MMA: Jon Jones vs. Rampage Jackson and the Top 10 Can't Miss Fights in September

After August, when UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva retained his title, September continues the stretch of intriguing title fights with a bout between UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

This will be one of many solid match-ups on the UFC 135 card, which goes down on pay per view near the end of the month.

Other events in September include the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Semifinals (September 10), Ultimate Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger (September 17), Dream.17 (September 24), and three Bellator events.

Fighters that will be seen in action this month include Jake Shields, Josh Barnett, Matt Hughes, Diego Sanchez, Travis Browne, and Antonio Silva.

These are the top 10 fights you don't want to miss in September.

Notable Mention: Joachim Hansen vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri: Dream.17

In a rematch of a 2006 bout that resulted in a DQ win for Tatsuya Kawajiri, the Japanese fighter takes on Joachim Hansen at Dream.17 on September 24.

Both have been considered among the best of the lightweight fighters but haven't found success in defeating the top 10 in the division.

Hansen comes into the fight on a three-fight win streak, with a victory over Mitsuhiro Ishida, while Kawajiri was last seen rebounding from his loss to Gilbert Melendez with a win over Drew Fickett.

The event will also be hosting the Bantamweight Tournament Quarterfinal bouts, as well as fights featuring Shinya Aoki, Kazushi Sakuraba, and Gerald Harris.

No. 10: Muhammed Lawal vs. Roger Gracie: Strikeforce 36

Before the Strikeforce World Heavyweight Grand Prix semifinal bouts, former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal will take on Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Roger Gracie in a light-heavyweight bout, which takes place September 10 on Showtime.

Gracie is 4–0 in MMA, with submission victories over Trevor Prangley, Kevin Randleman, Yuki Kondo, and Ron Waterman.

Besides his accomplishments as a MMA fighter, Gracie has won the IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championships ten times as a blackbelt, including three in an open-weight competition.

Lawal hasn't fought since losing his title to Rafael Cavalcante in August 2010. He holds wins over Gegard Mousasi, Mike Whitehead, and Mark Kerr, and is a former NCAA Division I wrestler.

No. 9: Travis Browne vs. Rob Broughton: UFC 135

UFC 135 will feature two heavyweight match-ups, and the one between Travis Browne and Rob Broughton promises a knockout or submission.

Browne comes into the fight with an 11–0–1 record, including his superman-punch knockout over Stefan Struve at UFC 130. Before that, he had a hard-fought draw with Cheick Kongo that many thought he should have won. Nine of his wins have come by knockout.

Broughton is 15–5 in MMA, with seven wins by KO and five by submission. He made his UFC debut at UFC 120, where he submitted Vinicius Queiroz with a rear-naked choke. He also has two KO victories over James Thompson.

No. 8: Ronaldo Soua vs. Luke Rockhold: Strikeforce 36

Black House member and Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza makes the second defense of his title when he takes on Luke Rockhold at Strikeforce 36 on September 10.

Souza is coming off his submission victory over Robbie Lawler in January. He won the title when he defeated Tim Kennedy last year. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt is 14–2 in MMA, with 11 victories by submission.

Rockhold is a brown belt in BJJ but has six submission victories to his credit. He has a win over former Ultimate Fighter Jesse Taylor.

Souza is currently ranked among the top 10 middleweights and is as high as No. 5 on some websites.

No. 7: Matt Hughes vs. Diego Sanchez: UFC 135

The co-main event at UFC 135 features former UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes and UFC lightweight title challenger Diego Sanchez. Their records combine for a total of 87 bouts.

Hughes is coming off his quick knockout loss to BJ Penn at UFC 123, while Sanchez rebounded from his loss to John Hathaway with two exciting wins over Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann.

Sanchez, who has earned a fight of the night award in four of his last six bouts, will look to take out the veteran Hughes. This could be the last fight of Hughes' career, and he doesn't want to go out with a loss.

No. 6 Joe Warren vs. Alexis Vila: Bellator 51

Bellator 51 will feature the first round of the eight-man bantamweight tournament on September 24. If MMA fans wonder why the UFC's bantamweight division is missing new contenders, this is why.

The tournament's competitors include Wilson Reis, Ed West, Luis Nogueira, Eduardo Dantas, Chase Beebe, Marcos Galvao, Joe Warren, and Alexis Vila.

Former NCAA Division I wrestler Warren goes into his bout with Cuban Olympian freestyle wrestler Vila with a 7–1 record and a five-fight win streak.

Vila is 9–0, with six of his wins having come by knockout. It will be his biggest test to date against a fighter who holds victories over Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto and Chase Beebe.

No. 5: Antonio Silva vs. Daniel Cormier: Strikeforce 36

The first of two Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix semifinal bouts will be Antonio Silva versus Daniel Cormier.

Silva established himself as one of the top heavyweight fighters in the world when he defeated Fedor Emelianenko earlier this year in the opening round of the tournament.

Cormier stepped in as a late replacement for Alistair Overeem and brings an extensive wrestling background, which includes winning a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the Pan American Championships.

Cormier is undefeated at 8–0, with his latest win coming over Jeff Monson. With his spot as a replacement fighter, he will go in as a heavy underdog. If he can upset Silva, it will give the tournament a dynamic change of events in who is the favorite to win.

No. 4: Nate Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi: UFC 135

Depending on where this fight takes place, the lightweight bout between Takanori Gomi and Nate Diaz at UFC 135 could end up being one of the most exciting match-ups of the year.

Everyone remembers the war Diaz had with Gomi in 2007's fight of the year. It ended on the ground, with Diaz submitting the Japanese standout, but it was a back-and-forth battle on the feet for the majority of the bout.

Diaz has shown solid stand-up skills in his UFC career—he even out-boxed former boxer Marcus Davis. He may even plan on using those skills here with the hard-punching Gomi, who comes into the bout needing a victory to stay in the UFC.

No. 3: Josh Barnett vs. Sergei Kharitonov: Strikeforce 36

In a fight every MMA fan is looking forward to, Josh Barnett and Sergei Kharitonov plan on giving them something to remember in the main event of Strikeforce 36.

This will be the second heavyweight grand prix semifinal bout, and it will be an interesting clash of styles. Barnett comes into the fight with a submission win over Brett Rogers, while Kharitonov was last seen knocking out Andrei Arlovski.

This fight has the makings of a well-rounded bout that sees both fighters battling for dominant positions on the ground and on the feet. Kharitonov arguably has the best boxing in the division, and it gives him an advantage over Barnett, who is primarily a grappler.

No. 2: Jake Shields vs. Jake Ellenberger: Ultimate Fight Night

One fight after his loss to UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, Jake Shields takes no time  stepping back into competition with one of the division's most powerful punchers in Jake Ellenberger on September 17.

Ellenberger, who has 16 knockout wins on his record, is 4–1 in the UFC, with his only loss being a highly contested fight with Carlos Condit that many thought he had won.

Shields brings an extensive 26–5 record with experience fighting and beating some of the very best fighters in the WW and MW divisions, including Dan Henderson, Jason Miller, Robbie Lawler, Yushin Okami, Paul Daley, Condit, and Martin Kampmann.

This striker-versus-grappler match-up may go down as the most memorable bout of the month.

No. 1: Jon Jones vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones is one of 2011's best fighters, and he began the year by defeating Ryan Bader at UFC 126 and then Mauricio "Shogun" Rua to win the title in March.

Jackson is on a two-fight win streak, with victories over Matt Hamill and Lyoto Machida. The last time he was seen in a championship bout was his decision loss to Forrest Griffin in 2008.

One of the things that has been missing from Jackson's most recent fights is the knockouts many fans have come to know him for. Six of his last seven bouts have gone the distance.

Jones has finished his last four opponents, but those opponents haven't tested him with the knockout power Rampage possesses.

Expect to see fireworks when these two enter the cage.