Top 10 Fights on My Christmas Wish List
(There may be only one man on earth who can make the Santa hat look cool.)
I don’t want much this holiday season. Well, besides that Red Ryder BB Gun I ask for every year. And a pony. But there are some fights I’d like to see in 2009, and while I don’t think that mall Santa I tried to talk to is going to be any help (let’s just say it got heated and we both said some things we didn’t really mean), I’m holding out hope that the powers that be will hear my pleas and make some of these happen.
Here’s my wish list of ten fights for 2009. Some are very likely. Some are just barely feasible. But I tried to stay away from the downright impossible, hence the absence of Fedor vs. The Highlander. Feel free to let me know all about what’s on your list in the comments section:
1. Anderson Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre: Whether GSP beats Penn or not (magic eight ball says, “all signs point to yes,”) this has the potential to be the UFC’s biggest superfight ever. They have precious few opportunities to settle pound-for-pound debates, but this is their best shot. If MMA becomes legal in New York this year, as it probably will, this fight could do a Jay-Z and sell out the Garden in a day.
2. B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian: Perhaps no fighter in the UFC has improved so much by sheer force of will as KenFlo. Penn is the lightweight champ, and he deserves to be, which is why I really wish he’d stop chasing fights in other weight classes and set his sights on defending that title. Winning a belt is great, but defending it is how you cement your status as a dominant champ. Penn probably beats Florian in a tough fight, but there’s only one way to find out.
3. Fedor Emelianenko vs. Josh Barnett: If he beats Arlovski, this is the only realistically possible bout for Fedor that would still be compelling. I know they’re friends and all, but Affliction is starting to feel like a narrowing path leading only to this fight. Hopefully all parties concerned – Affliction, Barnett, Fedor, Fedor’s management team – can hold it together long enough to make it happen.
4. Miguel Torres vs. Urijah Faber: The Faber-Pulver rematch seems fun, but a little pointless to me. I think he’ll eventually get his WEC belt back when Mike Brown is healthy, then I’d love to see this clash between the two best fighters in the organization.
5. Brock Lesnar vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: Chances of this happening are very good. I think Big Nog rolls through Frank Mir, and then we should see this fight some time in the late spring or summer. I like it because it's an entirely new and interesting test of how good Lesnar really is. From what we’ve seen so far, to beat Lesnar you need submission skills and the ability to withstand power shots from those cartoon-sized mallets he calls hands. Who does that sound like to you?
6. Anderson Silva vs. whoever’s the 205-pound champ: Demolishing James Irvin proved that going up in weight is not, in itself, a significant challenge for Silva. He needs to go up in weight against someone who matters – and not just someone who used to matter, either. If he wins, there’s that familiar problem of one man holding two titles again. But it would be a great excuse for him to vacate the middleweight belt, allowing that division to become competitive again.
7. Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva (yes, again): The first fight was epic, so why not run it back? You don’t need a reason. You can do it whether Wandy wins or loses against Rampage, and it might be interesting to see if things turn out any differently now that “The Axe Murderer” has had a chance to acclimate himself to the UFC.
8. Gina Carano vs. “Cyborg” Santos: Can we please just do this thing and find out how good “Crush” really is? It’s the only women’s MMA fight that has real drawing power, but that won’t last forever. It needs to happen sooner rather than later, and if it delivers it has the potential of really pushing the women’s fight game forward.
9. Shinya Aoki vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama: Hope for this one is fading fast, but damn if I don’t want to see it. I may be alone in loving everything about Aoki, from his tights to his positively ridiculous submissions, but I don’t care. I also love the semi-formal feud between these two, and regardless of how Aoki does against Eddie Alvarez on NYE, I still have to admit to myself that this is a fight I really want to see.
10. Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra: All right, so I’m a sucker for a grudge match, especially when it seems genuine. I also love the contrast between the gun-loving, Bible-thumping farmboy Hughes, and the pasta-loving, big-talking, Long Island little man Serra. They’re both obnoxious in completely different ways, and I never get tired of it. You add this to my dream Silva-GSP card at MSG and every fake-tanned mook in the five burroughs will be there, covered in his finest Axe Body Spray. I can almost smell it now...
(BF)
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The irish car bomb Says:
I think snoop dogg just smoked a blunt with that santa that ironically looks alot like ice cube
Piss in my own fruit tray Says:
my Christmas wish fight is Ben vs. Ben...backyard brawl rules no hold barred with weapons filmed and posted on here for all to see...make it happen CP.
Piss in my own fruit tray Says:
Sorry for my lack of punctuation...but you get what I was trying to say.
MMA FAN Says:
completely agree with you on the barnett fedor fight nad gsp vs silva.
Hell Why not wandy vs chuck II, it was great, however i think rampage vs wanderlei III has the potencial to be one of the best fights period
TellaTruth Says:
Oh THANK YOU! My first pick is definitely GSP v Silva. Glad to see you guys pick that one too.
rh Says:
Solid picks for fights, but your reasoning is a little goofy:
1. GSP/Silva...doesn't settle any p4p debates. No matter who wins and how, neither of them are going to catch Fedor's legacy.
2. Actually, with one [1] Penn has just as many successful title defenses as GSP, so you're logic for GSP/Silva makes zero sense.
And of the three [GSP/A.Silva/Penn], B.J. is the only one who isn't significantly bigger/stronger than the majority of his opponents, so he stands to gain more p4p credentials by moving up. Unless you have no idea wtf p4p actually stands for...which I suspect is true, based on the rankings on this site. Forrest Griffin? Really??!!?? Alves? Please.
And much to the dismay of the Ken-Flo bandwagon [magic eight ball says: hope you bought the extended warrenty] Penn/Florian would be even less competative than Penn/Sherk.
rh
Emeryville Says:
I'd add:
couture v. minotauro
minotauro v. fedor with no time limit
Future Joe Silva Says:
Sean Sherk Vs. Clay Guida, i think that could be an epic battle, or an epic snoozer, but if its good, its real good.
Nick Diaz vs Nate Diaz, this is never going to happen, but if it did...goddamn. And they should fight in an organization that doesnt really enforce drug testing too much, because Stoned Nick Diaz vs. Stoned Nate Diaz would be like gettin high for the first time and watching half baked!
for kicks, Dana White vs. Tom Atencio.
Also for Kicks, Joe Rogan needs to fight someone, anyone.
Cosmin Says:
I want my Diaz/Alvarez fight :'(
sqoooze Says:
i agree joe rogan vs anybody. he can be stoned too
VegasMMAFan Says:
I would love to see a rematch of Spencer Fisher and Thiago Alves . Santa, I mean Dana, PLEASE make this happen.
Canuck Says:
RH,
i think GSP/silva has more merit because GSP has faced all legitimate threats in his weightclass
oh and i dont totally buy the "fedor legacy" if it were a legacy he'd seek out the best fighters in his weightclass and fight more than once every other year.
Andy Says:
Machida Vs Wanderlei
You know this makes sense
Anonymous Says:
Bob Sapp vs Kimbo... Totally the best fight ever...
emo sux Says:
rashad vs rampage... and rh vs cp...
drew Says:
THIS definately THIS
Drop Dead Jack Says:
You should have added:
ANY WOMEN FIGHTS in the UFC: FUCK YOU DANA WHITE. those fights are some of the most entertaining fights I've watched (minus the couture freakshow). Gina v. Cyborg would be a fucktacular way to kick that shit off. follow that up with a TUF womens show and those stupid bastards will be laughing all the way to the bank.
someone here at potato start an official ballot on whether you would watch womens TUF
emo sux Says:
Wow! i just read rh's post and for a know-it-all, it wasnt really impressive... Try harder next time bud... you will learn more about fallacies in your sophomore year
Ted Nutmeg Says:
Please. Ben vs. Ben isn't even a fight. Ben would roll.
emo sux Says:
A womans TUF?!?! Wow! I'd give anything.... I mean ANYTHING to see a bloody tampon in someones fruit tray!!!
Drop Dead Jack Says:
lol ^^^
rh Says:
Canuck...
...there are no legitimate contenders at LW, regardless of whatever Florian fans want to believe...Penn has better striking, better grappling, better submissions, and nobody else is close.
As far as GSP clearing out his weight class, he has yet to even face Alves, or even an elite striker [other than BJ years ago in a controversial decision]...so I'm not buying that. There are more competative fights for GSP at WW than there are for Penn at LW, without a doubt.
On Fedor...if you can't acknowledge his legacy, I'm going to have to assume you are either a UFC employee or a moron. As far as him "seek [ing] out the best fighters in his weightclass, and fight[ing] more than once every other year." he'll have fought two top 5 HW's in a 12 month span, and if he doesn't face Barnett within the next 12 months, it'll be because Affliction couldn't afford to put the fight on. He's beaten the only top 5 HW the UFC even has; not once but twice.
The exaggerated bullshit about him fighting once every two years sounds suspiciously like Dana's nonsense once Fedor wouldn't sign the most restrictive contract in the industry. It's nice to be able to ignore the fact that his organization folded around him and his contract was tied up...and that there were literally no opponents for him to face, isn't it?
And he's given up size/strength advantages to very nearly each of the fighters he's faced, unlike GSP or Silva. He also doesn't have any embarrassing losses to an unranked fighter who naturally fights a full weight class below him [Serra and Chonan]...
so believe Dana's pap if you need to, but revisionist history is just a churched-up way to say bullshit.
rh
Piss in my own fruit tray Says:
Yeah Ted but if weapons are used Ben would have a chance though....Think about it....That's what makes it interesting, the weapons.
Toddy Says:
The best fights that could happen in 2009 are
GSP vs The spider
Barnett vs Fedor (Barnett the most under rated heavey weight in MMA)
But i cannot beleive that no has mentioned the Thiago Silva vs Lyoto Machida fight. because weather you like it or not who ever is the victor will be the 205 champ by the end of 2009
Sorry about my spelling no spell check on this site
MMA Wannabe Says:
Fedor is amazing, sure. A great legacy? Absolutely. I don't buy Dana White's statements about Fedor.
I don't rank him number one in p4p because, he's fought ONE TIME since Hong Man Choi; a man who wasn't top competition. Hong Man Choi wouldn't even compare favorably to Patrick Cote, p4p. When Fedor did finally fight again, it was against a man who, by all signs, could be on the down-and-out. To me, this is not something the best fighter in the world has to do. The best fighter in the world made an ass out of himself by dancing around in front of a non-competetive opponent. Whose knee then blew up from fear.
When Fedor, I'll likely put him back at the top. Until then, the number one guy in my book is the guy who is on a roll, is begging to fight more often and doesn't constantly break his hand on peoples faces.
Imbecile Says:
When you say you want to see Fedor vs. The Highlander, did you mean Connor MacLeod from the movies, or Duncan MacLeod from the TV show (and the last movie, I guess)? Because Connor MacLeod would get his ass handed to him, but Duncan would probably put up a pretty good fight. Christopher Lambert is such a fag that he would be out in Round 1.
Also, do the rules in this fight allow for Fedor to continue to beat The Highlander after he has "killed" him, thus preventing him from reviving, or would the ref ask Fedor to back away for a 10 count and allow MacLeod to come back to life and fight on? That rule would be huge in deciding the outcome, because immortals don't have the recovery time of someone like Nogueira. Hmmm...... maybe Nog IS and immortal!
mentasm Says:
BJ isn't an elite striker. Kenny will do pretty well against BJ.
GSP will destroy BJ this time round.
Fedor was great but is pretty much inconsequental now. Too long since fighting decent competition.
Silva v GSP would be an interesting fight
I would like to see nick diaz v alvarez or hellboy
JimmyOzone Says:
Carwin vs Velasquez
Kevbo Says:
Not understanding how GSP vs. Silva could settle a P4P debate when they are different weights. GSP walking around at 190 and standing 5'10" while Silva is 6'2" or 3 and walks around at 220. Best P4P means that one is better at fighting in his/her weight class than anyone else is at fighting in their weight class.
GSP has the most class and has also improved the most so he just owns.
P Says:
Nick Diaz vs Eddie Alverez
Nick Dick vs BJ Penn
Nick Diaz vs Hellboy
Nate Diaz vs a Legit 10 contender
Robbie Lawler vs Anderson Silva
Anderson vs Liddell
Anderson vs Couture at 205
Hendo vs Maia
Maia vs Anderson
Rasheed Evans,Gsp,Jardine all get kicked out of UFC for being queers and doing that damn nipple twisting thing.
I would love a women TUF, May I voulenteer my spare room:)
og Says:
@kevbo- no
ADW Says:
They should call that Gina Carano Vs Cyborg fight "the death of Crush" because Cyborg is going to literally murder her. Cyborg is a beast and Gina Carano doesn't take the sport seriously enough to even be in the same ring/cage as Cyborg. it will got like the first Rocky vs Mr T fight on Rocky III.
And Kevbo, Anderson Silva walks around at 210lbs not 220. I also want to see GSP and the Spyder.
Wandy will smash Chuck Liddell if they fight again, and Matt Hughes against Matt Sierra will be an awesome fight. I will laugh my ass off if Matt Sierra knocks out Matt Hughes.
Anonymous Says:
Dana is that you?
By the way Fedor's last fight? A top 5 HW in Sylvia. His next fight? A top 5 HW in AA.
Good job with that.
Anonymous Says:
oh my comment was directed at Canuck
Goog Says:
Kaleb Starnes versus Lyota Machida. You'd have to tiVo the whole thing and watch it in reverse to see either of them move forward. Or...
In the "2 negatives = a positive" sense, they'd cancel each other out and just stand there in the center of the octagon not moving at all, yet stuck in a flickering limbo like Max Headroom.
Craig Says:
Anthony Johnson vs. Mike Swick please - I want to see Swick get his head knocked off.
Poop Chute Says:
I still believe in Santa Claus... but so do my parents. Lots of disappointment at Christmas time in the Chute household folks. This year I'd like to get anything other than sadness and despair.
CubicalGangster Says:
someones a Diaz fan...?
i think a Silva vs Silva (Thiago) would be a motherfucking war!! I have faith that Evans will take the belt but the winner of Machida/Silva is going to be the number one contender for it rather soon, and I think these two would be a perfect match especially both being Shootbox alumni.
UFCinCALGARY Says:
nick diaz vs bj penn
thiago silva vs wandy!!!
As long as an event happens in Calgary, I'll take what ever the fuck they give me! Hit it... Remember that when your reading this Dana...
greenseed Says:
how about joe rogan and mike goldberg vs el guapo and the fight prof
Steve Says:
Penn is going to surprise some people.
Poop Chute Says:
Here's your superfight:
My Penis vs. Your Mom
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAAAA my shit's real-time.
jesusblanco Says:
You have to be insane to pick Johnson over swick. He struggled against burns who is not a world class striker. It would be a "quick" victory for mike.
jomamma Says:
You add this to my dream Silva-GSP card at MSG and every fake-tanned mook in the five burroughs will be there, covered in his finest Axe Body Spray. I can almost smell it now...
LOL!!!
jomamma Says:
"Anthony Johnson vs. Mike Swick"
THAT WOULD BE BADASS
Anonymous Says:
How can you not have Kid Yamamoto vs Miguel Torres
MikeMurder Says:
I'm highly interested in seeing Lyoto Machida fighting more and proving himself of a p4p fighter.
Anonymous Says:
roger huerta vs tyson griffin
The Prodigy??? Says:
I am unsure how any one can possibly think that BJ has a chance against GSP. BJ has not fought a tough fight since the last time he lost to GSP and still managed to nearly get his head caved in by Matt Hughes. GSP then proceeded to beat hughes like a rented mule. Yes GSP lost to a lucky shot vs Serra, he then returned to beat Kos and Serra like a red headed step childern. Then in the fight of the year beat on Finch for 5 rounds. BJ fought two wrestlers who can't strike but where scared to take him to the ground because he has some good subs. Just on level of competition alone this fight doesn't even look close. Then you bring in conditioning, strength and size advantage. This is going to be a onsided beating.
your face Says:
I was stoked when I heard koscheck said hed drop to 155 to fight BJ. I think BJ wins but I see a good one there. Also want to finally see machida vs silva (any except anderson since they are gay for each other).