UFC 113 Sets Off the Summer of MMA

The Fourth of July will not be the only time you'll see fireworks this summer. In the coming months, there are a number of matches that have been highly anticipated for some time now, and each one guarantees action.

UFC 113: Lyoto Machida-Mauricio "Shogun" Rua II

Even though this will technically take place before summer, it will be a bang to start off a series of highly-anticipated matches. We all remember the first match between Machida and Shogun. One could say it was controversial.

Internet forums were on fire, and though a few insisted that the fight was too close to call, Dana White and the clear majority of UFC fans saw Shogun win the fight.

Now Shogun is out to make sure this fight doesn't go to decision. The judges in the UFC have proved to be blind on a number of occasions.

Now that Shogun learned this the hard way, expect that fourth and fifth round to have a lot more of those strong Muy Thai kicks that all but killed Machida's hamstrings last time. Or will Machida's punch flurries actually land this time?

UFC 113: Josh Koscheck-Paul Daley

Koscheck thinks Daley can't beat him; Daley thinks Koscheck can't beat him. Everyone knows about the photoshop battle between Josh Koscheck and Paul Daley, and this has only added to the tension between the two.

This has the potential to be a classic striker versus grappler match, except this is no ordinary striker and grappler. Koscheck has a very sound stand-up game, and he's proven to be a very well rounded fighter. And while Daley is a great striker, he has yet to be challenged on the ground in the UFC.

Daley has lost by submission a number of times, but he recently made quick work of a very dangerous grappler, Dustin Hazelett. Hazelett foolishly tried to stand with Daley, and Daley made him pay for it with a KO. Will Koscheck do the same?

UFC 114: Rashad Evans-Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

Evans and Jackson have wanted to fight each other for a while, right? That's what we thought. Then Jackson pulled out to work on a movie, and he left Rashad high and dry.

However, after filming his beloved A-Team movie, Jackson decided to come back and visit the octagon. Since Jackson's departure, Machida has knocked Evans out, though Evans successfully made a psychological comeback by beating Thiago Silva.

We will see a ring-rusted Rampage face an ever-competitive Evans. Will Jackson find the willpower to beat Evans, or will he get sucked into one of Suga's traps? Either way you look at it, this will be the most emotional grudge match of the summer.

UFC 115: Chuck Liddell-Rich Franklin

Don't say it, we know...Liddell was supposed to fight Tito Ortiz. Aside from that little humdinger that Dana White recently threw us, everybody is still excited to see Liddell get back in the octagon after what was thought to be a permanent retirement.

Even though it won't be the same Tito/Chuck grudge match, Franklin will definitely push Liddell's cardio...and if the stars align, we may get to see one of Liddell's highlight reel finishes.

UFC 116: Brock Lesnar-Shane Carwin

This match needs no narrative to convey the excitement that it demands from all UFC fans. We will finally get to see the horse-of-a-man Lesnar face someone his own size who has anvils for fists and 12 consecutive first-round victories. Even Ivan Drago from Rocky IV would have a tough time against Carwin.

We must not forget, though, that Lesnar is a new breed of athlete. He is huge and powerful, yet he is quick and skilled on the ground. His stand-up is not where it should be, but he makes up for that by expertly leveraging himself against his opponents.

However, Carwin is bigger than any of Lesnar's previous opponents and has nearly the same level of wrestling accomplishment, so Lesnar won't be able to manhandle him as he has the likes of Mir and others.

Also, being that Lesnar will be fighting after having been out of the octagon for a year, ring rust may be a factor since he's facing someone who has been rocked by Gabriel Gonzaga only to come back by TKOing him in 1:09 of the first round. Anything can happen here.

Anderson Silva versus Chael Sonnen was going to be part of the list, but with Silva's recent performance against Maia, viewers will probably not be as willing to purchase Pay-Per-View unless this match is on a card stacked with good matches. However, it's safe to say that the majority of UFC fans will still want Sonnen to win.

Other noteworthy fighters we will see include Todd Duffee , who holds the UFC knockout record (seven seconds), Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, who will be facing Forrest Griffin, and Cheick Kongo will be facing Roy Nelson .

Thiago Alves is scheduled to fight, and the same goes for Nate Marquardt and possibly George Sotiropolous, who recently defeated Joe "Daddy" Stevenson by utilizing his excellent grappling.

Come August, we will have the answers to a lot of questions. We will see two horsemen go at it, Rashad and Rampage will settle the score and we will probably witness a finished fight between Machida and Shogun this time around.

It should be safe to say that despite the outcome of Lesnar-Carwin, the heavyweight division will be the most exciting one for a year or two to come. Can you imagine Carwin fighting Dos Santos? Lesnar fighting Velasquez? Any combination of these fighters will be exciting for a long time to come, and we can't wait.