The MMA Top 10 1.08.10: Week 3 - Top 10 Most Wanted Fights Of 2010

Posted by Dustin James on 01.08.2010

What are the top 10 fights that 411's Dustin James considers his "most wanted" fights of 2010? Is it BJ Penn vs. Shinya Aoki? Perhaps it's Georges St. Pierre vs. Anderson Silva? How about Quinton Jackson vs. Rashad Evans? There's only one way you will ever know.......

Welcome back to The MMA Top 10! As you should know by now, I'm your host Dustin James and I think I'm bringing a pretty damn good subject to the table this week. I decided to man up and rank the top 10 fights I want to see in 2010. Remember, this is my list and these are fights that I would personally like to see. There will be some fights missing from this list that may piss a few of you off, however I just happen to be one of those guys who isn't really interested in seeing Brock Lesnar vs. Fedor Emelianenko. I just can't really see Brock beating Fedor at this moment in his career (before the injury at least). I just need to see Brock compete a few more times before facing someone as scary as Fedor.

With that out of the way, my time is very short this week (thank you work!) so I'll keep it short this week and head straight to the top 10.......



LET'S GET IT ON!!!!!!!..............

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HONORABLE MENTIONS!




Brock Lesnar vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Currently Fighting For: UFC




Lesnar's Stats:


Record: 4-1

Biggest Victories: Frank Mir, Randy Couture and Heath Herring

Biggest Loss: Frank Mir



Nogueira's Stats:


Record: 32-5-1

Biggest Victories: Randy Couture, Josh Barnett, Mirko Cro Cop, Dan Henderson, and Mark Coleman

Biggest Losses: Fedor Emelianenko, Dan Henderson, Josh Barnett, and Frank Mir



If it's deemed that Lesnar is actually healthy enough to continue on with his UFC career, then it's a must that he somehow, someway end up facing Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in 2010! Big Nog is coming off a huge victory over Randy Couture at UFC 102 and is almost ready for a shot at the UFC heavyweight title. I honestly think Nogueira would give Lesnar a lot of problems match-up wise, but that's a story for another day. Either way, it's one fight that I would love to see and hopefully we will at some point in 2010.

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Gilbert Melendez vs. Josh Thomson III
Currently Fighting For: Strikeforce




Melendez's Stats:


Record: 17-2

Biggest Victories: Josh Thomson, Mitsuhiro Ishida, Tatsuya Kawajiri and Clay Guida

Biggest Losses: Josh Thomson and Mitsuhiro Ishida




Thomson's Stats:


Record: 16-3

Biggest Victories: Gilbert Melendez, Duane Ludwig, and Hermes Franca

Biggest Losses: Gilbert Melendez, Clay Guida, and Yves Edwards



OK, question. Which honest-to-god MMA fan doesn't want to see a rubber match between Melendez and Thomson? Their first bout was pretty good and their second bout was considered "Fight of the Year" by many....so imagine what a third bout between the two would be like! If Strikeforce were smart then they would capitalize off the current buzz surrounding the two's instant classic at last months "Evolution" card by booking a third fight between the two instantly. Both fights have gone to a decision and it's hard to see a third fight ending in any other manner. May the bandwagon for this rubber match start here.......

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AND NOW......THE TOP 10!!!!!!!!!







10) Miguel Torres vs. Urijah Faber
Currently Fighting For: WEC




Torres' Stats


Record: 37-2

Biggest Victories: Chase Beebe, Takeya Mizugaki, and Yoshiro Maeda

Biggest Losses: Brian Bowles and Ryan Ackerman



Faber's Stats


Record: 22-3

Biggest Victories: Jens Pulver, Jeff Curran, and Dominick Cruz

Biggest Losses: Mike Brown and Tyson Griffin




Remember a time (I believe it was before Faber dropped two fights to Mike Brown and Torres lost to Brian Bowles) when all the hardcore MMA fans were clamoring for a match-up between the #1 featherweight (Faber) and the #1 bantamweight (Torres) fighters in the world? People everywhere were talking about how exciting of a match-up that would be. Well, what's changed? Just because the two have been on the losing side of things in their last couple of fights, doesn't mean I want to see this fight any less. I still believe if this fight was booked for a WEC show then it would end up blowing our minds. Hopefully it's one we will get to see at some point in 2010.....



A reminder of how dangerous Miguel Torres can be........

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9) Lyoto Machida vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
Currently Fighting For: UFC




Machida's Stats:


Record: 16-0

Biggest Victories: Rashad Evans, BJ Penn, "Shogun" Rua, and Rich Franklin

Biggest Loss: None



Jackson's Stats:


Record: 30-7

Biggest Victories: Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva, Matt Lindland, Chuck Liddell, and Ricardo Arona

Biggest Losses: Wanderlei Silva, "Shogun" Rua, Forrest Griffin, and Marvin Eastman




Let's say Quinton "Rampage" Jackson comes back, destroys Rashad Evans (which is highly likely if the two meet), then what? Well, let's say Lyoto Machida manages to squeeze by "Shogun" Rua again. Well....then what? I'll tell you what! Then it's a given that we finally get to see two of the best light heavyweights in the UFC finally do battle. We would finally get to see "Rampage vs. The Dragon" (man, does that sound like a wrestling match or what?)! I can't wait for Jackson to finish up filming the A-Team movie. The guy is one of my favorite fighters in the world and I would love to see him come back and compete for the UFC light heavyweight title again. Not to mention, if "Rampage" managed to beat Machida, perhaps we would finally get that Jackson/"Shogun" rematch I have been waiting YEARS for!




He's the one, the only, "the DRAGON".....Lyoto Machida......

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8) Fedor Emelianenko vs. Alistair Overeem
Currently Fighting For: Strikeforce




Emelianenko's Stats:


Record: 31-1

Biggest Victories: Andrei Arlvoski, Mirko Cro Cop, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and Ricardo Arona

Biggest Loss: Tsuyoshi Kosaka



Overeem's Stats:


Record: 32-11

Biggest Victories: Vitor Belfort, Paul Buentello and Sergei Kharitonov

Biggest Losses: Ricardo Arona, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Fabricio Werdum, "Shogun" Rua, and Chuck Liddell




When I saw that on Strikeforce's next CBS special (currently rumored for April!) #1 heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko would be facing UFC veteran Fabricio Werdum, I wasn't impressed. I especially wasn't impressed when I saw that the company had invited it's current heavyweight champion, Alistair Overeem, to also fight on the card. Why the hell didn't the company offer Overeem a fight against Emelianenko? Is the company going for a wrestling approach here and trying to "build up the fight"? If so, there's no need too! It's obvious that this is the best match-up for Fedor in Strikeforce. The two have never fought and Overeem is holding the title that you can bet Fedor would like a shot at. Needless to say, I highly believe we will see this match before 2011 rolls around. Mark my words........



Alistair Overeem.....he's a baaaaaad man.........

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7) Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir III
Currently Fighting For: UFC




Lesnar's Stats:


Record: 4-1

Biggest Victories: Frank Mir, Randy Couture and Heath Herring

Biggest Loss: Frank Mir




Mir's Stats:


Record: 13-4

Biggest Victories: Brock Lesnar, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Cheick Kongo, and Tim Sylvia

Biggest Losses: Brock Lesnar, Marcio Cruz, Ian Freeman, and Brandon Vera




This is probably the biggest no-brainer on the list for a bunch of you reading this list. However, the only thing holding back the thrill of a potential Lesnar/Mir rubber match is the fact that I really believe it would go down exactly like the second bout between the two....with Lesnar on top and Mir's face looking like it just got attacked by a team of angry little leaguers with aluminum bats. The UFC's heavyweight division is REALLY banking on Lesnar returning at some point in 2010. In a perfect world, we would see Mir defeat Carwin in March setting up Mir vs. Lesnar for the summer. Call me silly, but that's exactly how I see things going. It could end up being a very good summer once again for us UFC fans~!




A tribute to the "feud" between Frank Mir and Brock Lesnar.........

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6) Jose Aldo vs. Urijah Faber
Currently Fighting For: WEC




Aldo's Stats:


Record: 16-1

Biggest Victories: Mike Brown, Cub Swanson, and Alexandre Nogueira,

Biggest Loss: Luciano Azevedo




Faber's Stats


Record: 22-3

Biggest Victories: Jens Pulver, Jeff Curran, and Dominick Cruz

Biggest Losses: Mike Brown and Tyson Griffin




There was a time (a little over a year ago) that Urijah Faber was considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. He was easily the top featherweight in the world, until he ran into Mike THOMAS Brown that is. After dropping two fights to Mike Brown, Faber's stock has dropped a little. However, Jose Aldo's stock is at an all-time high right now. He's the new #1 featherweight in the world. He's the guy who did something Faber failed to do by defeating Mike Brown. Well, what's left for Aldo? I'll tell you what! A fight with Faber! If Urijah is victorious over Rafael Assuncao at WEC 46 then there is no reason he shouldn't end up facing Aldo at some point in 2010. You can TOTALLY count me in for that one. You want to talk about exciting? This one would be so fast paced I'm sure we would miss the finish once we decided to finally blink. Either way, book it!




Highlights from the "California Kid", so you know they are good........

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5) Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Rashad Evans
Currently Fighting For: UFC





Jackson's Stats:


Record: 30-7

Biggest Victories: Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva, Matt Lindland, Chuck Liddell, and Ricardo Arona

Biggest Losses: Wanderlei Silva, "Shogun" Rua, Forrest Griffin, and Marvin Eastman




Evans' Stats:


Record: 14-1-1

Biggest Victories: Thiago Silva, Forrest Griffin, Chuck Liddell, and Michael Bisping

Biggest Loss: Lyoto Machida




Of course this fight is going to be ranked on here! Who doesn't want to see this fight? After seeing the confrontation between the two last March, we were all sold on the fight. Then the UFC had to go ahead and make the two competing coaches on "The Ultimate Fighter" and that REALLY made us want to see this fight! Seriously...while the fights on "TUF" blew ass, the one constant thing that made the show watchable was the bickering between Jackson and Evans. This fight is currently rumored to go down in May and I can't wait. It's been a hell of a feud and I'm sure it's not going to end once May arrives......




Can't we all just get along????.........

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4) B.J. Penn vs. Shinya Aoki
Currently Fighting For: Penn - UFC Aoki - DREAM





Penn's Stats:


Record: 15-5-1

Biggest Victories: Takanori Gomi, Matt Hughes, Kenny Florian, and Diego Sanchez

Biggest Losses: Georges St. Pierre, Matt Hughes, Lyoto Machida, and Jens Pulver




Aoki's Stats:


Record: 23-4

Biggest Victories: Eddie Alvarez, Joachim Hansen, JZ Cavalcante, and Vitor Ribeiro

Biggest Losses: Hayato Sakurai, Joachim Hansen, and Jutaro Nakao





I use to have little to no interest in this match due to the fact that I truly believe Penn would humble Aoki. However, with Aoki's actions at the Dynamite!! show on New Year's Eve, I now want to see Penn beat the ever loving crap out of him. Aoki became a huge hypocrite when he flipped off his opponent after breaking his arm. For years he was blasting American fighters for "disrespecting the sport", yet he clearly has no respect for it either. While I would love to hate Aoki, the man did come out and apologized for his actions after the fight, basically blaming it clearly on adrenaline. I can totally understand where he's coming from on that front. However, the man is a hypocrite and I hate hypocrites. Therefore, I'm praying that the UFC signs this guy and books him against Penn ASAP. Aoki has been begging for this fight, so let's give it to him already......




AOKI'S BREAKING ARMS BY GAWD (not recommend for those who hate watching injuries).......

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3) Dan Henderson vs. Gegard Mousasi
Currently Fighting For: Strikeforce





Henderson's Stats:


Record: 25-7

Biggest Victories: Michael Bisping, Rich Franklin, Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and Kazuo Misaki

Biggest Losses: Quinton Jackson, Anderson Silva, Kazuo Misaki, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Ricardo Arona, and Wanderlei Silva





Mousasi's Stats:


Record: 28-2-1

Biggest Victories: Melvin Manhoef, "Jacare" Souza, Renato Sobral, and Sokoudjou

Biggest Losses: Petras Markevicius and Akihiro Gono




When Dan Henderson left the UFC for Strikeforce, there were a lot of collective groans heard throughout the MMA community. However, one man was sitting at home smiling knowing that he was going to FINALLY face some real competition! That man was none other than Gegard Mousasi. Mousasi has managed to make a huge name for himself over the last few years in MMA. He sneaked into DREAM in April of 2008 and immediately made an impact with a win over Denis Kang and it hasn't stopped since. He's currently on a 15-fight win streak and hasn't lost since 2006. However, he's never been tested against a fighter as talented as Henderson. MMA fans have been clamoring to see Mousasi face some real competition and Hendo is as real as it gets. Sign this fight immediately Strikeforce.......




And because I'm a Team Quest homer, I present to you.....Dan Henderson highlights!!!........

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2) Anderson Silva vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
Currently Fighting For: UFC





Jackson's Stats:



Record: 30-7

Biggest Victories: Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva, Matt Lindland, Chuck Liddell, and Ricardo Arona

Biggest Losses: Wanderlei Silva, "Shogun" Rua, Forrest Griffin, and Marvin Eastman




Silva's Stats:



Record: 25-4

Biggest Victories: Forrest Griffin, Dan Henderson, Rich Franklin, and Hayato Sakurai

Biggest Losses: Yushin Okami, Ryo Chonan, Luiz Azeredo, and Daiju Takase





First of all, I will admit....a lot of you probably don't care to see this fight. However, this is my list and these are two of my favorite fighters and I consider this a "dream fight". Anderson Silva has all but cleaned out the middleweight division and it's almost time for a full-time move to light heavyweight (remember.....I said ALMOST!). If a move to light heavyweight does happen, then a fight with none other than Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is something that would sell tons of PPV buys as well as give Silva a credible opponent at light heavyweight. In my eyes, it's just something that was made to happen. While it probably has slim to no chance of happening in 2010, I can still wish. Remember....these are fights I WANT to see!




And here's Anderson Silva kicking a dude's head off............

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1) Anderson Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre
Currently Fighting For: UFC





Silva's Stats:


Record: 25-4

Biggest Victories: Forrest Griffin, Dan Henderson, Rich Franklin, and Hayato Sakurai

Biggest Losses: Yushin Okami, Ryo Chonan, Luiz Azeredo, and Daiju Takase




St. Pierre's Record:


Record: 19-2

Biggest Victories: Thiago Alves, Matt Hughes, Josh Koscheck, BJ Penn, and Jon Fitch

Biggest Losses: Matt Hughes and Matt Serra





Remember up above when I stated that Anderson Silva was "almost" ready for a full-time move to the light heavyweight division? That's because he needs to stay at middleweight and fight the one guy that MMA fans have been dying to see him fight for over the past year. That man would be none other than Georges St. Pierre! St. Pierre is the perfect UFC opponent for Silva. St. Pierre has cleaned out the welterweight division, he's beat the #1 lightweight in the UFC (Penn), and now he needs to prove to the world that he can beat the #1 middleweight in the UFC as well! Man, imagine the excitement that would go into this fight if the UFC did decide to book it. In my eyes it would have a real shot at setting some UFC records. The question is, will the UFC ever decide to book this fight? While Dana White has hinted at in the past, something inside of me just tells me that we will never get to see GSP face off against "The Spider". If 2010 wants to give us anything we will remember......then it will give us this fight.

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And that's it for me this week. Make sure you follow me on Twitter for all sorts of good MMA, NBA, NFL, and other random crap talk. Trust me, I won't let you down.

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