25 Fights That Must Happen in 2012

As the year comes to an end, the fans and media can reflect back on a banner year that mixed martial arts has bared witness to. 

We've seen a battle of legends as former Pride notables Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson took on one another under the Strikeforce banner, or the surging Nick Diaz as he met with "The Prodigy" in BJ Penn.

Now, as we look ahead, there are a litany of bouts all across the world that are now made possible. 

Mamoru Yamaguchi vs. Will Campuzano

The original Afro Samurai, Yamaguchi has finally come stateside. 

Fighting almost exclusively out of Tokyo, Japan for a number of years, the former Shooto and King of the Cage world champion has finally been able to show off his true world class prowess as of late, since entering Tachi Palace.

The striking ace notched up an impressive knockout victory in his first outing with the promotion—which capped off a six fight win streak, with four of those bouts ending by strikes—when he dismissed powerhouse wrestler Kevin Dunsmoor inside of the first round.

Yamaguchi is coming off of a decision loss to former flyweight kingpin Jussier da Silva, but an exciting bout opposite of WEC vet Will Campuzano could do the trick.

Campuzano, though green in his mixed martial arts career, shows a lot of promise. He throws caution to the wind and has an impressive striking acumen, which created memorable bouts with Nick Pace, Eddie Wineland and Cotty Wheeler, all taking place under the Zuffa banner, with the latter earning him "Fight of the Night" honors. 

Joachim Hansen vs. Bart Palaszewski

Arguably two of the heaviest hitters in the featherweight division, Hansen and Palaszewski represent a challenge to any man they face.

The Norwegian has a long history in the sport, debuting in 1999 and becoming a staple of Japanese mixed martial arts, whilst competing under the Pride and Dream promotions. Under Dream, Hansen became the first lightweight champion when he defeated perennial 155-pound star Shinya Aoki with a first round knockout.

Palaszewski recently notched his 17th career victory by KO when he took on perennial contender Tyson Griffin at UFC 137, defeating the wily fighter with an impressive array of strikes, in just a little under three minutes of action.

Hansen has been long sought after in the U.S. scene and could finally be Zuffa bound in the future with the impending demise of the Dream organization. 

Bibiano Fernandes vs. Miguel Torres

Fernandes and Torres represent two of the more dangerous bantamweight grapplers in the world.

The Mullet Sensation first earned recognition in the mixed martial arts world when he became the WEC's 135-pound champion, submitting then champ Chase Beebe with a first round guillotine choke. He later defended his title on three separate occasions in rousing performances against Yoshihiro Maeda, Manny Tapia and Takeya Mizugaki—with two of the three bouts earning him "Fight of the Night" honors.

Fernandes has been doing his damage overseas under the Dream banner, where he became the inaugural featherweight champion, handing Joe Warren his first career defeat by submission, before defeating Hiroyuki Takaya by decision.

Recently, Fernandes defeated perennial Japanese great Takafumi Otsuka, needing just 41-seconds to slip a haymaker blow from the heavy hitter, taking his back and choking him unconscious. The victory helped move the jiu-jitsu ace one step further in the Bantamweight World Grand Prix. 

Hector Lombard vs. Thiago Alves

People forget, but Lombard was once Octagon bound in the past. Then competing as a welterweight, the heavy hitting American Top Team product was set to make his debut in the UFC opposite of then contender Karo Parisyan at UFC 78, thought the Cuban national failed to secure a U.S. visa.

Shortly thereafter, Lombard made his way to the Bellator cage where he has been an unstoppable force. Lombard became the middleweight champion after besting a field of eight in their first ever 185-pound tournament. Lombard holds knockout victories over the likes of UFC vets Falaniko Vitale, Jay Silva, and a TKO win over Joe Doerksen—among a slew of other victims.

Thiago Alves has long been regarded as one of the best at 170-pounds, having challenged for the UFC title before on the heels of an impressive 7-fight win streak in the organization over the likes of Chris Lytle, Parisyan, Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck, respectively. 

Two knockout virtuoso's, what could be better?

Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Jose Aldo

mmaweekly.com

A longtime contender in the lightweight class, Tatsuya Kawajiri recently made the move to the featherweight division and in impressive fashion.

The Japanese star took on Joachim Hansen under the Dream banner where he submitted his experienced foe with a second round arm-triangle choke, winning 7 of his last 9 bouts. 

Kawajiri is an exciting addition to the division which desperately needs new contenders, especially since featherweight great Jose Aldo has looked every bit unstoppable as of late. Since entering the Octagon, Aldo has defended his title twice more against the likes of top-10 fixtures Mark Hominick and Kenny Florian, cinching up clear-cut decision victories over his opponents.

Kawajiri could be the man to test the hard hitting Brazilian. 

Jon Jones vs. Anderson Silva

Both men sit atop of their respective divisions, and both look every bit of the destructive forces they are.

Anderson Silva, universally regarded as the number one pound-for-pound fighter on the planet, recently defended his UFC middleweight title for a record ninth time against Yushin Okami, is in desperate need of a challenge.

The Brazilian is undefeated in the UFC going 14-0 and could find a suitable challenge in the form of 205-pound kingpin Jon Jones.

Silva has made two trips to light heavyweight, besting both James Irvin and former champ Forrest Griffin with impressive first round knockouts, though Jon Jones has looked equally impressive as of late.

"Bones" Jones recently made the first successful defense of his title when he took on the hard hitting former titleholder in Quinton Jackson—submitting the legendary fighter with a fourth-round rear-naked choke.

Battle of new vs. old, Jones vs. Silva could be a blockbuster hit for the organization in the near future. 

Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans

Former friends and training partners Jon Jones and Rashad Evans need to do this dance and fast.

The two were originally scheduled to face one another on two separate occasions, most recently UFC 140, though Evans was unable to make the turn around thanks to a thumb injury suffered in his bout against former for Tito Ortiz—whom Evans stopped on second-round strikes.

Jones won the 205-pound title when he defeated Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 128 this past March, stopping the former Pride star with third-round strikes, later defending his newly acquired belt against the aforementioned Quinton Jackson.

This grudge match has been brewing over the last eight months or so and will soon be coming to a boiling point, assuming both men are successful in their next outings. 

Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber III

mmaweekly.com

Their first outing was a wash. Then champ Urijah Faber bested Dominick Cruz in a featherweight affair under the WEC banner, submitting him with a first-round guillotine choke.

In their sophomore effort, Cruz would later become bantamweight champion this time in the driver's seat defending his title against Faber in a rousing "Fight of the Night" performance this July, where Cruz took home a close decision victory.

Now, the two men are poised for a third go-around should Faber best friend and for Brian Bowles later this month at UFC 139. 

Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Takeya Mizugaki

mmaweekly.com

Though reigning as the Dream featherweight champion, Hiroyuki Takaya remains one of the smaller men at 145-pounds, even if he is arguably the heaviest handed striker in the division.

The "Street Fight Bancho" owns a 11 knockout victories amongst his 16 career wins, with stoppages over former champions Chase Beebe, Joachim Hansen and Antonio Carvalho, among others.

Should he make the move to 135-pounds, there's no better man to greet him in the division than that of Takeya Mizugaki, who has proven to be a legitimate force in the bantamweight class. Having challenged then champ Miguel Torres for the WEC title in a closely contested battle, the Japanese striker has traded win for loss since then. 

However, his battles have been against top tier competition, with Jeff Curran, Rani Yahya and former champ Cole Escovedo all suffering losses to the touted Mizugaki. 

Gegard Mousasi vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

mmamania.com

A battle of former champions.

Now that the UFC has swallowed up a bevy of the top talent from the Strikeforce brand, Gegard Mousasi represents one of the last top talents in the San Jose promotion.

A good welcoming committee for Mousasi could be fellow striking ace in Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

Both men first began their notable careers overseas, with Mousasi earning both the Dream middleweight and light heavyweight championship titles, besting some of the best in his class. He would eventually become the Strikeforce champ when he knocked out perennial contender Renato Sobral in just 60-seconds.

Rua claimed 205-pound infamy when he bested the likes of Alistair Overeem (twice), Quinton Jackson, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona—with this bout cinching Rua the Pride Middleweight Grad Prix title in the process.

Eddie Alvarez vs. BJ Penn

Current Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez is running out of options in the promotion.

After earning the title in June of 2009 after defeating a bevy of opponents in the first lightweight tourney, Alvarez has cultivated victories over the likes of Toby Imada and UFC veterans Roger Huerta and Josh Neer—stopping all men before the final bell.

Now, Alvarez can take his world class skills to a bigger stage if he chooses to and against big opposition. Recently, BJ Penn suffered a loss to the surging Nick Diaz as a welterweight, though Penn has left a long legacy behind in the 155-pound class.

He became the champ in January of 2008 when he bested lightweight notable Joe Stevenson, later making successful defenses against former champ Sean Sherk and TUF alumni in Kenny Florian and Diego Sanchez—finishing all inside the 25-minutes of action. 

Two heavy hitters, Penn vs. Alvarez would be one to remember. 

Paul Daley vs. Marius Zaromskis

mmaweekly.com

Two of the better strikers at 170-pounds, Paul Daley and Marius Zaromskis could cross paths soon.

The current Dream welterweight champ has gone on a rampage in Japan, where he bested the likes of UFC veterans Hayato "Mach" Sakurai, Jason High and Kazushi Sakuraba—literally detaching the ear of the Japanese legend clear off his head with his signature high kick.

Said high kick has bested three opponents in succession in 2009, which parlayed to a memorable shot at the Strikeforce title in 2010 against Nick Diaz, whom the Lithuanian dropped early in the bout before succumbing to the knockout finish.

Daley is equally as impressive a striker as Zaromskis, having defeated the likes of UFC vets Scott Smith, Martin Kampmann and Dustin Hazelett—finishing all with strikes inside of the first round.

The punches of Daley vs. the kicks of Zaromskis, who will prevail?

Ian McCall vs. Joseph Benavidez

Universally regarded as the flyweight kingpin, Ian McCall has been overly impressive since dropping down to the division.

Once regarded as a top prospect in the bantamweight class, McCall went a dismal 1-2 whilst under the WEC promotion. After being released from the organization, McCall went to the Tachi Palace circuit where he defeated then flyweight ruler Jussier da Silva with by a dominant decision.

McCall followed up the performance when he bested Dustin Ortiz and Darrell Montague—the latter earning him the coveted 125-pound title in the process.

Now with the soon addition of the flyweight class in the UFC in 2012, McCall could find himself matched up against perennial contender Joseph Benavidez in the near future.

The former WEC title challenger has bested the likes of former champions Miguel Torres, Eddie Wineland as well as stoppage victories over contenders Wagnney Fabiano and Rani Yahya—both touted jiu-jitsu practitioner. 

Benavidez has hinted the move to flyweight and what better way to enter the division then taking on the No. 1 fighter in the class. 

Jorge Masvidal vs. Mizuto Hirota

Two heavy hitting, technical strikers in Jorge Masvidal and Mizuto Hirota could become an epic match, especially to the educated mixed martial arts fan.

If you're familiar with Hirota, he first came into MMA prominence when he bested Mitsuhiro Ishida, a perennial Japanese star and Pride veteran—defeating the powerhouse wrestler on first round strikes. Ishida parlayed the win into a title shot against Sengoku champ Satoru Kitaoka—who defeated former Pride champ Takanori Gomi to cinch the belt.

Hirota defeated Kitaoka with strikes in the fourth round earning the coveted title in the process.

Masvidal, meanwhile, is on the cusp his shot at lightweight infamy as he is set to take on Gilbert Melendez for the Strikeforce title. Masvidal earned the shot when he defeated former champ KJ Noons in an eye opening performance—sitting Noons early with a head kick and bludgeoning his face en route to a dominant decision victory. 

Donald Cerrone vs. Ben Henderson III

Both Henderson and Cerrone have done this dance before.

WEC transplants, Henderson and Cerrone first met each other in a rousing performance a few years ago where both men for looking for lightweight supremacy, challenging one another for the interim title, with Henderson edging the "Cowboy" with a contentious decision victory.

The two later rematched for the undisputed title, though Henderson this time sealed the deal with an undisputed first-round submission victory, making him the only man to stop Cerrone.

Now, both men have emerged as top contender in the UFC and could seen meet each other down the line as they both near a shot at the title. 

Frankie Edgar vs. Jose Aldo

Two of the best in their class, a pivotal bout between Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar could be in the works in the future.

Aldo, the 145-pound champion, has been plugging away at featherweight, defeating the likes of Mike Brown, Urijah Faber, Manny Gamburyan and now Kenny Florian.

Edgar, the 155-pound champ in the UFC, has recently wrapped up a trilogy with rival Gray Maynard last weekend, TKO'ing the Xtreme Couture product with a fourth-round stoppage. 

Both men have been in talks for changing the divisions, with Aldo moving up the lightweight class while the smaller Edgar possibly paring down to featherweight, though neither has come to fruition yet, though both could be meeting in the near future if they remain dominant forces. 

Gilbert Melendez vs. Frankie Edgar

UFC president Dana White has publicly cited his desires of bringing Melendez into the UFC fold, though "El Nino" will have to first get past Jorge Masvidal in what could be his last bout under the Strikeforce banner.

Melendez has been coveted as the organization's 155-pound champion for some time, defending his title against the likes of Shinya Aoki, Josh Thomson and recently Tatsuya Kawajiri—dominating the Japanese fighter en route to a first-round TKO victory last April. 

With both Edgar and Melendez displaying their dominance in their respective organizations, the two could be soon set for a collision course to face one another in a pivotal lightweight affair which will truly settle the debate for his the best in the lightweight class.

King Mo vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

One only needs to watch this video to know why not only these two men don't like each other, but why it would also be a great fight. 

Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva II

One of the most highly anticipated rematches in UFC history, both Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva have become two of the more notable fighters in the middleweight class.

Silva has built his legacy on the heels of his impressive 14-0 run in the UFC, while Sonnen has coupled his fighting skills and silver-tongue technique en route to the top.

They originally met at UFC 117 where the Team Quest product dominated the champion for over 4-rounds of action. A lackadaisical Sonnen was just 91-seconds away from a clear cut decision win, however Silva, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, cinched up a fight ending triangle-choke in an impressive come-from-behind victory.

Now, the two are poised to meet once again, and though nothing is set in stone, UFC president Dana White has been quoted as saying "I'd be pretty (expletive) stupid if I don't make that fight".

It's gonna happen, just a matter of when. 

Anthony Johnson vs. Cung Le

mmajunkie.com

A battle between teacher vs. student.

Now that the news has come in that former welterweight contender Anthony Johnson will be making his move to the middleweight division, at least for the time being, a bevy of new fights lie ahead. 

Johnson, one of the heaviest hitters in the UFC, has laid waste to a slew of opponents, most recently notching a first round knockout victory over then contender Charlie Brenneman, who was coming off of an impressive performance against the surging Rick Story.

Le will be making his Octagon debut later this month when he takes on Wanderlei Silva in a pivotal 185-pound affair. The former Strikeforce champ holds stoppage wins over the likes of Scott Smith, Tony Fryklund and former UFC titleholder Frank Shamrock. 

The Sanshou fighter has devastating power in his legs and has given Johnson a few of his tricks, but there's still some more goods stored away. 

Carlos Condit vs. Jake Ellenberger II

Both men have entered the cage opposite of one another before.

The duo originally met at UFC Fight Night 19 in September of 2009. In the early going, Ellenberger leveled Condit with a right hand, dropping the WEC champ to the mat on several occasions. The end seemed imminent, though the Greg Jackson product survived the first round.

Ellenberger was exhausted after trying to claim the early finish and it was the more experienced and well--conditioned Condit who took over thereafter, plugging away with strikes and a few takedowns of his own, taking home a very close split-decision victory.

Now, both men have emerged as the top of their class, with Condit earning a shot at the title, though the New Mexico native will look to take another fight before he gets his shot at the belt.

With Ellenberger nearing title talks with his KO victory over former Strikeforce champ Jake Shields, a rematch between with Condit seems just. 

Quinton Jackson vs. Mauricio Rua II

It's a match that former champion Quinton "Rampage" has longed for, and he might just get what he deserves.

Jackson called out "Shogun" following his loss to champion Jon Jones at UFC 135, and while the Brazilian is currently scheduled to take on Dan Henderson come this November, the former Chute Boxe fighter has expressed interest in stepping into the cage once again opposite of his former adversary, who he defeated in 2005 under the now defunct Pride banner. 

Alistair Overeem vs. Junior Dos Santos

Arguably two of the best strikers in the heavyweight division, Alistair Overeem and Junior Dos Santos have recorded a bevy of knockouts throughout their careers. 

Overeem translated his amazing kickboxing skills to the professional circuit, claiming the K-1 World Grand Prix title in December of last year, besting a field of 16-men who remain the best in the world.

Dos Santos owns knockout victories over the likes of Stefan Struve, Mirko Cro Cop, Gilbert Yvel, Gabriel Gonzaga and the world-ranked Fabricio Werdum.

The heavy hitters are almost guaranteed to culminate in a KO finish should they meet

Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez II

Now that the pay-per-view kingpin Brock Lesnar has come back into action, a number of bouts are available.

Lesnar was last seen inside the Octagon against Cain Velasquez, who defeated the then-champion at UFC 121 last October, clinching the heavyweight title in the process.

If Lesnar proves successful against Overeem later this year, an impending rematch with Velasquez could be in the works, providing a highly anticipated rematch.

Joe Lauzon vs. Anthony Pettis

Now that Anthony Pettis has reemerged in the UFC as a contender with a victory over perennial lightweight fixture Jeremy Stephens, a bout with Joe Lauzon seems imminent.

Lauzon has a habit of being picked on in the UFC and pulling off the upset. Recently, The Ultimate Fighter  season five vet in Lauzon was called out by then contender Melvin Guillard, to which Lauzon obliged.

However, Lauzon took the challenge and made the most of it, dropping Guillard with a counter left hook and cinching in the rear-naked choke finish in just 37-seconds.

Pettis is remembered for his memorable run in the WEC promotion, where he became the last ever lightweight champion after his impressive performance against then champ Ben Henderson, wall walking his way to victory with a highlight reel flying head kick, which put a stamp on his decision victory over the hard nosed wrestler. 

Both Lauzon and Pettis have a penchant for the exciting and now that "Showtime" has called out the TUF vet, don't be surprised if this bout comes to fruition very soon.