would get booed by the crowd. I bet they'd be so loud, you wouldn't even be able to hear Bruce Buffer.
21. Hector Lombard Vs. Any Top 10 Middleweight
Lombard is one of the most talented fighters that you may have never seen. The reigning Bellator middleweight champion has easily handled everyone the promotion has placed in front of him.
At the age of 34, Lombard isn't exactly getting any younger or more talented. Now is the time when we need to see if he has what it takes to hang with the best in the division.
Bjorn Rebney, founder of Bellator, claims that nobody wants to fight Lombard. Call me crazy, but I'm sure he can find someone more talented than Jay Silva to take on the Cuban wrecking machine.
20. Josh Koscheck Vs. Dan Hardy
Sure, this has some potential of being an entertaining fight, but that's not why it's on the list.
The smack-talking leading into the fight would be nothing short of epic.
Both Koscheck and Hardy can talk a huge game. It may not be as huge of a game as Chael Sonnen talks, but it's huge nonetheless. The verbal war alone would be worth the price of admission
19. Jose Aldo Vs. Frankie Edgar
Edgar became the premier lightweight in the world last year as he beat the best lightweight in the history of MMA not once, but twice.
Then this year, he survived an onslaught that many couldn't and was able to walk out of the cage with a draw in his fight with Gray Maynard.
What makes those feats even more incredible is that he could easily make the cut to featherweight.
Jose Aldo resembles a Rubik's cube after someone changed around two of the stickers. For those of you who don't know, doing that makes the cube unsolvable.
Since he made his WEC debut, Aldo has made every fighter placed in front of him look like they didn't belong in the same building with him.
With his mix of great boxing and wrestling, would Edgar be able to put those stickers back in place and take out the seemingly unstoppable force that is Aldo?
18. Thiago Alves Vs Paul Daley
There is no doubt that Alves and Daley are two of the best Muay Thai fighters in MMA today. So what would happen if they got stuck in a cage against each other?
I'd go out on a limb and say that there would be a lot of punches and kicks thrown, followed by someone lying on the mat “face down, a** up.”
17. King Mo Lawal vs Jason Miller
Let's make this fight happen at a 195 pound catchweight. Lawal would more than likely be too big and strong for Miller to handle on the ground, but the 20 minutes they would spend walking to the cage would be the most entertaining 20 minutes of our lives.
Just imagine all the fireworks, rose petals, glittery coats, and Japanese schoolgirls. You know you would love every second of it
16. Diego Sanchez vs Nick Diaz II
Their first fight was nothing short of amazing. It was a hard-fought, three-round war that ended with a bloodied-up Sanchez working like no other to keep the referee from stopping the action to check the nasty gash on his head.
Since that fight, Diaz has gone on to have more success in his career than Sanchez. But a rematch between these two would definitely be one of the more fan-friendly fights that could be put together.
15. Jon Jones vs Phil Davis
Without a doubt, Jones and Davis are the two most explosive, dynamic fighters in all of MMA. Every time you see either of these men fight, you know you're in for a treat.
Davis is still the greener of the two, but give him a few more fights against quality opposition and he will be at the top of the UFC's light heavyweight division.
On the other hand, Jones has proven he's ready for the next level, as he will be taking on Shogun Rua for the title at UFC 128.
If, or when, the time comes that these two meet in the middle of the Octagon, it could go down as one of the greatest fights of all time.
14. Fedor Emeilianenko Vs. the UFC Light Heavyweight Division
While Fedor chooses to fight at heavyweight, everyone can see that if he laid off the ice cream and went on the Dolce Diet, he could be a lean, mean, wrecking machine at light heavyweight.
The possible match-ups are endless. Whether it be Rashad Evans, Quinton Jackson, Jon Jones, Shogun Rua, and so on, there are many very intriguing fights to be made.
13. Gray Maynard Vs. Eddie Alvarez
Most of the time, second-best match-ups don't draw much intrigue. But in this case, you have the second-best lightweight in the UFC against the second-best lightweight in the world.
Maynard proved he has what it takes to compete against the best when he nearly defeated Frankie Edgar on New Year's Day.
Alvarez has proven time and time again why he is the second-best lightweight in the world.
This is a case where a runner-up match would be better than most championship matches.
12. B.J. Penn vs Jon Fitch II
While I'm not personally not a fan of rematches just because the first match ended in a draw, a second go-around between Penn and Fitch would not only be entertaining, but would answer many questions that came up after their first meeting.
Can Penn really out-wrestle Fitch? Would Fitch make the adjustments to prepare for Penn's new-found wrestling? Do either of these guys deserve a shot at the winner of St. Pierre-Shields?
Only a rematch can answer these questions.
11. Anderson Silva Vs. Shogun Rua
Silva and Rua are two of the best Brazilian MMA fighters ever. With rumors swirling that Silva will be making the move to light heavyweight and the UFC's plans on expanding operations to Brazil, could anyone think of a better fight to reintroduce the UFC to South America?
Even if the fight didn't take place in Brazil, could anyone think of a more exciting Brazilian vs. Brazilian match up?
10. Alistair Overeem Vs. Cain Velasquez
There are no heavyweights on the planet who are more feared that “The Reem” and Velasquez. Velasquez is still riding high after his domination of Brock Lesnar, and Overeem beat up four guys last December alone.
It has been a long while since we have seen what one could call “a heavyweight fight for the ages” in either boxing or MMA. This could be the biggest heavyweight fight since the Mike Tyson era of boxing.
I wonder what Bob Arum thinks about that.
On second thought, I couldn't care less what "The Bobfather" thinks.
9. Jon Jones Vs. the Heavyweight Division
At only 23 years of age, Jones is already a monster at light heavyweight. There will come a time when he will make the move to heavyweight.
When that time comes, there will probably be a whole new breed of heavyweights running the division that we haven't seen yet.
But when that day comes, you know Jones will be there to fight the best the division has to offer.
8. Fedor Emelianenko Vs. Anderson Silva
The best heavyweight of all time against the best middleweight of all time in a light heavyweight showdown.
Do I really need to explain why anyone who has ever called themselves a MMA fan would want to see this?
Didn't think so
7. Robbie Lawler vs Melvin Manhoef II
The first match between Lawler and Manhoef was nothing short of a war. They stood toe-to-toe and traded bombs until Manhoef finally fell to the mat with less than two minutes left in the first round.
Their first match may have been short and sweet, but they need to go at it again.
Even if the rematch only last three minutes, they could both say they were involved in the most exciting six minutes of MMA the fans have ever seen.
6. Wanderlei Silva vs Vitor Belfort II
I've seen it, you've seen it, your kids (if you have any) have seen it, and odds are your grandchildren will see it.
At UFC 17.5 in Brazil, Belfort came storming across the cage at Silva, with fists that looked like a blur, and became the first person ever to knock out the future PRIDE light heavyweight kingpin.
Now that they're both in the UFC, this is a fight that must be made so they can settle the grudge once and for all.
.
5. Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen II
In their first fight, Chael pushed Silva beyond what anyone in the UFC has ever been able to push the champion.
Chael easily won the first four rounds, and was en route of taking the title away from Silva before Sonnen's lack of submission defense once again reared its ugly head.
Could Chael learn from his mistakes and knock the Spider off the top of the division if the two were to ever meet each other again? Nobody knows, but everyone would be watching
4. Anderson Silva vs Jon Jones
Jones hasn't even won a championship, yet there is already a buzz surrounding a fight between Bones and the Spider.
But the buzz is warranted. There hasn't been a fighter in years that has burst on the MMA scene as quickly as Jones.
Since he debuted in the UFC, Jones has defied all odds and is one step away from being the best fighter in one of the promotion's deepest divisions after only three years of training.
While Jones doesn't have the skill set of Silva, his overall athletic prowess would make a fight between the two very entertaining and one that no fan would miss.
3. Fedor Emelianenko vs Randy Couture
This fight was so close to happening on a few different occasions, but one reason or another kept the fight from being made.
This is very similar to the Liddell-Silva fight I talked about in the opening slide. Even though both fighters are past their prime and this match would have been much more significant five years ago, it still has all the makings to be a fight for the ages.
Both Fedor and Randy have earned their title of “Legend.” Seeing these two legends square off would be something you would take a second mortgage out on your house, get a second job, or donate as many platelets as you could to go see live
2. Anderson Silva Vs. Georges St. Pierre
This is a fight that Dana White said would happen once both fighters have cleaned out their respective weight divisions.
Should Silva get past Okami and St. Pierre get past Shields, one would be hard-pressed to make an argument that both fighters haven't cleaned out their division.
Over his past few fights, St. Pierre has added some noticeable muscle mass to his upper body, which should point to a move to middleweight.
If, or when, this fight happens, don't be surprised if it's the most purchased pay-per-view sporting event ever.
1. Jorge Santiago vs Kazuo Masaki III
If you didn't get the chance to see this fight from Sengoku 14, do yourself a huge favor and get your hands on a copy of it by any legal way possible.
Santiago and Masaki went to hell in back in what some have called the greatest fight in MMA history. Both fighters had each other in trouble multiple times, and I lost count how many times the referee could have stopped the fight and nobody would have complained.
Towards the end of the fight, Santiago was finally able to impose his will on Masaki as he pounded away on him late in the fourth round.
With just 29 seconds left in the fight, Masaki's corner threw in the towel. Most fighters would be angry if their corner threw in the towel with such little time left, but the fight was such a war that Masaki did not complain one bit.
If a rematch between these two was even half as good as their first fight, it would easily be fight of the year again, no matter in what year it took place.