The Top 10 MMA Fights In August

The month of June was jam packed with MMA action, but the result of that brought us July which has been extremely quiet. As far as big promotions go the summer month of July only brought us UFC 116 and Dream 15.

Fans in need of their MMA fix have much to look forward too though in the month of August. August brings back the fun with three UFC events, one WEC event and two Strikeforce events plus Bellator season three starts up holding three events this month. For those that don’t wish to count, that’s nine events in 31 days or one every 3.4 days.

Here are the top 10 fights to watch this coming month:

Honorable Mention: Mark Munoz vs. Yushin Okami (UFC on Versus 2)

A very solid middleweight matchup on the main card portion of UFC on Versus. Okami is the last man to defeat Anderson Silva while Munoz, since move down to 185 lbs. is undefeated at 3-0.

10: Takanori Gomi vs. Tyson Griffin (UFC on Versus)

With both fighters coming off recent loses, this fight should be a lot of fun to watch. Gomi is looking for his first win in the UFC after he lost to Kenny Florian in his debut. Griffin is taking the fight on short notice after his loss to Evan Dunham at UFC 115.

9: Jon Jones vs. Vladimir Matyushenko (UFC on Versus)

The main event for UFC on Versus 2 has the rising star Jon Jones against highly underrated Vladimir Matyushenko. Jones is trying to break into the top of the stacked Light Heavyweight division after crushing the face of Brandon Vera at the first UFC on Versus. Matyushenko is a very impressive 24-4 and is the last man to hold the IFL light heavyweight title.

8: Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard (UFC 118)

A lightweight showdown with the winner likely getting the next title shot at either Frankie Edgar or BJ Penn. Florian is 9-2 as a lightweight but those two loses were title shots against BJ Penn and Sean Sherk. Maynard is unfeated at 9-0 and holds a win over current champ Frankie Edgar. Maynard's six fight streak of grinding out a decision win drops this fight down to eighth.

7: Junior Dos Santos vs. Roy Nelson (UFC 117)

The winner of this fight will get a heavyweight title shot against the winner of Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez. Dos Santos (11-1) holds UFC wins over Mirko Cro Cop, Gabriel Gonzaga and Gilbert Yvel. Nelson is the former IFL heavyweight champ and also won season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter. Nelson most recently knocked out Stefan Struve just 39 seconds into the fight.

6: Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal vs. Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante (Strikeforce: Houston)

The first title fight on the list is King Mo’s first defense of his Strikeforce light heavyweight belt. Cavalcante is on a two fight win streak and will test the still relatively new King mo. This fight will headline the Strikeforce: Houston card on August 21.

5: Randy Couture vs. James Toney (UFC 118)

Arguably the most interesting and intriguing fight in August, it still only hits the middle of the list for best fight. MMA vs. boxing aside this fight is being carried by the high profile names involved and not by the prospects of this being a fight of the year candidate.

4: Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza vs. Tim Kennedy (Strikeforce: Houston)

The second title fight on the Strikeforce: Houston card is for the Middleweight title recently vacated by Jake Shields departure. Kennedy (12-2) is part of the Army Special Forces who was also training/fighting MMA while still in the military. He is now training full time and recently defeated South African Trevor Prangley by first round submission. Jacare (12-2) has defeated both Joey Villasenor and Matt Linland while in Strikeforce, he also hold black belts in both BJJ and Judo.

3: Thaigo Alves vs. Jon Fitch (UFC 117)

This is a rematch of two top five Welterweights who hold a combined 21-4 record in the UFC. Both have fought for the title once before, each losing to Georges St. Pierre. Remarkably, Fitch (22-1, 1NC) in his last 21 fights is an incredible 20-1 (12-1 in the UFC). Fitch defeated Alves back in 2006 by TKO in the second round, landing a brutal up kick. To get another shot at the title, this fight is a must win for both Alves and Fitch.

2: Dominick Cruz vs. Joseph Benavidez (WEC 50)

Here you have a rematch from WEC 42 where Cruz won by unanimous decision and earned himself a title shot against Brain Bowles. Cruz went on to defeat Bowles at WEC 47 by second round TKO, winning the Bantamweight title. Benavidez earned his rematch by winning two in a row, including a victory over former champ Miguel Torres. The thought of this fight being like their first, plus the addition of championship rounds, makes this fight a fan's dream.

1: Frankie Edgar vs. BJ Penn (UFC 118)

Three rematches in a row to finish off the top 3 is an immediate title rematch between champ Frankie Edgar and former champ BJ Penn. Their first fight was a close one that Penn looked to gas some going into the championship rounds. Excuses aside, Frankie Edgar used some solid boxing to wear down Penn then took advantage to defeat the champ. This fight should be better than the first and worthy of the top spot on the list.

Noticeable absence: Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen

Before you freak out over this fight not making the list, just remember what Silva did in his last fight and you’ll have your answer.