10 MMA Fights this Summer That Should Not Be Slept on

Sometimes when you go to a concert, the best performance will be the opening act—a band with talent that is still working to earn the attention and respect of the audience. You didn't know these people when you bought the ticket, but they put it all out there and showed up the bigger name.

The same can happen in MMA.

With huge showdowns like Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin and Quinton Jackson vs. Rashad Evans, many fights this summer will likely fall to the wayside.

It's easy to forget about the contenders when you have champions facing each other, but don't ignore a great matchup just because it isn't on the flier. Many times, it will steal the show.

Here are 10 matchups scheduled for this summer that some might have lost track of in the midst of all the bright lights.

Mirko Cro Cop vs. Pat Barry

Last September, living legend Mirko Cro Cop put up a tremendous effort against the young contender, Junior Dos Santos. Dos Santos came out on top, but it was a competitive fight that showed Mirko still has some fight left in him.

Five months later, Cro Cop destroyed the smaller Anthony Perosh in two rounds. It was a much needed return to the winner's circle for the Croation.

Now Mirko will take that momentum into a dangerous fight with strong kickboxer Pat Barry at UFC 115 on June 12.

Barry is coming off an October second-round TKO over Antoni Hardonk. In that fight, he showed he can take some punishment to overcome an experienced striker. That is exactly what he is going to have to do against Cro Cop—hit harder and take a better punch.

This fight will be filled with suspense, as both fighters can end the fight instantly with one punch or kick.

If Mirko wins, it would be huge for him to get a win over an up-and-coming prospect, for so many have written him off. For Barry, adding a name like Cro Cop's can be career defining, even if it is an older version.

George Sotiropoulos vs. Kurt Pelligrino

Many believe George Sotiropoulos was the clear favorite to win season six of The Ultimate Fighter. A controversial fight with Tommy Speer, including an eye-poke and subsequent knockout, stopped George in the semis and out of the finals.

Since the show, George has gone 5-0 in the UFC, with four of them coming before the final bell. Most recently, he achieved his biggest win with a unanimous decision over Joe Stevenson. It was a notification that George can compete with the upper level of the lightweight division.

At UFC 116, George will get to further test himself against the surging Kurt Pellegrino.

Pellegrino is currently on his own win streak of four, with his most recent being an impressive come-from-behind second-round rear-naked choke of Fabricio Camoes.

Kurt has always been a tough fight for anyone in the division, but has fallen short in his biggest opportunities. However, the fighter seems to have put everything together as of late, and will likely be the best Pellegrino we have seen.

With a win here, either fighter will shoot himself up into the contender category. The stakes are high, so get ready for some underrated striking and high-level grappling by both.

Nate Diaz vs. Marcus Davis

Nate Diaz recently made a move up to the welterweight division and scored arguably the biggest win of his career with a first-round TKO over Rory Markham. So far, the move to welterweight seems like a good one, but it will take more to know for sure.

Marcus Davis had lost two in a row before being matched with "human light switch" Jonathan Goulet, scoring a second-round TKO.

Even though Marcus is coming off a win, a loss to Diaz would put him dangerously close to the UFC firing squad. Expect Davis to realize this and fight his heart out.

Diaz is never in a dull fight, so the combination of these two will not disappoint. A win for Diaz makes him a legitimate welterweight in the UFC. A win for Davis means an extended length of job security. Let's get it on!

Tyson Griffin vs. Evan Dunham

Evan Dunham might not be the biggest name in the UFC lightweight division, but this undefeated fighter is 3-0 in the UFC, with his last outing being a third-round submission of Efrain Escudero.

Evan will take a huge step up in competition when he faces longstanding contender Tyson Griffin at UFC 115 on the Spike TV preliminaries.

Tyson is coming off the first TKO in his UFC career over Hermes Franca at UFC 103. He is 7-2 in the UFC with both losses coming by close decisions. Likely, a win here would mean possible title opportunities for Griffin, as he has certainly proved himself with the top lightweights.

Tyson will be a sizable favorite in this fight, but Dunham is not to be counted out. Undefeated fighters don't know how to lose, and Dunham will not lay down for anyone.

Expect a three-round war with the winner getting a big fight in their next outing.

Takanori Gomi vs. Joe Stevenson

This will mark Joe Stevenson's 14th UFC appearance in a career of over 40 fights. Stevenson has certainly seen it all.

In 2005, Joe Stevenson won the second season of The Ultimate Fighter just one month before Takanori Gomi became the first ever Pride Fighting Championships lightweight champion.

Since then, they have both experienced the highs and lows of top-level MMA. Through it all, they have become two of the most experienced lightweights the sport has to offer.

While Joe can match anyone's work ethic, he was never able to get to the highs that Gomi achieved. In his lone title shot, Joe was brutally stopped by B.J. Penn. A win over Gomi can help make up for that.

Gomi has never felt success in America. He was one of the best pound-for-pound fighters during the Pride era, but in every attempt in the states, he has fallen short. This will be an opportunity to taste victory on this side of the world.

I expect for both fighters to have a substantial amount of respect for each other, but to also fight like their careers are on the line. Look for them to clash in August for the second UFC event on Versus.

Micheal Bisping vs. Dan Miller

With all of the talent that Dan Miller does possess, he is coming off of two losses and cannot afford a third. The UFC might look the other way for one more fight if he were a cast member of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, but Dan hasn't had the chance to earn that kind of immunity.

At UFC 114, Miller will face the always popular Michael Bisping.

Bisping is coming off his own disappointing loss at the hands of Wanderlei Silva. In a close fight, where both fighters had split the first two rounds, Wanderlei rocked Bisping in the final minute of the fight and stole the decision.

Just two fights before that, Bisping was on the receiving end of one of the most brutal knockouts the UFC has ever seen, courtesy of Dan Henderson.

These two fights made it clear that Michael does not perform well when a fighter is pressing him. He needs to dictate the pace and have time to choose his shots.

The question is: can Miller become a pressure fighter?

This we will find out in a fight that is a must win for both fighters. Bisping will lose all credit as a contender if he loses to Miller. Miller will likely lose his job if he can't figure a way to beat Bisping.

Goran Reljic vs Kendall Grove

After debuting in one of the most entertaining fights of 2008, Goran Reljic went MIA for all of 2009. His fans were left with rumors of superhero-like acts such as saving drowning civilians from a rampant ocean.

Many would have thought his return to the UFC earlier this year would have drawn more attention, but hidden away on the un-televised portion of UFC 110, Reljic would lose an uneventful decision to C.B. Dollaway.

The effects of a nearly two-year layoff were evident, and Reljic suffered his first defeat.

Goran will get his chance to reclaim some of his early hype when he meets Kendall Grove at UFC 116.

Grove has been fickle since winning the second season of The Ultimate Fighter, losing his most recent by TKO against Mark Munoz.

If Grove wasn't on the UFC's good side by winning the TV show and making fights exciting even in defeat, he would likely have been booted a couple of fights ago. He is a talented and exciting fighter, but has shown he can not make the step up from the "B" level to the "A" level.

The question is: Is Reljic an "A" level fighter?

Most would have said so after his debut against Wilson Gouveia, but after his return, it is hard to say. A dominant victory would go a long way for Reljic, but either way, Grove knows how to make things exciting.

Chris Lytle vs. Matt Brown

The king of the "Fight of the Night" bonuses, Chris Lytle, will make his return at UFC 116 and attempt to make an eighth bonus against the always exciting Matt Brown.

What this fight lacks in title implications, it more than makes up for in non-stop, all-out action.

Brown is coming off a second-round submission loss to Ricardo Almeida. It was his first loss in four fights, so with a win here, it should be excused. A loss here would relegate him to undercard status for the remainder of his contract.

For Lytle, he seems to be getting better with age. His most recent outing was a first-round submission over the young and tough Brian Foster. Lytle can be counted on to bring it every time he fights.

Look for a war, where the bonus is more important than the win.

Diego Sanchez vs. John Hathaway

Going into 2007, Diego Sanchez was the undefeated phenom who was quickly becoming a top contender. But after back-to-back decision losses to Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch, Diego needed to reinvent himself.

After a couple more impressive performances, Sanchez decided to try his hand at lightweight and quickly earned himself a title shot against B.J. Penn. In the fifth round against Penn, Sanchez was stopped for the first time in his career. It was a dominant and devastating loss.

Now in his return, Sanchez will return to the more suitable welterweight division against undefeated and slightly unheralded John Hathaway.

Hathaway has looked like a million dollars so far in his UFC career, but he has never faced anyone like Diego before. In Hathaway's last fight, he demolished the always game Paul Taylor. It was a severe beating that was tough for some to even watch.

This bout represents a fallen star and a rising prospect. Will they meet in the middle and give fans a competitive war? Or will one of them show they have more to offer than the other at this time?

Paulo Thiago vs. Martin Kampmann

At UFC 95, Paulo Thiago was an unknown, who most figured would be fodder for the more experienced Josh Koscheck. Thiago made it clear that night that he has the talent and the will to win against anyone in the game by knocking out Koscheck in the first round.

At first, most called the win a fluke, but the critics have certainly been silenced with Thiago's recent submission win over perennial contender Mike Swick.

At UFC 115, Thiago will attempt to continue surprising the MMA world as he takes on the talented Martin Kampmann.

Kampmann was figured to be near the number one contender ranking when he faced the debuting Paul Daley. Kampmann was overwhelmed in that fight in the first round by Daley's strikes, and suffered a first-round TKO.

Since then, Kampmann has returned to his winning ways by submitting Jacob Volkmann in the first round at UFC 108.

Likely, this fight will be for a future shot at welterweight king Georges St. Pierre. Paulo would be an interesting match for St. Pierre, as we could see them both test their high-level jiu-jitsu against each other. Kampmann has a well-rounded skill set that would also make him a worthy contender for the title.

Look for this fight to steal the show at UFC 115.