MMA Super Bowl: 13-Fight Fantasy Card

Every sport has its mega-event to top off the year with a grand spectacle featuring the very best in the world going at it. The MLB has the World Series and the NFL has the Super Bowl so it’s about time the fastest growing sport in the world created its own version of The Grand Daddy of Them All.

Imagine once a year every major MMA organization in the world came together to create a mega-event featuring the very best fighters in the world squaring off in the Octagon. For one night and one night only it wouldn’t be about the organization but about the entire sport in general and putting on dream fights for the fans.

Of course this is all fantasy talk but since we’re on the subject what would an MMA Super Bowl card look like?

Firstly, the entire event would be presented free on a major network television station just like every other major sport in this country. The event would feature 13 televised fights giving fans a night of nonstop MMA action.

Let’s take a look at what an MMA Super Bowl card would look like. Get the nachos ready because you do not want to miss these fantasy match-ups.

Frankie Edgar vs. Eddie Alvarez

Kicking off this mega-event would be a battle between two explosive east coast lightweights. Alvarez is widely recognized as a top-three lightweight and Edgar is arguably somewhere in the top 10. Both come from strong wrestling backgrounds but are also very competent on their feet.

Styles make fights and these two lightweight warriors match up perfectly together. Fans should expect to see a fast paced fight resembling a real life version of Mortal Kombat. Edgar and Alvarez would go to war for three whole rounds with Alvarez outscoring “The Answer.”

Winner- Alvarez by unanimous decision

Antonio Rogerio “Minotoro” Nogueira vs. Renato "Babalu" Sobral

If you love a good Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu chess match between two world class grapplers then you would really enjoy this match-up. Both Nogueira and Babalu are BJJ black belts who have used their style of Jiu-Jitsu very effectively in MMA.

Nogueira has finished six out of 20 fights by way of submission whereas Babalu has forced 18 of his 44 opponents to tap out. However, make no mistake about it, Nogueira is a much more accomplished grappler and he also holds the advantage in the striking department.

This fight would take place mostly on the ground, but the end result would see “Minotoro” finishing Babalu with strikes midway through the fight.

Winner- Nogueira by second round TKO

Thiago Alves vs. Nick Diaz

This would be a modern day version of David vs. Goliath—if David were a short tempered kid from Stockton who smoked marijuana and flipped the middle finger to his opponents before throwing shoes at them.

Alves would play the role of Goliath—if Goliath was a monstrous Brazilian with brutal Muay Thai striking and Titan-like knees. OK, maybe David vs. Goliath isn’t the best way to describe this match-up, but regardless it would be an all-out war between two of the sport’s top welterweights.

From a pure technical point of view Diaz is the better all-around fighter, but it would be difficult for him to overcome the brute strength and power of Alves. Alves would finish this fight with a flying knee in the second round unless Diaz was able to get the fight to the ground and finish with a submission.

Winner- Alves by second round TKO

Brett Rogers vs. Shane Carwin

Do you remember the old Godzilla vs. King Kong films? Well, this Heavyweight showdown would be a modern day version of the epic monster war. Both Carwin and Rogers are two of the most powerful heavyweights in MMA.

Getting hit by one of these fighters is like getting ran over by a pickup truck. They are both undefeated and have finished the majority of their fights in the first round with strikes. They are very evenly matched in the power department, however, Carwin is a more well-rounded fighter whereas Rogers is primarily a heavy-handed brawler.

Expect some big punches to be thrown from both men with Carwin finishing Rogers off late in the first round.

Winner: Shane Carwin by first round TKO

Jake Shields vs. Demian Maia

This match-up would pit one of the best American grapplers against one of the best Brazilian grapplers. The only difference is Maia is so much more than “one of the best”—he is the very best when it comes to MMA Jiu-Jitsu. He has the ability to submit any fighter if able to get the fight to the ground—even if he were up against a T-Rex he would still manage to latch on to one of the humongous dinosaur’s limbs and force the giant reptile into submission.

However, Shields is not someone you want to look past. Stylistically Shields poses some very interesting problems to Maia on the ground. Shields only has a handful of moves he uses but he is so consistent with those techniques that he will continue to go for them until he breaks his opponent down mentally and finishes them off.

That being said, as good as Shields is he’s not on Maia’s level.

Winner: Maia by second round submission

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua II

These two light heavyweight titans first crossed paths back at PRIDE Total Elimination 2005. Shogun made quick work of Rampage, ending the fight late in the first round with soccer kicks.

A lot has changed since their first fight so a rematch would be very intriguing. Would Rua have the same success without being able to utilize soccer kicks? While the soccer kicks did play a significant factor in the first bout it was Rua’s superior Muay Thai that led him to victory.

One could argue that Jackson has improved tremendously since then, especially with his boxing ability, so you should see a more competitive fight this time around. Jackson has Tyson-like power behind his punches but he has also become very predictable with his movements. Rua should control the action with his more versatile striking and claim yet another TKO over Jackson late in the fight.

Winner: Rua by third round TKO

Lightweight championship B.J Penn vs. Shinya Aoki

This is a fight that seems to pop up on nearly every fan’s fantasy card. Hardcore fans have been having wet dreams about this match-up for years, so it would only be fitting to set it up on the first ever MMA Super Bowl card.

Penn has proven on multiple occasions that he is the very best lightweight fighter in the world. However, certain fans out there will argue against that and claim Aoki as the world’s top lightweight. One should realize that while Aoki is good, he is also a lot more one-dimensional than most would believe.

He has an amazing Jiu-Jitsu game and has the ability to pull off crazy submissions from weird spots but that’s really all he has. Aoki’s striking is absolutely horrid—Penn would knock him out seconds into the fight in highlight reel fashion.

Winner: Penn by first round TKO  

Bantamweight championship Brian Bowles vs. Jose Aldo

The bantamweight division is the most exciting weight class in MMA in terms of fast paced action. These 135 lb warriors always provide non-stop adrenaline and exciting fights. There are so many interesting match-ups to make in that division, but the fans want to see the best going up against the best.

Right now Bowles has solidified himself as the best after knocking out Miguel Torres. Aldo normally competes as a featherweight but has discussed dropping down to bantamweight on several occasions. Imagine the fireworks display if Aldo were to drop down to take on Bowles for the 135 lb title? These two mini machines would put on one hell of a fight for the crowd.

A likely outcome would be Aldo finishing the fight in explosive fashion with a TKO late in the fight.

Winner: Aldo by third round TKO

Light Heavyweight championship Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi

The Dragon clashes with The Dream Catcher in an epic bout that would determine the world’s greatest 205 pound fighter. After all, how can you have a Super Bowl-like fight card without having the UFC champion go up against the Strikeforce champion?

Watching Machida and Mousasi go at it would be like watching an old school Bruce Lee fight from back in the day. Mousasi is the biggest threat Machida has and should come very close to slaying the Dragon, but not close enough. Machida will outpoint Mousasi en route to a unanimous decision victory.

Winner: Machida by unanimous decision

Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos vs. Gina Carano II  

This fight card would not be complete without having at least one bout featuring the ladies going at it. Recently Cyborg and Carano made history as the first female headliner for a major MMA event with Cyborg knocking Carano out at the end of the first round.

Even though the fight was relatively short it was incredibly exciting and showcased the fighting spirit these female warriors represent. A fight of this caliber is definitely worthy of a rematch and could even become one of the first Trilogy series in women’s MMA.

Carano is likely to come out a much improved fighter in a rematch, and having already experienced Cyborg’s power firsthand, she will be able to overcome the beast in the second outing.  

Winner: Carano by second round TKO

Wanderlei Silva vs. Robbie Lawler

When you talk about a match-up between two sluggers who always come to fight and are always looking for the knockout it does not get any better than “The Axe Murderer” Silva vs. “Ruthless” Lawler. To the fan who loves a good back and forth stand up war this would like a match made in heaven.

Either fighter could knock the other out so it’s really a coin flip as far as who would win this fight. Let’s just say in this scenario The Axe Murderer prevails.

Winner: Silva by second round TKO

Co-main event: Anderson Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre

This would be a match-up that would determine a clear cut champion in the pound-for-pound rankings. Depending on who you ask, Silva and St. Pierre both make a case for the No. 1 ranked fighter in the world. Both are dominant champions in their respective weight divisions that have been smashing through their competition with apparent ease.

The only real challenge either would seem to have would be each other so matching them up for the co-main event of MMA’s first Super Bowl would be a perfect fit. Of course, they would have to meet up at a catch-weight of around 180 pounds.

Expect the larger Silva to dominate with his precise striking and finish St. Pierre off towards the end of the fight.

Winner: Silva by third round TKO

Main event: Heavyweight championship Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brock Lesnar

You cannot come up with a better way to top off an event of this caliber than this main event right here. Lesnar and Emelianenko is a fight that everyone has been talking about at the water cooler—even non-MMA fans are interested in seeing this heavyweight showdown.

This is the equivalent of the unstoppable force meeting the immovable object. Emelianenko is considered to be not only the best heavyweight in the world but also the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world in the eyes of many. Lesnar is an absolute monster that has been destroying everything in his path lately with his insanely strong wrestling base and lunchbox-sized fists.

It would be interesting to see how Emelianenko deals with the size and the power of Lesnar. On the flip side it would also be interesting to see how Lesnar reacts to the power punches of The Last Emperor. Emelianenko has some of the heaviest hands in the sport and Lesnar’s chin has yet to be tested by a power puncher.

Winner: Emelianenko by second round TKO