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- Nick Diaz vs. KJ Noons II (Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons II)
- Jamie Varner vs. Donald Cerrone II (WEC 51)
- Rashad Evans vs. Quinton Jackson (UFC 114)
- Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio Rua II (UFC 113)
Here are my fights I want to see in 2011...
#10: Gina Carano vs. Anybody
Very few people who have seemingly left a sport behind them can ever say there was as much demand for a return like Gina Carano has gotten. Ever since suffering the TKO loss to Cristiane Santos over a year ago, MMA fans have been clamoring for her return to action. Recently, Gina Carano added fuel to the fire after stating that if she were to return to MMA, it would happen for Strikeforce. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker then stated a few weeks later that he feels Gina Carano will return to action in 2011.
#9: Anthony Pettis vs. Ben Henderson II
When the WEC ceased operations at the end of 2010, nobody could have predicted how awesome the final fights in the promotions history would be. Capitalizing on his last opportunity in the promotion, Anthony Pettis scored a huge upset when he defeated Ben Henderson to win the WEC Lightweight Title. Anthony Pettis also made himself a permanent part of the MMA highlight reel with his super kick from the cage wall to Ben Henderson’s face. With a potential third Frankie Edgar/Gray Maynard fight in the works, there is plenty of time to hold this rematch.
#8: Cristiane Santos vs. Erin Toughill
One of the biggest disappoints of 2010 from my point of view is the lack of quality opponents Strikeforce has found for Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight Champion Cristiane Santos. The consensus among MMA fans is that the biggest challenge left for the champion is to have her face Erin Toughill. The major problem right now is that Strikeforce is having contract issues with Erin Toughill at the moment. Hopefully, those issues can be overcome because the longer that the champion faces cupcake opponents, the more the title becomes devalued.
#7: Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir III
There has been very few heated rivalries look the one that has occurred between former UFC Heavyweight Champions Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir. These two first squared off at UFC 81, where Frank Mir submitted Brock Lesnar in under two minutes with a heel hook. They had a rematch at UFC 100, where Brock Lesnar defeated Frank Mir by TKO to retain his UFC Heavyweight Title. Recently, rumors have been spreading that Brock Lesnar is leaving the UFC, but hopefully this fight will take place before it comes true.
#6: Nick Diaz vs. Jason Miller
The last image anybody remembers from the Strikeforce On CBS II event is the war between Nick Diaz and Jason Miller’s camps. There were rumors that they were set to meet at the January Strikeforce event, but they went unfounded as the promotion had other plans. At the January event, Nick Diaz will face Evangelista Santos and Jason Miller will face Tim Kennedy. Either way, one would assume that a victory for both men will gain them the long anticipated grudge match fans have been waiting for.
#5: Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio Rua III
The first encounter between these two fighters ended in controversy at UFC 104 after Lyoto Machida defeated Mauricio Rua by split decision. In the rematch, Mauricio Rua handed the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion by knockout at UFC 113. A potential third fight was nixed late in 2010 after Mauricio Rua suffered a knee injury during his title win. In order for this fight to happen, Mauricio Rua needs to defeat Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida needs a few wins under his belt.
#4: Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum
At the end of the day, Fabricio Werdum may have pulled off one of the biggest upsets in MMA history when he tapped out Fedor Emelianenko in 2010. Sadly, Fabricio Werdum wasn’t able to immediately capitalize on the victory because he suffered injuries of his own. One of then men watching the action from the crowd was the current Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem. With the upset victory in his pocket, Fabricio Werdum deserves his long awaited title opportunity in Strikeforce.
#3: Jon Jones vs. Phil Davis
There is a unified theory amongst many mixed martial arts fans that two future UFC Light Heavyweight Champions will be Jon Jones and Phil Davis. However, in such a deep talent pool that the UFC Light Heavyweight Division currently offers, both men seem to have a very long wait until they have an opportunity at the gold. Until that time comes for one and/or both fighters, what would be wrong with putting them up against each other? On the positive side for the UFC, if this fight were to come to fruition, it will help determine which fighter gets the priority title shot over the other.
#2: Alistair Overeem vs. Fedor Emelianenko
Prior to being upset by Fabricio Werdum last year, the highest profile heavyweight fight Strikeforce could put together was Alistair Overeem versus Fedor Emelianenko. Even though Fedor Emelianenko was defeated by Fabricio Werdum, the demand for this match is still pretty high. Also, from a promoters point of view, the only way to possibly get Alistair Overeem in the Strikeforce cage again is to get Fedor Emelianenko to stand opposite of him. An added positive for Strikeforce is that if Alistair Overeem loses the title to Fedor Emelianenko, the gold would at least be defended more than once every four years.
#1: Georges St. Pierre vs. Anderson Silva
This fight was also featured on my “Fights I Want To See In 2010†list, but the MMA world did not get to see it last year. Unlike last year though, the possibility of seeing this fight in 2011 is getting brighter and brighter with each passing day. Something that could bring this fight closer is that each respective champions division are both running light on challengers at the moment. The real question to ask is if this fight were to happen, then which of the fighters weight class would this occur in?
You can contact David Tees at bigteesps3@yahoo.com
