Power Ranking the 25 Best MMA Fights of 2011

Not even halfway through the calender year, 2011 has already produced many exciting fights.

In just five months, several high-profile bouts have gone the distance and been determined by the narrowest of decisions. Even more marquee matchups have ended in brutal, spectacular knockouts.

As we prepare for a busy MMA schedule in June, let's take some time to look back at the 25 best fight that have taken place so far in 2011.

25. Antonio Silva vs. Fedor Emelianenko

The only thing preventing this February fight between Fedor Emelianenko and Antonio Silva from being higher on this list is the way in which the fight ended.

Had Emelianenko been allowed to continue into the third round with his badly swollen eye, this fight had the potential to end in a memorable Silva finish or unlikely Emelianenko comeback win.

Still, this fight produced an exciting upset where both fighters gave everything they had for ten minutes.

24. John Makdessi vs. Kyle Watson

At UFC 129, John Makdessi once again put on an outstanding striking performance in the second fight in the UFC.

After two round of picking Kyle Watson apart, Makdessi landed the strike that made this fight as great as it was.

Less than two minutes into the final frame, Makdessi connected on a spinning back fist that sent Watson to the canvas and ended the fight.

23. Georges St-Pierre vs. Jake Shields

At UFC 129, two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, Georges St-Pierre and Jake Shields, met in a battle for the UFC Welterweight Championship.

With both fighters riding massive winning streaks, many fans were holding out hope for an epic clash despite the tendency of both fighters to go to decisions in a large percentage of their recent fights.

Unfortunately, St-Pierre suffered a serious eye injury during the fight that disabled him from fighting as aggressively as he would have liked to.

Still, the fight was a respectable five round tussle with a belt on the line.

22. Brian Stann vs. Chris Leben

On New Year's Day, Brian Stann was a heavy underdog against long-time UFC veteran Chris Leben.

However, Stann never looked like an underdog from the moment he stepped into the Octagon at UFC 125. In the first round, Stann overwhelmed Leben in a technical knockout.

Not only did the fight produce an exciting finish, but it was a stunning upset as well.

21. Melvin Guillard vs. Evan Dunham

Like Brian Stann, Melvin Guillard wasn't given much of a chance in his January fight with Evan Dunham, who had been coming off of back-to-back strong performances against Tyson Griffin and Sean Sherk.

Also like Stann, though, Guillard overwhelmed Dunham for a first round finish.

With the win, Guillard became a lightweight contender and recorded the biggest win of his career. 

20. Lyoto Machida vs. Randy Couture

In what will likely be the final fight of his career, Randy Couture fought Lyoto Machida at UFC 129.

After a fairly uneventful first round, Machida knocked Couture out in the second round with one of the best highlight knockouts of the year, a flying front kick to the face of Couture.

After the fight, Couture said he though he had gotten hit with a punch.

19. Gilbert Melendez vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri

In his first fight under the Zuffa banner, GIlbert Melendez fought Tatsuya Kawajiri and defended the Strikeforce Lightweight Championship for a second straight time.

By defeating Kawajiri in an exciting first round finish, Melendez has begun to receive recognition as the best lightweight in the world by some.

The dominant win could very well be reason enough for the UFC to want to allow Melendez to fight for the UFC Lightweight Championship.

18. Ronaldo Souza vs. Robbie Lawler

With the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship on the line, Ronaldo Souza met Robbie Lawler back in January.

With an excellent third round submission, Souza defended his belt for the first time and showed why he is considered one of the best grapplers in the world.

17. Nick Diaz vs. Evangelista Santos

Love him or hate him, Nick Diaz produces exciting fights everytime he steps into the cage. In January, Diaz added to his growing list of exciting finishing with a second round arm bar against Evangelista Santos.

Before finishing his opponent, Diaz made sure to get into some nail-biting exchanges with Santos.

With the win, Diaz defended the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship for the second time. 

16. Jon Jones vs. Mauricio Rua

As arguably the most exciting young prospect in MMA history, Jon Jones earned a title shot against UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Mauricio Rua on short notice.

When it came time to fight in March, Jones showed to be the much superior fighter by completely dominating Rua before a third round finish.

After beating Rua, Jones is already considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world at the ripe age of 23-years-old.

15. Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley

In the most exciting round of the year, Nick Diaz and Paul Daley fought in a back-and-forth brawl that saw Diaz defend the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship for a third straight time.

Despite being on the edge of disaster multiple times, Diaz took Daley's best shots and remained in the fight long enough to land a big shot of his own that allowed him to finish the fight with three second remaining in the first round.

14. Edson Barboza vs. Anthony Njokuani

At UFC 128, two of the most flashy strikers in MMA met in a fight between Edson Barboza and Anthony Njokuani.

In a back-and-forth chess match, both fighters landed multiple unorthodox and exciting strikes, but Barboza was able to take the decision in the end.

THe bout won Fight of the Night honors at UFC 128 in March for good reason.

13. Brendan Schaub vs. Mirko Filipovic

Also at UFC 128, Brendan Schaub went toe to toe with MMA legend Mirko FIlipovic.

After the fight was fairly close for two rounds, Schaub blasted Filipovic in the third round and nearly knocked Filipovic into retirement.

Despite many believeing they had seen Filipovic fight for the last time, the Croatian has recently stated that he will fight one more time in the UFC before calling ti quits.

12. Dustin Poirier vs. Josh Grispi

Prior to accepted an offer to fight Dustin Poirier at UFC 125, Josh Grispi had been expected to meet UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo.

Having recently been pegged as the top contender in the division, Grispi was expected to hand Poirier his second defeat in three fights.

However, Poirier shocked many who watched this fight by completely dominating Grispi from the start of the fight. Despite the one-sided bout, there was still plenty of excitement and near finishes.

11. Brian Ebersole vs. Chris Lytle

Having once again risen to a position where he could be considered a contender in the welterweight division, Chris Lytle was given a fight with UFC newcomer Brian Ebersole at UFC 127 in February.

Despite being a significant underdog, Ebersole put on the performance of his career by throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Lytle.

In the end, Ebersole took the decision in a massive upset and extremely exciting bout.

10. Diego Nunes vs. Mike Brown

At UFC 125, Diego Nunes met former WEC Featherweight Champion Mike Brown in a matchup that he wasn't given much of a chance to win.

Nevertheless, Nunes executed his game plan to perfection and pulled of one of the biggest upsets of the year in a split decision.

Now considered a contender in the division, Nunes will meet another tough opponent in Kenny Florian at UFC 131.

9. Dan Henderson vs. Rafael Cavalcante

In March, 40-year-old Dan Henderson was given the opportunity to win another title in the form of the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship.

After getting knocked down by Rafael Cavalcante in the first round, Henderson rebounded and eventually landed his patented overhand right, which sent Cavalcante crumpling to the canvas.

Henderson is once again considered one of the most dangerous fighters on the planet and will get a chance to add a huge win to his resume' when he meets Fedor Emelianenko in his next fight.

8. Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort

Although the fight lasted less than four minutes, Anderson Silva's ridiculous front kick knockout of Vitor Belfort at UFC 126 has to be considered one of the greatest moments so far this year.

After a less than stellar performance in his last fight against Chael Sonnen, many had begun to question whether Silva was beginning to lose a step, but the UFC Middleweight Champion answered those critics in violent fashion with his knockout of Belfort.

7. Jon Fitch vs. B.J. Penn

In a meeting of two of the best pound-for-pound fighters of the last several years, Jon Fitch and B.J. Penn met at UFC 127 in Febraury.

In a back-and-forth grappling match, Fitch and Penn fought to a draw.

Despite the uneventful outcome, this fight was truly one to be appreciated by fans of grappling.

6. Diego Sanchez vs. Martin Kampmann

Diego Sanchez has a way of getting into epic wars and that is exactly the type of fight he was involved in with Martin Kampmann in March.

Despite looking much worse for the wear than Kampmann, Sanchez was able to walk away with a controversial decision victory.

Despite the questionable decision, fans couldn't walk away from this fight disappointed with what they had seen these two warriors do inside the Octagon.

5. Nik Lentz vs. Waylon Lowe

After taking a lot of heat for the lack of action in his previous UFC fights, few would have ever expected to see Nik Lentz this high on a list of entertaining fights.

However, Lentz's come-from-behind submission victory over Waylon Lowe in March is certainly deserving of recognition.

Certainly down on the scorecards, Lentz locked up a guillotine choke with only minutes remaining in the fight to record the most exciting win of his career.

4. Marloes Coenen vs. Liz Carmouche

Say what you will about women's MMA, but this March fight between Strikeforce Women's Welterweight Champion Marloes Coenen and Liz Carmouche was an instant classic.

After continually being taken down and groud-and-pounded by the challenger, Coenen secured an amazing come-from-behind triangle choke to retain her title in brilliant fashion.

3. Jeremy Stephens vs. Marcus Davis

At this point, you may be recognizing a pattern in my preferences for great fights.

A sucker for the comeback, another one of my favorite fights of 2011 was Jeremy Stephens' come-from-behind knockout of Marcus Davis on New Year's Day.

After most likely losing the first two rounds on the scorecards, Stephens put his outstanding punching power to use to end the fight halfway through the third round.

2. Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick

Heading into the UFC Featherweight Championship fight at UFC 129, few gave Mark Hominick any chance of dethroning Jose Aldo. Many even questioned whether Hominick deserved a fight with Aldo in the first place.

FIghting with a massive hematoma on his forehead for much of the fight, Hominick showed outstanding resiliance in going the distance with Aldo and ending the fight in a dominant position.

Aldo retained his title in a decision, but Hominick shut a lot of people up with his performance.

1. Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard

After being battered around the cage for most of the first round, Frankie Edgar mounted an amazing comeback against Gray Maynard at UFC 125 on New Year's Eve.

Although it wasn't enough to win the fight, Edgar retained his titel with a draw.

Not only was this fight a battle of epic proportions, but it forced an unavoidable rematch that should provide an equal amount of excitement.

Sean Smith is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @seansmithMMA.