MMA: Top 10 Fights to Look Forward To In February

February is set to be a huge month for MMA. The UFC will hold two major pay-per-view events, two of the best fighters of the past decade will fight, Strikeforce will begin its heavyweight tournament, and the ex-WEC fighters will continue their infusion with the UFC.

Every month, there are some fights that MMA fans look forward to more than others. Here are the ten most exciting and meaningful fights of February 2011.

10. Michihiro Omigawa Vs. Chad Mendes

After an unsuccessful stint as a UFC lightweight, Michihiro Omigawa decided to drop to featherweight. Since then, Omigawa has gone 8-2-1 outside of the UFC. Omigawa's recent success has earned him another chance with the UFC.

Omigawa's return will come at UFC 126 against Chad Mendes. Mendes has gotten his career off to an excellent 9-0 start. If Mendes defeats Omigawa, many believe that he could be a candidate to fight the winner of a featherweight championship fight between Jose Aldo and Mark Hominick.

Best of all, this fight will be aired on free television on Spike TV. Fans who are still unaware of the new UFC featherweights won't want to miss this fight.

9. Paul Kelly Vs. Donald Cerrone

Aside from the fact that this promises to be an exciting fight, it could also provide a forecast for the success of the incoming WEC lightweights. Donald Cerrone will be the first ex-WEC lightweight contender to take on a UFC lightweight.

Paul Kelly has been far from a contender in the UFC. Therefore, a Cerrone loss to Kelly could spell doom for the rest of the WEC lightweights still awaiting their first UFC fight. You can guarantee that a lot of former WEC fighters will be tuned in for this fight at UFC 126.

8. George Sotiropoulos Vs. Dennis Siver

Many believe that George Sotiropoulos should be closing in on a title shot and fighting top competition. Conversely, Sotiropoulos received what is widely considered a step down in competition against Dennis Siver.

Siver has won six of his last seven fights, so he is no slouch. Still, Siver has not defeated anyone near Sotiropoulos' skill level. Adding to Siver's problems, he will be fighting at UFC 127 in Sotiropoulos' home country of Australia.

Although Sotiropoulos will be a heavy favorite heading into this fight, he must remain focused. A loss to Siver would be a major setback in Sotiropoulos' run at a title shot. 

7. Carlos Condit Vs. Chris Lytle

This fight features two dark horses in the race for a welterweight title shot. After losing a split decision in his UFC debut, former WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit has won three consecutive fights. In his most recent victory, Condit scored a devastating knockout of former top contender Dan Hardy.

Meanwhile, 36-year-old veteran Chris Lytle is attempting to make one final run at a UFC belt. Lytle has put together a string of four straight victories, including a dominating victory over Matt Serra in his last fight. Considering his age, winning this fight is definitely more crucial for Lytle than Condit.

6. Andrei Arlovski Vs. Sergei Kharitonov

Andrei Arlovski and Sergei Kharitonov will kick off the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix when they meet on February 12. The fight will be the first of four quarterfinal fights, and the winner will face the winner of a fight between Josh Barnett and Brett Rogers.

After losing three straight fights, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Arlovski is in desperate need of a win. If he is able to defeat Kharitonov, Arlovski could get a chance to avenge one of those three losses against Rogers.

Both fighters are excellent strikers who have been finished while standing, so there is a lot of potential for a devastating knockout in this fight. 

5. Jon Fitch Vs. B.J. Penn

Jon Fitch and B.J. Penn will headline UFC 127 in Australia. With the name recognition and recent big wins that each of these fighters bring into this fight, it would be hard to argue against the winner of this fight becoming the lead candidate for the next title shot at welterweight.

Fitch is on a five fight winning streak and his only loss in the last eight years came against current UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre. Fitch had been promised a title shot if he was able to defeat Thiago Alves in his last fight, which he was successful in doing, but that promise has been broken in order to give Jake Shields a fight with the champion.

After losing his lightweight belt, B.J. Penn decided to test the waters at welterweight. Penn finished his trilogy against Matt Hughes with a 21 second knockout victory. It would be quite an accomplishment if Penn is able to come back from his consecutive losses to Frankie Edgar to claim the welterweight title.

4. Rich Franklin Vs. Forrest Griffin

Win or lose, Forrest Griffin's fights are almost entertaining. The same could be said for his UFC 126 opponent, Rich Franklin. Griffin and Franklin have more in common than just their entertainment value. Both fighters are well-rounded fighters who prefer to stand for the most part.

For Griffin, this will be his first fight in more than one year. Griffin won his last fight against Tito Ortiz in November 2009.

Likewise, Franklin has been injured for awhile after breaking his arm in his last fight against Chuck Liddell, whcih Franklin won by knockout. Griffin will be the fifth straight former Pride or UFC champion that Franklin has faced.

Both of these fighters are former UFC champions and both are coming off of victories against legends of the sport. Therefore, the winner of this fight should be expected to be very close to a title shot.

3. Fedor Emelianenko Vs. Antonio Silva

Prior to his loss to Fabricio Werdum in June 2010, Fedor Emelianenko had only lost one other fight in his career, and that was a result of a stoppage because of a cut. Emelianenko will now fight Antonio Silva on February 12 as part of the first round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.

Rather than the tournament implications of the fight, the main story heading into this fight could be how Emelianenko will react to the first real loss of his career.

In the last four years, Silva's only loss has also come against Werdum. If Silva defeats Emelianenko, he could meet Werdum in the second round of the tournament. Werdum's first round opponent is current Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem.

2. Jon Jones Vs. Ryan Bader

Of all the fights in February, this fight between Jon Jones and Ryan Bader could end up having the biggest impact on the future of the sport. Jones has been predicted by many to be the next great MMA champion. If Jones is able to get past Bader, he could be on his way to becoming just that.

At 27-years-old, Ryan Bader is also a promising young fighter. Bader is undefeated at 12-0 and looking to become a top light heavyweight contender. With a win over Jones, Bader would likely steal a lot of Jones' hype for himself.

Either way, both fighters have promising futures ahead of them. The winner of this fight could be more than a future champion; they could be a future legend.

1. Anderson Silva Vs. Vitor Belfort

Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort will fight in the only UFC championship fight in February. With a win, Silva would notch an eighth straight middleweight title defense. Silva already holds the all-time UFC record with two more consecutive title defenses than the next best champions, Tito Ortiz, Matt Hughes, and Georges St. Pierre.

Many consider Belfort the best striker that Silva has faced. Since Silva is widely thought of as one of the best strikers in MMA, this fight could turn into a stand-up war. However, Belfort could just as easily decide to take Silva down and try to follow the blueprint that Chael Sonnen laid out for beating the champion.