MMA: The 25 Greatest MMA Fights That Never Happened

The UFC prides itself in being able to put together fights that the fans want to see, but there is one epic fight that the organization has been unable to set up over the last couple years.

Undoubtedly, a super-fight between UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva and UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre would be the biggest fight in the history of MMA. Both fighters have cleaned out their respective divisions and -- for the most part -- done so with ease.

However, neither fighter seems overly anxious to put their legacy on the line in a bout against the other. With Silva recently turning 36 years old, the magnitude of this potential fight could be dwindling away as the Brazilian falls out of his prime.

If a contest between Silva and St-Pierre doesn't ever come together, it could go down as the greatest fight that never was. Though, there were plenty of other potentially great fights that never came to pass throughout the short history of MMA.

Let's take a look at some of the most intriguing of those lost matchups.

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Frank Mir

For a very short period of time, Fedor Emelianenko and Frank Mir held the two most prestigious heavyweight titles in the world. However, a motorcycle accident quickly took that away from Mir.

From a stylistic standpoint, this matchup would have been extremely intriguing. Emelianenko and Mir are considered to be two of the most well-rounded heavyweights in the sport, so they would have matched up well on the ground or standing.

Rich Franklin vs. Mauricio Rua

While Rich Franklin was defending the UFC Middleweight Championship in 2005 and 2006, Mauricio Rua was becoming a force in Pride. Just a couple months after Franklin defeated the late Evan Tanner to earn his title, Rua won the 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix.

Before Anderson Silva showed up, Franklin was short on legitimate competition in his division. Had the UFC been willing to cross-promote with Pride, a super-fight between Franklin and Rua could have been one of the great fights in MMA.

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Josh Barnett

These two elite heavyweights were priginally scheduled to meet while with Affliction. However, a positive drug test from Josh Barnett caused the fight to be cancelled and led to the demise of Affliction.

Recently, Fedor Emelianenko and Barnett were signed on to compete in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, which sprouted hope that the two could finally meet in the tournament finals. However, Emelianenko lost to Antonio Silva in the first round.

Mike Brown vs. Miguel Torres

Former WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres and former WEC Featherweight Champion Mike Brown each earned their titles in 2008. Both went on to defend those titles multiple times en route to becoming two of the best fighters in the short history of their respective divisions.

Because neither fighter went so far as cleaning out their division, a super-fight between Torres and Brown never really became a serious option.

However, a fight between the two champions could have cemented the winner as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in MMA history.

Now, Torres and Brown are in the middle of major downswings in their careers, so it doesn't appear that a fight between the two will ever become reality. Even if it did, the fight wouldn't have nearly the same impact as it would have if it had happened a few years ago.

Tito Ortiz vs. Mark Coleman

In May 2000, Mark Coleman made an unlikely run to win the Pride Openweight Grand Prix with a stoppage of MMA great Igor Vovchanchyn.

For the first time since defeating Dan Severn to become UFC Heavyweight Champion, "The Godfather of Ground-and-Pound" looked to be one of the best fighters in the world. 

Meanwhile, Tito Ortiz was on his way to becoming the face of the UFC by using a very similar fighting style as Coleman, as he had just defeated Wanderlei Silva to win the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.

Much later, Coleman and Ortiz were scheduled to finally meet at UFC 106. However, Coleman was forced to withdraw from that bout due to a torn MCL. When Coleman returned to fight Randy Couture at UFC 109, Ortiz initiated a verbal battle as a defeated Coleman exited the cage.

A matchup between these two fighters would have produced plenty of pre-fight trash talk and may have determined the best ground-and-pound fighter of all time.

Randy Couture vs. Frank Shamrock

At UFC Ultimate Japan in December 1997, Randy Couture earned the UFC Heavyweight Championship with a decision victory over Maurice Smith, while Frank Shamrock captured the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship -- called the UFC Middleweight Championship at the time -- with a 16-second submission of Kevin Jackson.

Shamrock went on to defend his title four consecutive times, becoming one of the most dominant champions in the division's history. Shamrock was so dominant that he relinquished his title and headed for a temporary retirement due to lack of competition.

After winning the first of many UFC titles, Couture was involved in a contract dispute and was stripped of his belt upon leaving the organization. Had Couture remained with the UFC at that point in time, he may have provided the competition that Shamrock was looking for in the form of a super-fight.

B.J. Penn vs. Urijah Faber

At one point in time, B.J. Penn and Urijah Faber were considered two of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

While Faber was dominating the WEC Featherweight division, Penn was sitting near the top of the welterweight division despite being physically smaller than his opponents.

After losing his featherweight title to Mike Brown, some believed Faber should move to the UFC's 155-pound division, where Penn had recently gone to win the UFC Lightweight Championship. However, Faber decided to focus on reclaiming his featherweight strap instead of fighting as an undersized lightweight.

Although both fighters are friendly with one another, there would surely be some light-hearted trash talking heading into a fight that would have had a major impact on the legacies of both competitors.

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brock Lesnar

Feeling about both fighters and prediction for the outcome aside, a UFC title fight between Brock Lesnar and Fedor Emelianenko would have been the most highly anticipated fight in the history of MMA.

During Lesnar's reign as UFC Heavyweight Champion, Emelianenko was widely considered the best heavyweight fighter in the world.

Not only would the fight have determined an undisputed top heavyweight in the world, but it may have taken the sport to a whole new level of popularity.

Bas Rutten vs. Randy Couture

After Randy Couture left the UFC in 1998, the UFC Heavyweight Championship remained vacant for more than a year. The next heavyweight to claim the belt was former King of Pancrase Bas Rutten.

Had Couture been able to work out a deal with the UFC after becoming the titleholder, maybe these two legends could have met in the Octagon.

Unfortunately, Rutten also vacated the heavyweight title immediately after winning it. Rutten retired due to injury, but he would fight once more in 2006.

Mauricio Rua vs. Wanderlei Silva

Former Chute Box teammates Wanderlei Silva and Mauricio Rua nearly met in the finals of the 2005 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix. However, Silva fell one win short of reaching the finals, as he was defeated by Ricardo Arona in the semifinals.

Not long after the tournament, which Rua ended up winning, Pride was bought out by the UFC's parent company and Silva began to decline into the fighter who was recently knocked out by Chris Leben.

One of the greatest potential fights of all time fell by the wayside.

Mauricio Rua vs. Dan Henderson

At Pride 33, Dan Henderson became the first fighter ever to hold two belts simultaneously in a major MMA organization. At the same event, Mauricio Rua defeated Alistair Overeem to stretch his outstanding record to 16-2.

It appeared that Rua was on a crash course to fight Henderson for the Pride Middleweight Championship, but Zuffa's purchase sent both fighters to the UFC, where Henderson would lose both of his title-merging fights.

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Mauricio Rua

By the time Pride's demise came about, Fedor Emelianenko and Mauricio Rua had separated themselves as two of the best fighters in the world. However, Zuffa's purchase of Pride sent the fighters in two very different directions.

Rua moved on to the UFC, where he became a light heavyweight champion, while Emelianenko dwindled away the remaining years of his prime against other aging opponents.

Rich Franklin vs. Matt Hughes

After losing his welterweight title to B.J. Penn, Matt Hughes quickly returned to the top of his division by recapturing the UFC Welterweight Championship two fights later to begin a second reign as champion.

At the same time, Rich Franklin was dominating his opponents at middleweight and looking for a true test of his ability. Although Anderson Silva eventually gave him that test, a super-fight with Hughes in the meantime would have provided a great fight.

Dan Henderson vs. Matt Hughes

During Matt Hughes' second reign as UFC Welterweight Champion, Dan Henderson made a run through the 2005 Pride Welterweight Grand Prix to become the division's champion.

Although Henderson competed at light heavyweight also, a catchweight fight between Hughes and Henderson would have made for a very interesting matchup.

Henderson's size likely would have held Hughes in check, but a bout between these two champions would have been intriguing to say the least.

Wanderlei Silva vs. Randy Couture

In the same years that Wanderlei Silva defended his Pride Middleweight Championship and won the 2003 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix, Randy Couture won and defended the UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight belts.

The two fighters brought very different fighting styles to each of their bouts. While Silva was all about aggression, Couture was much more cerebral in his approach to competition.

Still, both fighters had massive success throughout their careers. Unfortunately, the two never were able to go toe-to-toe against one another.

Mirko Filipovic vs. Randy Couture

After winning the 2006 Pride Openweight Grand Prix, Mirko Filipovic joined the UFC, where he was expected to contend for the heavyweight title right away. In his second fight with the organization, Filipovic fought Gabriel Gonzaga to determine the top contender in the division.

Gonzaga scored one of the most memorable knockouts of all time by knocking out Filipovic with a head kick. Filipovic's loss meant that a great fight with UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture would have to wait.

As it turned out, Filipovic began to decline quickly after his loss to Gonzaga. The fight with Couture never materialized.

Chuck Liddell vs. Mirko Filipovic

The brightest moments in the careers of Chuck Liddell and Mirko FIlipovic happened almost simultaneously. Just months after Filipovic ran through the 2006 Pride Openweight Grand Prix, Liddell defeated Tito Ortiz to defend the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship for a fourth straight fight.

When Filipovic joined the UFC shortly after, a super-fight with Liddell seemed like it could be a possibility somewhere down the road. However, both fighters spiraled downward quickly.

Filipovic was upset by Gabriel Gonzaga in a fight for the top contender position in the heavyweight division and Liddell was dethroned by Quinton Jackson.

Matt Hughes vs. Pat Miletich

A long time trainee under Pat Miletich, Matt Hughes nearly ended up having to fight his trainer for a UFC title. After likely being ahead on the scorecards in his title defense against Carlos Newton in May 2001, Miletich got caught in a bulldog choke that ended his reign as champion.

Hughes just so happened to be next in line for a title shot and he proceeded to defeat Newton by knockout with a brutal slam.

Unfortunately, Miletich never regained his form enough to make a run at challenging Hughes for the title. Instead, Miletich went 1-1 in his next two fights before disappearing into coaching and a temporary retirement.

Randy Couture vs. Dan Henderson

One week after Dan Henderson became a champion of two divisions in Pride, Randy Couture captured the UFC Heavyweight Championship with a win over Tim Sylvia.

Although there were times when Couture competed at heavyweight and Henderson fought at middleweight, the two would have matched up well at 205 pounds. Unfortunately, Couture's recent retirement put an end to any chances of this fight ever happening.

Chuck Liddell vs. Dan Henderson

In February 2007, Dan Henderson defeated Wanderlei Silva to become the first ever fighter to hold major titles in two different divisions. At the same time, Chuck Liddell had become one of the greatest light heavyweight champions in MMA history with four straight title defenses.

Shortly after Henderson's fight with Silva, Chuck Liddell was defeated by Quinton Jackson and Pride was purchased by Zuffa. Henderson joined the UFC and made his debut against Jackson

Had the timeline of these events differed only slightly, we may have seen a war between two very similar fighters in Henderson and Liddell.

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Randy Couture

Randy Couture was never as dominant of a heavyweight champion as Fedor Emelianenko was, but both fighters have become legends of the sport. At one point, Couture left the UFC because the organization had been unable to put together a fight between the two MMA greats.

After Zuffa purchased Strikeforce, there was a slight glimmer of hope that Emelianenko and Couture could meet before their retirement. However, Couture recently retired after being knocked out by Lyoto Machida, which likely put an end to any possibility of him ever competing against Emelianenko.

Chuck Liddell vs. Anderson Silva

Anderson Silva's long-running reign as UFC Middleweight Champion began at the same time that Chuck Liddell was en route to becoming one of the most dominant light heavyweight fighters in MMA history.

At the time, the fight wouldn't between these two MMA greats wouldn't have made much sense, but in retrospect, it might have been one of the most entertaining fights of all time.

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Chuck Liddell

In 2005 and 2006, Fedor Emelianenko and Chuck Liddell both defended major titles on multiple occasions. At the time, Emelianenko was also running out of options for competitive opponents.

Two of the most dominant fighters in the world, a fight between Emelianenko and Liddell would have been quite a sight to see. However, the UFC could never secure a contract with Emelianenko, which caused many great potential bouts to go to waste.

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Wanderlei Silva

While Fedor Emelianenko was in the midst of his legendary winning streak in Pride, Wanderlei Silva was putting together an impressive run of his own. At around the same time, both fighters defended their titles multiple times and each won a Pride Grand Prix.

Despite their dominance, Emelianenko and Silva never met in the ring. Each fighter is arguably the best in their division's history, so this fight would have surely been one of the most highly anticipated bouts of all time.

Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Rickson Gracie

Known as "The Gracie Hunter." Kazushi Sakuraba defeated just about every notable Gracie fighter of his time except one. Rickson Gracie, perhaps the most accomplished grappler of all the Gracie family, ceased fighting in professional MMA in 2000.

A few times over the years, rumors sprouted up that Sakuraba would be fighting Rickson. However, none of those rumored bouts ever came to pass. With all hope of this bout between Sakuraba and Rickson happening now seemingly gone, this fight has become the greatest fight that never was.

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 here.