Jon Jones and the 20 Most Impressive MMA Performances This Year

Jon Jones has had an extremely successful year through the first eight-and-a-half months of 2011. With two wins already under his belt, Jones will now look to defeat Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 135 and defend his UFC light heavyweight title for the first time.

In addition to Jones' rise to the top, there have been plenty of upsets, submissions and highlight reel knockouts in 2011. Several come-from-behind victories and one-sided beatdowns have also had fans dropping their jaws.

As we head into the home stretch of 2011, here are the 20 most impressive performances of the year.

20. Anderson Silva (vs. Yushin Okami at UFC 134)

Fighting in his home country of Brazil for the first time in more than seven years, Anderson Silva disposed of the ninth consecutive challenger to his UFC middleweight championship in a second-round technical knockout.

Having prepared for the fight with Chael Sonnen, the fighter who came closest to dethroning Silva, Yushin Okami was expected to give the champion a much tougher fight than he did. However, Okami strayed from his game plan and Silva took advantage by picking the Japanese fighter apart.

19. Junior dos Santos (vs. Shane Carwin at UFC 131)

After Brock Lesnar was forced out of his title shot eliminator bout with Junior dos Santos due to a second battle with diverticulitis, Shane Carwin stepped in as a replacement. Despite taking the fight on short notice, Carwin and his power were expected to test dos Santos.

However, dos Santos dominated Carwin from the opening bell. After turning Carwin's face into ground meat, dos Santos even showed off his improved wrestling as the fight came to an end.

18. Jon Jones (vs. Ryan Bader at UFC 126)

Heading into UFC 126, Jon Jones and Ryan Bader were considered the two brightest young light heavyweights in MMA. Although Jones was the favorite, Bader's wrestling and heavy hands were considered a possible formula for defeating Jones.

Nonetheless, Jones was on a completely different level than Bader. Late in the second round, Jones secured a guillotine choke and handed Bader the first loss of his career.

17. Miesha Tate (vs. Marloes Coenen at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson)

After earning five straight victories, Miesha Tate was given the opportunity to compete for a Strikeforce belt against Marloes Coenen. Tate used her wrestling background effectively and secured an arm triangle midway through the fourth round.

The 25-year-old Tate could become the face of women's MMA if she can continue her run of success against Sarah Kaufmann, one of two fighters to hold a win over Tate.

16. Cheick Kongo (vs. Pat Barry at UFC on Versus 4)

Cheick Kongo's reputation as one of the best kickboxers in the heavyweight division was on the line against Pat Barry at UFC Live on Versus 4. While the bout didn't get off to a good start for Kongo, the finish was about as impressive as it gets.

After getting dropped multiple times, Kongo planted his wobbly legs and knocked Barry out cold with a desperation punch. It certainly wasn't a perfect performance for Kongo, but his showing couldn't have been any better from an entertainment perspective.

15. Donald Cerrone (vs. Charles Oliveira at UFC Live on Versus 5)

Competing in the UFC for the third time in his career, Donald Cerrone met up-and-coming Charles Oliveira at UFC Live on Versus 5. Both considered exciting and well-rounded fighters, Cerrone and Oliveira were a popular choice to produce the Fight of the Night.

Instead of both fighters walking away from the bout with a bonus check, Cerrone took one home all for himself after earning a technical knockout victory in the first round. With the win, Cerrone is now considered a lightweight contender.

14. Carlos Condit (vs. Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 132)

Heading into UFC 132, undefeated Dong Hyun Kim was putting himself in position to earn a welterweight title shot. Against Carlos Condit, Kim's ground game was supposed to cause problems.

Condit had the answer for Kim's strengths, though. After escaping from the bottom position, Condit landed a flying knee and earned a spectacular knockout win in the first round. Now, Condit is preparing to compete for the UFC welterweight title against Georges St-Pierre.

13. Antonio Silva (vs. Fedor Emelianenko at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva)

In February 2011, Antonio Silva met Fedor Emelianenko, who was coming off of the first legitimate loss of his career. Many considered Emelianenko's submission loss to Fabricio Werdum somewhat of a fluke caused by a momentary lapse of judgement by Emelianenko.

For that reason, Emelianenko was once again considered a favorite heading into his bout with Silva. Silva shocked the world, though, as he used his noticeable size advantage to ground and pound his way to victory.

12. Melvin Guillard (vs. Evan Dunham at Fight for the Troops 2)

Coming off of a lackluster decision victory over Jeremy Stephens, some began to question whether or not Melvin Guillard's move to train under Greg Jackson had made him too conservative. Guillard quickly put that discussion to rest in his following bout against Evan Dunham, though.

Coming off of a controversial loss to Sean Sherk, Dunham was still considered a fringe contender in the lightweight division. Still, Guillard rolled through Dunham and earned Knockout of the Night honors by finishing the fight in under three minutes.

11. Nick Diaz (vs. Paul Daley at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley)

Nick Diaz has become recognized for putting on exciting performances. His final fight under the Strikeforce banner, a title fight against Paul Daley, was no exception.

In a back-and-forth fight, Diaz went from being nearly finished to scoring a technical knockout win in the final seconds of the first round. While it wasn't quite as dramatic as Cheick Kongo's knockout of Pat Barry, Diaz's win was more impressive, as Daley was considered a top welterweight at the time.

10. Brian Stann (vs. Chris Leben at UFC 125)

After making a successful debut in his move to the middleweight division, Brian Stann was given a huge step up in competition at UFC 125, where he met Chris Leben.

Despite being an underdog, Stann overwhelmed Leben in the first round. With his victory, Stann joined Anderson SIlva as the only other fighter to knock the iron-chinned Leben out.

9. Daniel Cormier (vs. Antonio Silva at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov)

After Alistair Overeem was removed from the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, Daniel Cormier filled in as his replacement in a semifinal fight against Antonio Silva. An Olympic wrestler, Cormier has immense talent, but he was unproven heading into his fight with Silva.

Despite being at a serious size disadvantage, Cormier outclassed Silva. After keeping the fight standing, Cormier blasted Silva with an uppercut that led to a knockout victory.

8. Dan Henderson (vs. Fedor Emelianenko at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson)

After capturing the Strikeforce light heavyweight title, Dan Henderson set his sights on something other than defending his belt. Instead, Henderson took a fight with MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko, who was significantly heavier than Henderson.

In an extremely exciting first round, Henderson looked to be rocked badly before reversing Emelianenko and landing a knockout blow from behind the Russian. With this performance, Henderson became the first fighter to ever knock out Emelianenko.

7. Lyoto Machida (vs. Randy Couture at UFC 129)

Going into UFC 129, Lyoto Machida had lost two consecutive fights. A loss to his opponent, Randy Couture, would have been devastating to Machida's hopes of earning another UFC title shot.

By knocking out Couture with a fying front kick, Machida made sure that he remained relevant in the 205 pound title picture. The performance also led to Couture's retirement.

6. Mauricio Rua (vs. Forrest Griffin at UFC 134)

After losing the UFC light heavyweight title to Jon Jones, Mauricio Rua was given a tough fight with Forrest Griffin as his next opponent. In their last meeting, Griffin defeated Rua, so this bout was expected to be highly competitive.

Rua made quick work of Griffin, though. In front of his compatriots in Brazil, Rua knocked out Griffin and avenged a loss he had suffered in his UFC debut.

5. Anderson Silva (vs. Vitor Belfort at UFC 126)

Coming off of a miraculous submission victory over Chael Sonnen, many began questioning whether Anderson Silva was beginning to decline. For that reason, Vitor Belfort's hands were considered a threat to end the longest title run in UFC history.

Silva silenced all critics at UFC 126, though, as he finished Belfort with a spectacular front kick. With the win, Silva's popularity exploded in Brazil.

4. Tito Ortiz (vs. Ryan Bader at UFC 132)

Winless for nearly five years, Tito Ortiz's job was on the line heading into his fight with Ryan Bader at UFC 132. To make matters worse, he was considered a significant underdog against the much younger Bader.

However, Ortiz shocked the world by dropping Bader in the first round of the fight. After that, Ortiz locked up a guillotine choke and saved his career.

3. Jake Ellenberger (vs. Jake Shields at UFC Fight Night 25)

Headlining a UFC event for the first time in his career, Jake Ellenberger was given a tough test against Jake Shields. Many questioned whether or not Ellenberger would test the chin of a fighter Dan Henderson couldn't knockout.

Ellenberger swiftly put Shields away, becoming the first fighter to finish the Cesar Gracie product in more than a decade. With the impressive victory, Ellenberger is now one of the lead candidates to meet the winner of a welterweight title fight between Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit.

2. Jon Jones (vs. Mauricio Rua at UFC 128)

It seemed inevitable that Jon Jones would one day capture a UFC title. His meteoric rise through the 205 pound division made him one of the most exciting young fighters the sport had ever seen.

Although many expected Jones to have success in his first title fight against Mauricio Rua, few believed Jones would tear through the MMA legend as easily as he did. Jones was on a completely different level than Rua on that night and captured the belt with a third-round technical knockout.

1. Frankie Edgar (vs. Gray Maynard at UFC 125)

Unlike every other fighter on this list, Frankie Edgar did not even come away with a victory in his outstanding performance at UFC 125. What really made Edgar's performance special was the way in which he retained his lightweight title with a draw against Gray Maynard.

After being completely dominated by Maynard in the first round of the fight, Edgar battled his way back into the fight over the next four rounds. Edgar's showed incredible heart and determination in doing just enough to remain champion.

The two fighters will meet again at UFC 136 in what is sure to be another exciting battle.

Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. Sean has also had his work featured on UFC.com, LowKick.com, and TheMMACorner.com. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.