UFC: The 10 Most Anticipated Upcoming Non-Title Fights the Rest of 2011

Championship fights. They're what every fighter wants to be in, they're what every fan wants to watch. But that doesn't mean that non-title fights deserve any less respect. So far this year, fighters like Donald Cerrone, Brian Ebersole, Chris Lytle, Diego Sanchez, Martin Kampmann, Brian Stann, Rashad Evans, and Tito Ortiz have put on amazing performances in non-title fights.

With all 7 UFC Championships scheduled to be defended between now and Thanksgiving, many fights with title implications that would normally be Main Event-level fights are now getting 2nd and 3rd billing to the championship fights.

Here's 10 non-title fights everybody should be watching out for the rest of the year.

And, here we go:

Brendan Schaub vs. Minotauro Nogueira

At UFC 134, the fastest rising heavyweight in the UFC will face a legend looking to see if he still has it.

Since losing "The Ultimate Fighter 10" to Roy Nelson, Brendan Schaub has gone 4-0 with 3 KO victories, including a "Knockout of the Night" against Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 128 in March.

Minotauro Nogueira, considered one of the greatest heavyweights of all-time, is looking to remain relevant in the heavyweight division. Nogueira is just 3-2 since coming to the UFC from Pride, after starting his legendary career 29-4-1. His last win came in August of 2009 against a now-retired Randy Couture. The last time he was seen in the Octagon, he was being knocked silly by now-champion Cain Velasquez. Since then, the 35 year-old has had surgeries on both of his knees, and his hip. Nogueira will be coming into this fight as a huge underdog.

For a long time there was talk that the winner of this fight could be next in line for a heavyweight title shot, but it now looks like the winner of this fight will face Frank Mir, with the winner of that fight possibly getting a title shot.

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Forrest Griffin

The re-match from one of the greatest UFC fights ever will go down later this week.

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua has gone 3-2 since his last minute submission loss to Forrest Griffin almost four years ago, during which time he's won and lost the Light Heavyweight Championship, and knocked out two UFC Hall-of-Famers, Chuck Liddell and Mark Coleman. He's looking to even the score at 1-1 with Forrest. He last fought in March at UFC 128, where Jon Jones knocked him out to win the Light Heavyweight Championship.

Almost a mirror image of Shogun, Forrest has also gone 3-2 since the upset win over Rua in their September 2007 bout, which, also like Shogun, includes winning and losing the Light Heavyweight Championship. Forrest last fought against Rich Franklin at UFC 126 in February, winning the fight by unanimous decision.

The winner of this fight will stay at the top of the 205-pound ladder, possibly one fight away from a title match. The loser will fall far down a ladder into a mix that includes rising contenders Alexander Gustafsson and Phil Davis, among others.

Jake Shields vs. Jake Ellenberger

This is one of the few non-title Main Event fights the rest of 2011, and it is sure to be a great one.

For Jake Shields, the fight will be all about how he rebounds. Shields lost his 1st fight in six-and-a-half years at UFC 129 in April to Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre, ending his 15 fight winning streak. Shields is 26-5-1 in his MMA career. 

Ellenberger has been a roll as of late. He's won his last four fights, three by knockout, after losing his UFC debut, a razor-thin split decision loss to now-top contender Carlos Condit back in September 2009. "The Juggernaut" is 25-5 in his MMA career.

Shields lost to St-Pierre because, despite Shields' superior grappling ability, GSP was the best wrestler, by far, that Shields had ever faced, and that caused Shields too many problems to win. Ellenberger is a great wrestler in his own right, having competed in college for Division 2 powerhouse University of Nebraska at Omaha. Ellenberger is not in the same class as GSP on a wrestling level, but has the finishing power that GSP seems to lack. This should be a fantastic fight.

Diego Sanchez vs. Matt Hughes

This fight is between two UFC legends, and could be the last fight for one of them.

Matt Hughes is a former two-time Welterweight Champion who's 45-8 in his MMA career, 18-6 in the UFC. He had been on a three-fight win streak before being knocked out in 21 seconds by BJ Penn last November.

Diego Sanchez, one of two winners from the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter", is 23-4 in his MMA career, 12-4 in the UFC. He has been a "Fight of the Night" machine, earning four bonuses in his last six fights, including his last two. A two fight winning streak over Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann has put Diego back in Top 10 welterweight talks.

Hughes hinted after his KO loss to Penn that it was one step closer to retirement for the legend. Hughes will be a month short of his 38th birthday when this fight happens. Win or lose for Hughes, if Sanchez puts on the kind of fight that he's capable of putting on, then Hughes may retire after the fight. That being said, Sanchez can't afford a loss to someone on the verge of retirement and expect to stay in the welterweight title hunt, especially when it's as stacked as it is right now.

Chael Sonnen vs. Brian Stann

This fight is so good, the fact that it's the 3rd highest-billed fight the night it takes place is a testament to how stacked UFC 136 is.

Sonnen is the champion who never was: the man who came within 110 seconds of beating Anderson Silva, which nobody has been able to do since he entered the UFC, five years and 13 fights ago, before being submitted, then suspended for a failed drug test, then convicted of money laundering, before finally being reinstated for his first fight in over a year.

Brian Stann has been one of the best middleweights in the world in the past year (outside of Anderson Silva and Yushin Okami). In his last three fights, he is 3-0 with three finishes, two knockouts and one submission. The former United States Marine Corp. Captain and WEC Light Heavyweight Champion is 5-2 since coming to the UFC.

This fight has been announced as a Middleweight Championship eliminator, so the winner of this fight, barring injury, will become the next Number One Contender and likely face the Middleweight Champion in early 2012.

BJ Penn vs. Carlos Condit

A prodigy and a natural born killer will step into the octagon at UFC 137, but only one will emerge as the top welterweight contender.

Penn is possibly one win away from a title shot, despite the fact that he's 1-2-1 in his last 4 fights. He fought Jon Fitch to a draw at UFC 127 in February in a fight that was to determine the next Number One Contender to champion Georges St-Pierre.

Condit has been on a tear since coming to the UFC from the WEC two years ago. He's won his last four fights, including two "Knockout of the Night" bonuses and one "Fight of the Night" bonus in his last three fights.

This fight should determine the next Number One Contender for the Welterweight Championship.

Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione

For more on this fight, once again, please check out my most recent UFC fights story: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/799641-10-upcoming-under-the-radar-fights-and-their-implications/page/11

Chris Leben vs. Mark Munoz

The 1st 5-round non title fight in UFC history will make a huge impact on the Middleweight Division.

Munoz is 6-1 since making the move from Light Heavyweight to Middleweight, winning his last three fights. His win at UFC 131 over former Number One Contender Demian Maia was the biggest win of Munoz's career.

Leben is one of the longest-tenured UFC fighters, having gone 12-6 in his six-plus years in the octagon ever since his time on the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter." Leben took only 27 seconds to knock out MMA legend Wanderlei Silva at UFC 132.

The winner of this fight should be one more fight away from a Middleweight Title shot, and the fight will likely be against the loser of this weekend's title fight.

Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles

Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos won't be thenonly fight at UFC 139 without title implications.

"The California Kid", fighting in his home state of California for the first time since WEC 48 back in April 2010, lost a Bantamweight Championship fight to Dominick Cruz at UFC 132 in July. Faber is 25-5 in his MMA career.

Bowles, a former WEC Bantamweight Champion, is 10-1 in his MMA career, his one loss coming at the hands of current UFC Bantamweight Champion Cruz when Cruz forced a doctor stoppage during their March 2010 fight.

This is a Bantamweight Championship eliminator, so the winner of this fight will face Cruz or current Number One Contender Demetrious Johnson early in 2012.

Michael Bisping vs. Jason Miller

The Count is gonna encounter some Mayhem come December 3rd.

Michael Bisping may very well be the best UFC middleweight to never earn a UFC title shot. He's 11-3 in the UFC ever since his days on Season 3 of "The Ultimate Fighter," including 7-2 as a Middleweight, with two separate three fight winning streaks.

Miller is one of the most popular fighters in the world, due to his time hosting MTV's Bully Beatdown (MUST-see TV BTW if you have never seen it). He's fought (and lost to) Georges St-Pierre, Chael Sonnen, and Jake Shields.

This will be the fight between the coaches of the next season of "The Ultimate Fighter," and like the other coach's fights, should be nothing short of an emotion-fueled, "Fight of the Night" contender.

Thanks for Reading!

Every UFC slide show deserves some Ring Girl Action!

Thanks for Reading! Leave a comment and tell your friends!

Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/thereitstuff and check out all my Bleacher Report articles at http://bleacherreport.com/users/364640-adam-reiter