Categories: SPORTS

Top Ten Most Anticipated UFC Fights of 2012: A Fan’s View

The final nine months of 2012 will undoubtedly be filled with dozens of exciting title bouts and clashes between perennial contenders.

Here’s a look at the top ten most anticipated UFC fights slated for the remainder of 2012:

Urijah Faber vs Dominick Cruz

Everyone loves a trilogy, and the one between Cruz and Faber is one of best in league history. Both men are coaches on the current season of The Ultimate Fighter Live reality show, so fans were able to get a closer look into their true-life rivalry. These guys truly do not like each other.

The first time the two men stepped into the cage together, Faber defended the WEC Featherweight Championship belt with a first-round submission victory over Cruz at WEC 26 in 2007. When Cruz and Faber went toe-to-toe for the second time, at UFC 132 in 2011, Cruz earned a controversial unanimous decision victory that Faber believes should have been decided in his favor. This year, the men are scheduled to complete their trilogy on July 7 at UFC 148.

Jon Jones vs Rashad Evans

This bout has another great storyline featuring two of the brighest light heavyweights in the world. Jones is the youngest UFC title holder in its history, while Evans is a former champion in the league. The two men were close friends who apparently had a bit of a falling out, and now they will fight each other for the light heavyweight belt on April 21 at UFC 145.

Nate Diaz vs Jim Miller

The upcoming fight between Diaz and Miller is essentially a No. 1 contender bout, with the winner slated to get a crack at the UFC Lightweight belt currently held by Benson Henderson. The fight between Diaz and Miller will be held on May 5th at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, NJ.

Junior Dos Santos vs Alistair Overeem

The UFC 146 card is stacked full of heavyweight bouts, and the tilt between Junior Dos Santos and Alistair Overeem has fireworks written all over it. Overeem is coming off a convincing victory over Brock Lesnar, while Dos Santos hasn’t lost a fight in close to five years. Both men have incredible knockout power with their strikes, so I don’t see this one going past the first round. This bout takes place on May 26.

Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen

Sonnen is one of the great “trash-talkers” in the sport, while Silva is perhaps the best pound-for-pound UFC fighter of all-time.

Silva will have his hometown fans in his corner, with close to 80,000 fans expected to pack Estádio Olímpico João Havelange in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the fight. When the men fought each other for the first time, Sonnen was two minutes away from earning a decision victory when he got caught in a triangle armbar in the fifth round. The fight is scheduled for June 16.

Tito Ortiz vs Forrest Griffin

As I stated before, fight fans love trilogies. The upcoming fight between Ortiz and Griffin, scheduled for July 7 at UFC 148, is the rubber match of a long-standing feud between two legends of the sport. Both men are in their mid-to-late thirties and nearly the end of the line of their fighting careers, but they never fail to put on a fun show for the fans.

I just turned 37 years old,” Ortiz said this past month in a mmajunkie.com report. “I’ve been in the game for 15 years and competing only with the UFC. I know it’s time for me to kind of hang ’em up.”

Carlos Condit vs Georges St-Pierre

Georges St-Pierre is targeting a November return after extensive rehab on his knee that will keep him sidelined for most of 2012.

While the UFC has not yet confirmed a fight between him and Condit, it only makes sense being that Condit is the interim welterweight champ in St-Pierre’s absence from the sport. According to an ESPN report, St-Pierre tweeted “Only halfway through rehab, but my goal now has a name, date and place: UFC 154, NOVEMBER 17, MONTREAL!!!”

Frankie Edgar vs Benson Henderson

“Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson rematch will be this summer,” UFC President Dana White wrote on his official Twitter account. The date and location has not yet been officially announced. On Feb. 26, the men slugged it out in a unanimous decision victory that went to Henderson.

Dan Henderson vs Rashad Evans/Jon Jones

At this point in his career, 41-year-old Dan Henderson seems to have the luxury of being choosy with UFC matchmakers as to who his next opponent will be.

After winning seven of eight dating back to 2008, Henderson feels that he’s next in line for a light heavyweight title shot against the winner of the Rashad Evans-Jon Jones tilt. I believe that fight would likely happen sometime in the summer of 2012.

Wanderlei Silva vs Vitor Belfort

Both Silva and Belfort are now in their mid-30s, but it’s always fun to see two legends of the sport slug it out in the cage. Silva is one of my all-time favorite fighters, and he still has a passion for putting on a great show for the fans. The fight is scheduled for UFC 147 in June.