If Overeem vs. Werdum Didn't Live Up to the Hype, Maybe These 10 Fights Will

MMA fans eagerly anticipated the rematch between Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem and his former foe, Fabricio Werdum, at the previous Strikeforce show that featured two of the quarterfinal bouts in the heavyweight tournament.

The fight didn't live up to the hype, and Overeem won a lackluster decision after three rounds of minimum offense and a lot of defense.

One bad fight doesn't change the course of events that are to come, and it makes fans more excited to see a good fight and one that won't let them down.

Maybe these 10 fights will live up to the hype, and they will all be happening soon.

Georges St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz: UFC 137

One that isn't happening too soon is the UFC 137 main event featuring UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre and former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz.

Diaz is on a 10-fight win streak with some impressive victories against sluggers Paul Daley and Scott Smith.

St. Pierre is among the best pound-for-pound best fighters in the world and will look to continue his dominance among the sport when he takes on a fighter with a style and personality very different from himself.

Diaz has a habit of jumping into the fire, but will St. Pierre bring the fire that has been missing from recent fights? Find out on October 29.

Brendan Schaub vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: UFC 134

Heavyweight prospect Brendan Schaub (8-1) continues his quest for a title shot when he steps into the ring at UFC 134 to face former Pride Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-6-1).

This is a battle of old vs. young, and it should be a highly compelling and competitive matchup featuring one of the sport's legendary fighters in "Minotauro" and one its best up-and-comers.

UFC 134 will be the second trip for the UFC to Brazil, and there is nobody better to bring to the cage than Nogueira, who has been one of the premier submission specialists to ever compete in MMA.

Dan Hardy vs. Chris Lytle: UFC Live

UFC returns to Wisconsin on August 14th, and they are bringing a solid main event featuring two of the UFC's most exciting welterweight fighters.

Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy (23-9) is currently on a three-fight losing streak and needs a victory against Chris Lytle (30-18-5) if he has any intentions of staying in the UFC.

This promises to be a brawl and it should go down that way if each fighter engages the other with their striking and iron-chins.

Also, it's free!

Jim Miller vs. Ben Henderson: UFC Live

Jim Miller (20-2) is on a seven-fight win streak and is as close as ever to earning himself a title shot against the only fighters to ever beat him in Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard.

First, he must make it past the former WEC Lightweight Champion Ben Henderson (13-2), and this could be his toughest fight in a long time.

Miller is recently coming off of a spectacular TKO victory over the undefeated and tough wrestler Kamal Shalorus at UFC 128. Henderson was last seen out-pointing Mark Bocek at UFC 129.

Both fighters are rarely in a boring fight and are both hard to finish so expect a three-round war in this one.

Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami: UFC 134

UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva (30-4) puts his title on the line for the ninth time when he faces the last man to put a loss on his record in Yushin Okami (26-5) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at UFC 134.

Silva recently broke the record for most consecutive wins inside the Octagon when he knocked out Vitor Belfort with a highlight reel front-kick at UFC 126 in February. It was his 13th victory in a row in the UFC, and that is an unmatchable feat.

Okami is coming off wins over Nate Marquardt and Mark Munoz, making him a very dangerous underdog. His strength is wrestling, and that's where Silva is weakest at.

Could we see another Silva vs. Sonnen type fight?

Rich Franklin vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: UFC 133

The main event at UFC 133 is Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis, but there are several other bouts on the card that may put that one on the backburners in terms of action and excitement.

One of them is Rich Franklin vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, a light-heavyweight bout between two very exciting fighters who like to finish their opponents.

Franklin (28-6) has been hot and cold in the past few years and he will need a victory over "Minotoro" (19-5) if he still wants to campaign for a title shot in the 205 pound division.

Nogueira is in dire need of a win, and nothing will come easy against Franklin. This should be a war.

Jon Jones vs. Quinton Jackson: UFC 135

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon "Bones" Jones (13-1) makes the first defense of his title against former champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (32-8) at UFC 135.

Jones defeated Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in March to win the title, and he made it look easy, defeating the Brazilian by TKO in three rounds.

Jackson comes off decision wins over Lyoto Machida and Matt Hamill. He has been to a decision in six of his last seven bouts. If he has any intentions of defeating the youngest champion in the history of the UFC, the old "Rampage" will need to emerge on fight night.

Jones' chin is still untested and there is sure to be fireworks if Jackson can connect with one of his powerful left hooks.

Chris Leben vs. Wanderlei Silva: UFC 132

"The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva (33-10) returns after a year absence since defeating Michael Bisping at UFC 112 to take on another brawler in Chis Leben.

"The Crippler" (25-7) had a great comeback year in 2010, defeating Yoshihiro Akiyama, Aaron Simpson and Jay Silva. He couldn't follow up on the momentum of that run, losing a first round TKO to Brian Stann on the first day of the 2011.

This fight doesn't need much explaining. Everyone knows what both of them like to do, and it's stand and trade till someone goes face first into the canvas.

This fight has knockout written all over it, but sometimes that means it's likely to go to a decision. Depending on how sturdy both fighters' chins are on the night of the fight, it either has the making for a knockout or a fight of the night. That's very good news for fans who love action-packed fights.

Dan Henderson vs. Fedor Emelianenko: Strikeforce

Strikeforce Light-Heavyweight Champion Dan Henderson (27-8) meets former Pride Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko (31-3) in a heavyweight bout that hardcore fans can't wait for.

It all goes down July 30 on Showtime, and it's going to be a fight that goes down in history, as it features two legends of the sport meeting for the first time.

Emelianenko is currently on a two-fight losing streak, while Henderson picked up one of the biggest victories of his career when he defeated Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante earlier this year.

Could this be the final fight of Emelianenko's career?

Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber: UFC 132

Dominick Cruz (17-1) will be looking to get revenge on Urijah Faber (25-4), an opponent that put the only blemish on his record of 17-1 in 2007.

Following that loss, the 25-year-old decided to move from the featherweight division to bantamweight. Since his 135 lb. debut, he has gone 7-0, including two successful title defenses.

"The California Kid" had an up-and-down career since that win over Cruz, going 7-3 in his last 10 bouts. His most recent victory came over Eddie Wineland in his UFC debut.

Both fighters have exciting styles that make for memorable fights, and this one has all the makings of one of the best bantamweight fights in the history of the sport.