10 Fighters We Can't Wait to See Return from Injury

Enough is enough. Fighters have to stop getting injured.

Injuries sustained in 2012 have kept some of the sport's most exciting athletes on the shelf, and it's kept one of the greatest champions in UFC history, Georges St-Pierre, out of action.

In fact, three champions are injured at the moment, and that's forced the UFC to make two interim championship bouts.

It's been an aggravating year for the fans, and because of all of these sidelined athletes, many are anxiously anticipating the return of these fighters.

Georges St-Pierre

You don't want to "rush" the welterweight champion back from a torn ACL and meniscus injury, but Georges St-Pierre is needed inside the Octagon.

After defeating Nick Diaz at UFC 143, Carlos Condit won the interim championship belt and decided to wait on GSP to unify the belts. Wasn't the whole point in having an interim belt so that the title could be defended while the champion was out injured?

And with Johnny Hendricks and Martin Kampmann both making strong cases for the No. 1 contendership status, it looks like a logjam is forming in the welterweight division. This is the first time that's happened in  since...well, probably ever.

As soon as GSP gets back from injury and unifies the belts, one of the greatest fighters of all-time should have some intriguing challenges ahead. It's hard to believe a future fight between GSP and Diaz couldn't draw the same sort of interest Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva did for UFC 148.

Michael McDonald

Michael McDonald fights to win.

He doesn't try to outscore his opponents. No, he uses his speed and superb technical striking to get inside his opponent and inflict damage.

That's why fans were lobbying for him to get the interim title shot against Urijah Faber. But because of a hand injury he suffered in his bout against Miguel Torres at UFC 145, McDonald wasn't even in the running.

McDonald has won all four of his UFC bouts, with his last two ending via first-round knockout. Because of his success at only 21 years of age, it's easy to prognosticate McDonald as a future champion. Remind you of anyone?

Dominick Cruz

Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber III has to happen soon.

Since winning the bantamweight championship against Brian Bowles at WEC 47, Cruz has looked unbeatable. That was until Faber stepped in against him at UFC 132 and lost a very close decision to the champion.

The fight was so close that it begged for a trilogy fight between the two, as both men have split their first two encounters. With an entire season of The Ultimate Fighter on FX to build up the bout, the rubber match was going to be a spectacle.

But then Cruz injured his knee and was forced to pull out. The injury was so severe that UFC president Dana White now has Faber fighting Renan Barao for the interim bantamweight championship at UFC 149. If all goes well, hopefully Cruz and Faber can settle their score later this year or early 2013.

Alan Belcher

Alan Belcher stole the show at UFC on FOX 3.

Rousimar Palhares was riding a wave of momentum, and if there was one thing you knew entering the bout, it was that Palhares is a leg-lock magician.

If he gets a hold of his opponent's leg on the ground, they're done for. Because of this mystique, many underestimated Belcher's "talent." So Belcher went into the fight trying to prove a point, and he did just that when he went on the ground with Palhares and escaped his leg locks.

Belcher would eventually stop him with some ground-and-pound in the first round. All of a sudden, Belcher is back in the mix for the middleweight championship, and had his hand not been in a cast before UFC 147, he could have been the man to step in and face Wanderlei Silva.

Mark Hunt

Mark Hunt is the people's champion.

Only in MMA can fans make a movement entitled #rallyforhunt to try and bring Hunt a title shot against Junior dos Santos. Though White shot it down, Hunt wouldn't have been able to compete at 100 percent anyway following his knee injury.

Hunt had a successful surgery and will be back on the road to a UFC title shot in no time. Since losing to Sean McCorkle at UFC 119, Hunt has rattled off three straight victories with two of them ending by KO. The backing Hunt received for a possible bout with JDS speaks volumes about the fans' love for him.

So you can imagine the excitement Hunt's next bout will generate once he heals.

Brian Stann

We want Brian Stann vs. Michael Bisping.

With July 4 just passing and Assassin's Creed III's adaptation of The American Revolution releasing in October, the All-American vs. the Brit is an easy sell.

Fans love to hate Bisping for his cocky approach to the sport and sly remarks toward opponents. That along with his dirty antics in the cage (knee to a downed opponent and spitting on Jorge Rivera's coach) doesn't exactly make him a fan favorite.

Stann, on the other hand, is. Stann was going to main event UFC on FOX 4 against Hector Lombard before having to pull out with a shoulder injury. As Stann and Bisping both rehab nagging injuries, a future fight between the two is inevitable.

Vitor Belfort

Can "The Phenom" make a push to rematch Anderson Silva?

Well, in order for him to do that, he's going to have to stay healthy first. If he would have defeated Wanderlei Silva at UFC 147, he could have made a strong case. But then he fractured his hand.

Sure, it might be difficult to make a case for a rematch after Anderson blasted him in the face with a front kick at UFC 126. But then again, maybe not. Belfort could make a strong argument that he got caught with something no other fighter has ever seen inside the Octagon before.

With Belfort on a two-fight win streak, it'll be interesting to see just how much The Phenom has left in the tank.

Evan Dunham

It's hard to make a name in the lightweight division.

The UFC's most stacked division is an ocean filled with sharks, but Evan Dunham has transformed himself into a large fish.

Dunham is both exciting and athletically gifted, and it's allowed him to go 6-2 in the UFC with thrilling showdowns. In fact, Dunham's fight against Sean Sherk at UFC 119 earned him Fight of the Night honors.

But because he was forced out of a scrap with Edson Barboza at UFC 146, we'll simply have to wait for Dunham's next crowd-pleasing performance a bit longer.

Jimy Hettes

Jimy Hettes is the future.

Hettes mixes his judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills with the best of 'em, and it's a big reason why he's 2-0 in the UFC and 10-0 in MMA.

But after dismantling Nam Phan at UFC 141, Hettes stock has risen simply because it was a pay-per view driven by Brock Lesnar. But Hettes' ride of momentum was quickly halted by an injury that forced him out of a bout against Steven Siler.

The good news is that Hettes will return to the Octagon on Sept. 22 at UFC 152 against Marcus Brimage.

Jose Aldo

It's refreshing to see Jose Aldo back to his highlight-reel making ways.

At UFC 142, Aldo rendered Chad Mendes unconscious in the first round with a devastating knee and celebrated with his fellow Brazilians in the crowd.

It was a moment that Aldo needed, because after knocking out seven of his eight opponents in the WEC, both of his UFC fights went to a decision.

Well, I think Mendes can attest to Aldo returning back to form after that knockout. Aldo was scheduled to take on Eric Koch at UFC 149, but he was forced off of the card after an injury. His absence has only generated more buzz for his likely Fall return.