UFC Fantasy Matchups

However, very unlikely to happen these "could be" matchups seem very interesting:

Wanderlei Silva vs. Rich Franklin - Given that Wandy goes to 185
Stephan Bonnar vs. Thiago Silva
Gray Maynard vs. Sean Sherk
Goran Reljic vs. Rameau Sokoudjou


Mauricio"Shogun" Rua vs. Chuck Liddell (Already supposed to happen)
James Irvin vs. Rashad Evans (Already supposed to happen)


None of the matchups are signed or anything. They're just matchups that I would like to personally see take place in the UFC. The UFC has alot of fighters already scheduled to fight so it was kind of hard to find the matchups.

Wanderlei Silva vs. Rich Franklinwould have automatic fireworks written all over it. First of all, Wandy would have to drop to 185 for it to ever happen. With the exception of Anderson Silva, Franklin hasn't fought a top tier striker in the UFC like Wandy. Given that both Silva's styles are completely different both are superb strikers. Rich would probably look to use a counter strikers game plan against Wandy while well, Wandy would be Wandy. Franklin has been knocked around by Anderson Silva twice, Evan Tanner & David Louiseau both knocked him down in their respected fights. Wandy is finally back in the win column after dropping a few tough bouts. Both have KO power and it would be interesting to watch. Wanderlei Silva-KO

Stephan Bonnar vs. Thiago Silva. This matchup could be bad for Bonnar for the reason that he hasn't competed in so long and that Thiago has. So the age old question here is ring rust for Bonnar? A match against Thiago but be Bonnar's stepping up party in his career. Since his epic first fight with Forrest Griffin, Bonnar has dropped a fight or two and failed a drug test. This would/could be the fight that tells the UFC and FANS that Bonnar wants to be top-tier fighter. Thiago on the other hand hasn't lost and has fought pretty consistently. However, he recently had a close encounter by fellow Brazilian Antonio Mendes @ UFC 84, Thiago perservered and came out with some sweet ground and pound. Both, Thiago and Bonnar have solid standup and jiu jitsu which make this fight dangerous wherever it goes. Power probably goes to Thiago but Bonnar is no slouch in that department either. The knock on this matchup is that Bonnar hasn't shown anything of late and he gets slated in this matchup b/c of his name for marketing power to American fans for Silva. American Top Team vs. Extreme Couture Thiago Silva - Submission

Gray Maynard vs. Sean Sherkwould definately be a barn burner from start to finish! Maynard is coming off a very impressive win over then undefeated Frankie Edgar. Both, Maynard and Sherk have fantastic wrestling pedigrees and solid boxing. The UFC is looking for stars as is everyone but with a win over Sherk, Maynard would no doubt boost his stock with the fans and the UFC brass. Sherk is known for his cardio and wrestling but recently showed solid boxing skills to go with the rest of his game. Since the Ultimate Fighter, Maynard has gone undefeated with 1 KO, 2 Dec., 1 no-contest. In his fight with Frankie Edgar, Maynard showed extremely solid boxing and he looked good mixing his strikes with takedowns. We all know what Sherk, does or doesn't possess in the Octagon(Power, Speed, Cardio!) Extreme Couture vs. Minnesota Martial Arts Academy Gray Maynard - Split Decision

Goran Reljic vs. Rameau Sokoudjou. Reljic is a newcomer in the UFC and Sokoudjou is 1-1 in the UFC. Reljic possesses leg kicks of dynamite that sent Wilson Gouveia home with several injuries and Sokoudjou, recently ko'd Kazuhiro Nakamura. Sokoudjou looked awesome in Pride and with one hiccup in the UFC, he's back to looking like his old self. Both fighters are strong on the mat with Reljic having a slight advantage. Sokoudjou advantage with Judo, strength, and speed. Reljic would be the underdog in this fight but with training with the guys in Las Vegas and that dynamite kick he definately has a shot. This fight would have fireworks and neither fighter is going to back down, neither mind to stand up and bang or go to the mat so that always provides for an exciting fight. Team Quest vs. Extreme Couture Sokoudjou - TKO


Mauricio"Shogun" Rua vs. Chuck Liddell as we all know was supposed to be happening in June but both suffered injuries. We all know what both fighters possess and bring to the fight game. Chuck has been a little more active than Shogun and who knows how Shogun's knee's are. I think everyone wants to see the "before injuries" Shogun and Chuck fight, this is a crazy fight. Everyone knows about Shogun and the same definately goes for Chuck so no need for explanation here in this one. Chute Boxe vs. The Pit Liddell - TKO


James Irvin vs. Rashad Evans. The Sandman vs. Sugar, somehow that just sounds bad together. Power definately goes to Irvin, he has top notch power with excellent Muay Thai. Evans brings solid wrestling with decent boxing. In Rashad's last fight he got gassed and looked somewhat sloppy against Mike Bisping @ UFC 78. Irvin eats the injury bug every time we turn around so it's hard to evaluate him. Before the injuries, Irvin ran off several KO victories and 1 submission. This matchup seems to be Muay Thai vs. Wrestling 101. Irvin training out of the Fairtex Academy and Rashad out of Greg Jackson's Martial Arts.  James Irvin - KO

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