Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber and 10 Other Rematches I Want to See Part 1

With Cruz/ Faber 2 only a few days away, it got me thinking about other rematches I want to see. There are so many exciting fights that happened that were either really exciting, ended controversially, or both.

Here are rematches I want to see take place and who I think will win.

Since I will be going pretty in-depth and I know most of you don’t have time to read the whole thing in one sitting, I am only posting 6-10 today. The top five rematches will be posted tomorrow. (Note: I will not be adding rematches that are already scheduled i.e. Forrest Griffin/Shogun Rua 2 or Edgar/Maynard 3)

10) Martin Kampmann vs. Carlos Condit

Original: How this fight didn’t get Fight of the Night I have no idea. For those of you who don’t remember, Carlos Condit was making his UFC debut after a successful run in the WEC as their 170 pound champion. He was being welcomed to the octagon by Martin Kampmann, who had just previously dropped down from 185.

The result was 15 minutes of non-stop action that went everywhere: stand-up, clinch-work, grappling, submission attempts, you name it. At the end, Kampmann eked out a split decision victory that easily could have gone the other way.

Rematch: I honestly don’t see the rematch being much different. Both Condit and Kampmann are so evenly matched and aggressive that I think the fight would be the proverbial chess match, except with a lot more blood and pain.

This one is honestly very close, but I would give a slight edge to Condit. Now that he’s working with Greg Jackson, Condit should be better prepared and have a better game plan to beat “The Hitman.”

Prediction: Carlos Condit defeats Martin Kampmann by SUPER close split decision.

9) Diego Sanchez vs. Nick Diaz

Original: This fight happened shortly after Diego’s stint on season one of "The Ultimate Fighter." Diaz had claimed that Sanchez was just a reality show winner and didn’t have what it took to beat a “real” fighter in the cage.

Well Diego did just that, after 15 exhausting minutes of grappling that saw both men leave it all in the cage.

Rematch: When they originally met, both men were primarily grapplers with limited stand up. Today, both are Top 10 fighters and have dramatically improved their striking. Diaz’s boxing has gotten so good that he recently entertained leaving MMA for a boxing match against Jeff Lacey.

I think this fight really comes down to Diego’s wrestling vs. Diaz’s boxing. Sanchez showed in his last fight with Kampmann that he can hang with an elite striker, which will serve him well against the surprisingly effective Stockton Slap-box that Diaz utilizes.

Either has a three or five rounder, but I have to give it to Diego again. Wrestling has always been Diaz’s Achilles Heel and Diego’s loco, bull-rush style of grappling is made to give Nick fits.

Whether it is three or five rounds, Diego has the cardio to push that frenetic pace as long as he wants. And judging by Diego’s face and demeanor after the Kampmann fight, he won’t back down when Diaz turns his face to a bloody mush.

Prediction: Diego Sanchez defeats Nick Diaz by decision.

8) BJ Penn vs. Jon Fitch

Original: A few months ago, BJ Penn and Jon Fitch fought to a majority draw in a fight that was supposed to determine the number one contender for Georges St. Pierre’s Welterweight title.

The first two rounds saw Penn surprising Fitch by taking him down and controlling the grappling. Likely down on the scorecards, Fitch roared back in the third and battered a tired BJ to earn a 10-8 round on two of the judge’s scorecards.

Rematch: Fitch said he trained zero defensive wrestling for his fight against Penn since BJ is known more for sprawling than shooting. Credit BJ for the element of surprise, but I think he goes down hard in the rematch.

I see the rematch going much like the third round of their last fight. Fitch will get on top and beat BJ up like a bully on the playground. Penn is just too small and does not have the cardio to hang with Fitch for 15 (25?) minutes.

But who knows? BJ could "Mike Tyson" Fitch in the first twenty seconds like he did Matt Hughes and make me eat my words…. or letters…

Prediction: Jon Fitch defeats BJ Penn by decision (or 5^th round stoppage)

7) Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley

Original: This fight is the most recent in my rematch column and is probably considered the best one round fight of the year so far.

Nick Diaz was the Strikeforce champion and king of the pitter-patter combos. Paul Daley was/is MMA’s "Mini Tyson" with his explosive power and unsportsmanlike antics (what’s worse, sucker punching someone after the bell, or using your opponent’s ear as a mid-fight snack?)

Both had their moments, and Daley almost stopped Diaz after Nick "Ric Flair’ed" following a Daley punch. The end of the fight saw Daley stumble and fall like Lindsey Lohan’s life (zing!) after a barrage of strikes from Diaz.

A few punches later and Diaz stops the fight with only a few seconds left in the round.

Rematch: Call me crazy, but I would pick Daley to win if they were to ever rematch.

Daley had said that he got burned out in training due to having just gotten out of a camp for a five round fight. Also, I believe that Diaz is too stubborn to use his superior ground game and will stand and bang again, especially since he already knocked Daley out.

Daley is no doubt the harder puncher, and he dropped Diaz twice in the first fight. Look for the fight to play out pretty similar to the first fight except for Daley to connect big and be only the second person to stop Diaz.

Prediction: Paul Daley defeats Nick Diaz by TKO

6) Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin

Original: UFC 116 Lesnar vs. Carwin. Brock Lesnar had just come back after a year away due to some pretty intense tummy aches (or as he calls it, diverticulitis) and Carwin had just Hulk-Smashed Frank Mir to claim the Interim title.

Carwin absolutely mollywopped Lesnar in the first round. He chased Lesnar across the cage, pinned him down, and started raining those cinder blocks he calls hands down for a good 2-3 minutes.

The second round saw a recovered Lesnar take down and submit a physically spent Carwin. Brock was victorious, and he successfully came back from not only a potentially fatal illness, but from his first true test of adversity in the octagon.

Rematch: After seeing how slow Carwin was against JDS, I gotta go with Brock again.

For as big and powerful as he is, Lesnar is super quick and agile, which seems to be the formula against Carwin. Lesnar should have learned that it is not wise to stand in front of Carwin and let him use your head as a speed bag.

After maybe giving up the first round on failed takedown attempts and making Carwin chase him a bit, I predict Lesnar will use his superior conditioning and stop Carwin again.

If Brock learned anything from his fights with Cain Velasquez or Carwin, he should know that striking is not his specialty. I can’t see Brock making the same mistake twice against Carwin, and for him to stay away from Carwin’s power.

If the rematch were to happen, there is no way it would not be a main event, which means it would be a 5 rounder. Although neither man has ever entered the fourth round before, Brock should be the fresher of the two men if it goes that far.

Prediction: Brock Lesnar defeats Shane Carwin by submission (Round 4)

Didn’t list a fight I should have? Don’t get too upset because I will be posting the Top 5 rematches tomorrow