20 Fights You Can't Miss in the Last Quarter of 2012

Here in the home stretch of the year, MMA organizations have their sights set on a strong finish.

The UFC, Bellator, ONE Fighting Championship and other promotions have potent and intriguing events on the calendar for the final weeks and months of 2012.

Here are 20 fights no serious fan should miss. Promotion, event and viewing information included. Who loves you, baby? 

20. Jeremy Stephens vs. Yves Edwards

Lightweight bout
Event: UFC on FX 5
Date: Oct. 5
See it on: FX

This Friday, two of the more dynamic strikers in the lightweight division hook up. Stephens has lost two straight; Edwards has dropped two of three. Both men are popular and have exciting styles, so it may not be a loser-leaves-town scenario. But it's close. 

19. Shinya Aoki vs. Arnaud Lepont

Lightweight bout
Event: ONE Fighting Championship: Rise of Kings
Date: Oct. 6
See it on: ONE FC web stream

Another big event going down this weekend. Iconic submission artist Shinya Aoki will try to get back on the winning side against Arnaud Lepont, who is unheralded but hasn't lost in four years and has a few jiu-jitsu skills of his own. 

18. Jon Fitch vs. Erick Silva

Welterweight bout
Event: UFC 153
Date: Oct. 13
See it on: Pay-per-view

I know, I know. You hate Jon Fitch. He's just beneath your reproach. You wish he would wander off into The Shining maze and slowly freeze to death, thus creating a scenario of poetic justice.

You turn up you nose at his barrel-of-sludge style, but he's still a great welterweight. It's entirely possible that Fitch is about to slow down the Erick Silva hype train. And if he doesn't, kick that hype train into its highest gear.  

17. Daniel Cormier vs. TBD

Heavyweight bout
Event: Strikeforce in Oklahoma City
Date: Nov. 3
See it on: Showtime 

Will his opponent be Pat Barry? That'd be a good fight. Regardless, though, Daniel Cormier is still probably next in line to fight for the UFC heavyweight belt. Catch him on non-pay-per-view while you can.

16. Marius Zaromskis vs. Andrey Koreshkov

Welterweight bout
Event: Bellator 78
Date: Oct. 26
See it on: MTV2

The more famous of the two combatants in this welterweight tournament semifinal is former DREAM champ Marius "The Whitemare" Zaromskis (19-6-1), who has bounced around the sport's minor and major leagues for more than a dozen years now.

His surgical standup will make an interesting foil for Russian Andrey Koreshkov, a far less well-known fighter but who, at 22 years old and 11-0 professionally, is a top prospect in the sport.

Koreshkov has a well-rounded game that is equal parts pankration and knocking guys the eff out. Here's a highlight reel.      

15. Travis Browne vs. Antonio Silva

Heavyweight bout
Event: UFC on FX 5
Date: Oct. 5
See it on: FX

The main event between these two hard-hitting heavyweights will identify a new contender in the division. If Travis Browne takes care of business, it could mean a title shot sooner rather than later.

14. Alexander Sarnavskiy vs. Rich Clementi

Lightweight bout
Event: Bellator 77
Date: Oct. 19
See it on: MTV2

UFC veteran Rich Clementi welcomes another in a seemingly endless wave of Russian prospects to major-league MMA. In this case, it's 20-0, 23-year-old Alexander Sarnavskiy.

Sarnvaskiy hasn't seen a third round since 2010, but he's also never faced anyone nearly as good as Clementi.  

13. Thiago Silva vs. Stanislav Nedkov

Light heavyweight bout
Event: UFC on Fuel TV 6
Date: Nov. 10
See it on: Fuel TV

Anyone interested in Rich Franklin and Cung Le? Great. That makes zero of us.

Main event aside, though, this event is worth DVRing, at a minimum, for the tangle between win-hungry headhunter Thiago Silva and undefeated Bulgarian Stanislav Nedkov, who murderized Luiz Cane in his UFC debut back in August.

Both men are violent and absolutely fearless. Yeah. Should be a good one. 

12. Luke Rockhold vs. Lorenz Larkin

Middleweight bout
Event: Strikeforce in Oklahoma City
Date: Nov. 3
See it on: Showtime

Star-in-the-making Luke Rockhold defends his strap for the third time against an opponent in Lorenz Larkin (pictured) who is, for my money, Rockhold's stiffest competition since he defeated Ronaldo Souza to acquire the belt. 

11. Eduardo Dantas vs. Marcos Galvao

Bantamweight bout
Event: Bellator 79
Date: Nov. 2
See it on: MTV2

Not only a title defense for Eduardo Dantas, but also his first fight since receiving a surprise knockout from Tyson Nam at a Shooto event this summer.

Here's the Dantas video if you haven't seen it yet. 

10. Anderson Silva vs. Stephan Bonnar

Light heavyweight bout
Event: UFC 153
Date: Oct. 13
See it on: Pay-per-view

It probably won't be much of a contest. But when the best fighter in the world is involved, it has to be a part of the conversation.

And hey, what if Stephan Bonnar lands a head kick and shocks the world or something like that? Ah, I crack myself up.

9. John Dodson vs. Jussier Da Silva

Flyweight bout
Event: UFC on FX 5
Date: Oct. 5
See it on: FX

The ant and the gadfly.

This will be Formiga's first time in the Octagon. But the Nova Uniao submissions ace (14-1) has plenty of experience overall. John Dodson (pictured) is the irritating—and irritatingly effective—champion from The Ultimate Fighter.

Dodson might have the best standup in the division. Da Silva might have the best submissions. Winner might get the next title shot? What's not to love? 

8. B.J. Penn vs. Rory MacDonald

Welterweight bout
Event: UFC on Fox 5
Date: Dec. 8
See it on: Fox

When last we saw B.J. Penn in the cage, he was retiring. He said he didn't want to go home looking the way he did, which is to say, beaten up. That beating was courtesy of Nick Diaz. 

I like Penn as much as anyone. He's a champion and a Hall of Famer. I want to see him win fights. But if he thinks Rory MacDonald will leave him looking better than Diaz did, well, you know, I've got a feeling he's mistaken.

7. Mike Swick vs. Matt Brown

Welterweight bout
Event: UFC on Fox 5
Date: Dec. 8
See it on: Fox

Everyone loved Mike Swick's return to the UFC, in which, after a 32-month absence, he cold-cocked a homeless man who diabolically stole the identity of DeMarques Johnson. Truly, DeMarques Johnson is the Enrico Palazzo of the UFC.

Swick will have a sterner test in December against fellow brawler Matt Brown, who has found his groove of late in winning three straight.  

6. Alexander Gustafsson vs. Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua

Light heavyweight bout
Event: UFC on Fox 5
Date: Dec. 8
See it on: Fox

Man...is this card stacked or what? And we haven't even gotten to the main event yet.

How things have changed in the light heavyweight division. Dan Henderson was the next in line, but got injured and may have been knocked back a few steps. Then Lyoto Machida appeared to be next, but he turned down a replacement fight and may have been knocked back a few steps.

Now, it appears that the winner of this fight may be poised to take advantage. Will it be a rematch between "Bones" and "Shogun," or will Gustafsson take the torch from the veteran? Either way, I don't think this one's going to the judges. 

5. Martin Kampmann vs. Johny Hendricks

Welterweight bout
Event: UFC 154
Date: Nov. 17
See it on: Pay-per-view 

A division's new champion and next challenger will seemingly be decided consecutively in the same event. Martin Kampmann has a more diverse array of strikes, but Hendricks has those two bowling balls on the ends of his arms. Hendricks is also a great wrestler; can Kampmann fend off those takedowns? 

4. Eddie Alvarez vs. Patricky Freire

Lightweight bout
Event: Bellator 76
Date: Oct. 12
See it on: MTV2

Is Eddie Alvarez still one of the world's top lightweights? This should give us the answer. And you know who's especially interested in that answer? The UFC. This is the last fight on Alvarez's Bellator contract. 

3. Benson Henderson vs. Nate Diaz

Lightweight bout
Event: UFC on Fox 5
Date: Dec. 8
See it on: Fox

Benson Henderson is the lightweight champion. This will be his first time fighting a non-Frankie Edgar opponent with a UFC belt on the line.

On the other side, Nate Diaz is, to my mind, the hottest 155er on the planet. He dispatched Donald Cerrone. He outgrappled Jim Miller.

It may not end in a knockout, but put it this way: neither man takes it easy in the cage. This fight will deliver.    

2. Georges St-Pierre vs. Carlos Condit

Welterweight bout
Event: UFC 154
Date: Nov. 17
See it on: Pay-per-view

A fight 19 months in the making, Georges St-Pierre finally returns to defend (or recapture, depending on who you ask) his welterweight title.

Plenty of people are already looking forward to a St-Pierre/Anderson Silva superfight, but first, GSP has to get past the ring rust and a skilled and tough interim champ in Carlos Condit.   

1. Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez

Heavyweight bout
Event: UFC 155
Date: Dec. 29
See it on: Pay-per-view

It's going down. The rematch for the belt and the title of Baddest Man on the Planet. The boxing of Dos Santos. The wrestling of Velasquez. With apologies to Alistair Overeem, these are the two best fighters on the planet in their weight class. This fight will shape the landscape for some time to come.