Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen and 5 Fights we Want to See in 2012

After Chael Sonnen defeated Brian Stann at UFC 136, he made it perfectly clear who he wanted to face next.

It felt like a WWE storyline the way it was presented, but Sonnen wants to prove any doubters wrong by defeating Anderson Silva and winning the UFC middleweight championship.

"The biggest rematch in the history of the business, I'm calling you out Silva but we're upping the stakes.  I beat you, you leave the division.  You beat me, I will leave the UFC forever." Sonnen said in the Octagon following his win.

This was the talk of the UFC world and still is, so will this fight happen?  It is definitely a fight to look forward to in 2012, but there are more, so let's take a look, starting with the one just talked about here.

Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen

The rivalry has gotten heated from the standpoint of Chael Sonnen. Even when Joe Rogan tried to talk about his UFC 136 performance, the first words out of Sonnen's mouth were, "Anderson Silva, you absolutely suck!"

Sonnen laid it all out for the UFC middleweight champion and wants to fight on Super Bowl weekend. After their fight at UFC 117, it is still one of the fights that need to happen based on how well Sonnen performed n that bout.

OK, he failed his post-fight drug test, but how can you deny that if that fight went the distance that we would've had a new champion and a controversy afterwards, based on that failed test.

Silva has gone back to his dominant ways and not dancing around the Octagon, so a fight with Sonnen will easily win "Fight of the Night," and it will end the rivalry once and for all.

Georges St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz

The fight that was to be at UFC 137 is one that we may look forward to in 2012 if each fighter can be victorious in a few weeks.

In the days and weeks after the fight was switched to GSP vs. Condit, Diaz has had a lot of opinions on St. Pierre, and there has been more animosity shown after Diaz missed multiple fights for press events.

Articles like this one show how Diaz feels about SP as a fighter and a person and with those kind of words, this fight should happen in 2012, even if Diaz no-shows more press conferences.

Of course, the video here will suggest otherwise.

Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans

For months, it seems that every time Jon Jones has something great happen, Rashad Evans is there to dispute it and tear it down.

The fact that Evans had to pull out of their title fight due to a thumb injury will keep this anticipated fight to 2012, and instead, Jones will fight Lyoto Machida at UFC 140 in Toronto.

A win by Jones will set these two up for a title fight; a loss will probably set up a rematch between Machida and Evans, with Jones hanging out for the winner.

Either way, this fight will happen in 2012, and with them knowing each other's every move from training together, this one looks to have "Fight of the Night" written all over it.

Brock Lesnar vs. Junior Dos Santos

This fight was supposed to happen in June, but Lesnar was struck with another battle with diverticulitis and was put on the shelf for the last number of months, while Dos Santos has put himself in position for the UFC Heavyweight title on FOX.

The coaches from season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter have yet to lock horns, and it is a bout that has been anticipated since they were announced as coaches.

Lesnar will face Alistair Overeem at UFC 141, and a win will likely put Lesnar in position to face Dos Santos in 2012.

Whether that bout will be contested for the title is a story that could be determined on Nov. 12.

B.J. Penn vs. Jon Fitch

Since the draw at UFC 127, these two fighters have gone their separate ways when a rematch was canceled, due to an injury to Fitch.

Penn will face Nick Diaz at UFC 137, while Fitch will take on Johny Hendricks at UFC 141.

Fitch has proven to be one of the most consistent fighter in the welterweight division not named Georges St. Pierre, and to get another title shot, he must eventually face The Prodigy and break that deadlock.

Will these two face off in 2012?  How about the other fights on this list?

What do you think?

Mark Pare is a Featured Columnist. You can follow him on  Twitter and don't forget to check out his sportswriter page.