UFC Power Rankings: A Look at the Top 10 Fights Left on UFC Schedule for 2011

2011 has not been a banner year for UFC so far. The company has had a number of fights on the schedule that have been delayed or canceled due to injuries. But the news hasn't been all bad as one of those injuries opened the door for Jon Jones to become a superstar far quicker than anyone figured, and the rest of the year looks quite promising.

There are 10 major events left on the schedule, including seven pay-per-view shows. There are a lot of great fights that have been signed or are in the process of getting signed, so I figured that it would be time to take a look at the 10 best fights currently on the schedule.

There were a lot of great options to choose from, so narrowing this list down to 10 was quite a task in and of itself. Having to rank them was an even more difficult chore because you could make a case for each one of these fights as the very best.

So without further ado, I present the 10 best fights on the UFC schedule for the remainder of 2011.

10. UFC on Versus: Christian Morecraft vs Matt Mitrione

I chose this fight as a wild card. There might be fights that have sexier names than this one, but I believe that it will be a highly entertaining fight that delivers a finish one way or another.

Christian Morecraft has only had two UFC fights, but they have both been good and they have ended in the second round. His first fight was a loss to Stefan Struve at UFC 117, but he turned his fortunes around against Sean McCorkle at UFC Fight Night: Davis vs Nogueira in March.

Matt Mitrione is still an MMA newbie with only four professional fights under his belt, but he is undefeated with three knockouts.

This could be a war between two heavyweights who aren't really going to be anything special, but they know how to put on a good show for the fans.

9. UFC 133: Rashad Evans vs Phil Davis

I know Phil Davis didn't exactly inspire a lot of confidence in his fight with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in March, but I am willing to give him a reprieve for that performance. This guy has a world of potential, and this will be the biggest challenge of his young career.

Rashad Evans was supposed to get a light heavyweight title fight against Jon Jones at this event, but a hand injury forced the champion off this show.

These are two of the best wrestlers in the sport and they should put on a clinic when they square off in August. This will be a great technical battle between two of the best 205-pound fighters in the world. The winner of this fight will likely get a title shot early next year.

8. UFC 135: Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard

Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard were scheduled to have a rematch at UFC 130, but injuries to both men forced the fight to be delayed. It hasn't been officially signed for UFC 135, though this is the date that the company is targeting it for.

Their first title fight was one of the best fights in UFC this year. Maynard destroyed Edgar in the first round, but Edgar was able to battle back and last all five rounds. The judges scored the bout a draw, and Dana White ordered an immediate rematch.

These two are so evenly matched that it's hard to predict a winner. Hopefully both men get into shape and are able to have this fight on the UFC 135 card.

7. UFC 134: Shogun Rua vs Forrest Griffin

Forrest Griffin and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua are two of the best and most popular light heavyweight fighters in the world. They have won a combined 37 fights in their storied careers. Both men have won the UFC light heavyweight championship one time.

This fight is a rematch nearly four years in the making. At UFC 76, Griffin submitted Rua with 15 seconds left in the third round. That was Rua's first fight with UFC after four very successful years with Pride.

Rua is coming off the loss to Jon Jones, which he was completely destroyed for three rounds before the fight was stopped. I am looking forward to seeing how he responds following that loss.

6. UFC 134: Anderson Silva vs Yushin Okami

Yushin Okami won a shot at Anderson Silva and the middleweight championship last November, but Dana White wanted to give Vitor Belfort a shot instead. After Silva knocked out Belfort with the Steven Seagal front kick, the rumor going around was that Georges St-Pierre would challenge Silva and Okami would be left in the cold again.

Those rumors proved to be false, and Okami will finally get his title shot at UFC 134, also known as UFC Rio.

Okami is an extraordinary wrestler with some pretty good striking and power. Silva doesn't have a lot of weaknesses, but he has had some trouble with strong wrestlers (see: Chael Sonnen). If Okami can get Silva to the ground, he could pull off one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.

If Silva wins this fight and St-Pierre wins against Nick Diaz, the superfight to end all superfights could take place in 2012.

5. UFC 132: Wanderlei Silva vs Chris Leben

Wanderlei Silva finally found an opponent that he was happy to challenge in Chris Leben. I am on the fence about how good this fight will be. Both guys have name recognition, but I don't know how good either fighter is anymore.

Silva is a shell of his former self. His power doesn't seem to be what it used to be and he has shown himself to be more vulnerable to punches than ever before. But he has been off for over a year and may have gotten some of that old "Axe Murderer" magic back.

Leben has had an up and down career, but all of his fights are almost always entertaining. He was knocked out by Brian Stann, who is a rising star in the middleweight division, but still has something to offer inside the Octagon.

I am inclined to believe that this will be a stand up war between two heavy hitters as opposed to two guys who are past their prime and holding onto their former glory.

4. UFC 136: Cain Velasquez vs Junior Dos Santos

Cain Velasquez is expected to make his first title defense at UFC 136 against the new-old No. 1 contender Junior dos Santos.

Velasquez made himself a star with his dominating performance against Brock Lesnar at UFC 121. He has a perfect record at 9-0, including eight knockouts. He is the best all-around fighter in the heavyweight division, and one of the best fighters in the sport.

Dos Santos is the best boxer in the heavyweight division, but he doesn't really do a lot else. He has to stand and trade punches with Velasquez if he wants to walk away champion. If he goes to the ground, he is going to get destroyed.

I am expecting big things from these two heavyweight giants when they fight for the biggest prize in the heavyweight division.

3. UFC 132: Dominick Cruz vs Urijah Faber

This might be the most personal and intense rivalry in UFC today. Most of the time fighters will talk trash about their opponent just to help sell the fight, but Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber genuinely dislike each other. You could even say that they hate each other.

Faber and Cruz met once before in 2007 with Faber scoring a first round submission, though you can't use that as a measuring stick for this fight because Cruz is an infinitely better fighter now and Faber is not the fighter he was back then.

Even if this fight sucks, which I doubt it will, the build up to this fight should be fantastic. Both of these men know how to talk, and the real-life animosity should make for some very compelling television.

2. UFC 135: Jon Jones vs Quinton Jackson

Jon Jones was supposed to make his first light heavyweight title defense against friend and former training partner Rashad Evans, but a hand injury forced him from that fight. He is going to be back later this year to take on Quinton Jackson, who gets a title shot after two wins over Lyoto Machida and Matt Hamill.

Jones has shown himself to be the most dynamic and exciting fighter in the sport with his destruction of Ryan Bader and Mauricio Rua in a six-week period earlier this year. While he has a long way to go before he gets there, some people are saying that he can be the biggest star in the history of UFC.

Jackson is being given a title shot that a lot of people feel he doesn't deserve. He has had his ups and downs in the last two years, but he has one more shot to get back to the top of the mountain against Jones. He can be an exciting fighter when his heart is into it, and with a title on the line his heart will most definitely be in it against Jones.

1. UFC 137: Georges St-Pierre vs Nick Diaz

This the big one. This is the fight that everyone wanted to see following George St-Pierre's lackluster performance against Jake Shields. This is the biggest fight of the year in all of mixed martial arts.

Georges St-Pierre will defend the welterweight championship against Nick Diaz at UFC 137. The only thing that could have made this fight better is if it was a title vs title fight, but for some reason the Strikeforce welterweight title will not be on the line in this fight.

St-Pierre has been one of the two best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport for the last three years. His ability to slowly and methodically dissect his opponents is legendary. But his reputation has taken a big hit over the last two years because he doesn't finish his opponents.

Diaz is one of the great characters in all of sports. He is eccentric and will give you a memorable quote every time that he opens his mouth. He has won 10 straight fights and has established himself as the best 170-pound fighter not named Georges St-Pierre.

This is going to be the biggest welterweight title fight in UFC history, and with the track record of these two fighters it could very well be the best welterweight title fight in UFC history.