UFC: The Top 5 Upcoming Bouts Not Featuring Top 10 Fighters

With three UFC champions left to defend their belts before the end of the year, these 10 fighters will look to establish themselves as future challengers in their respective divisions.

First, they must break into the Top 10, and they have to go through their upcoming opposition to do so.

The following five fights all feature former or future Top 10 fighters, and these bouts will give them the opportunity to showcase their skills while establishing their position as the next contender.

No. 5: Alexander Gustafsson vs. Vladimir Matyushenko

Swedish fighter Alexander Gustafsson (12-1) is only 24, but has already gained a lot of attention after his TKO victory over Matt Hamill at UFC 131.

That victory extended his win streak to three, which he will put on the line when he faces former UFC title challenger Vladimir Matyushenko, who is 16 years older, at UFC 141.

Matyushenko comes into the fight with a 26-5 record, with five of his last six fights earning him UFC victories. His latest victory came in just 20 seconds when he knocked out Jason Brilz.

No. 4: Dustin Poirier vs. Pablo Garza

The featherweight division is short on contenders, and Dustin Poirier and Pablo Garza will look to break into that discussion when they fight at UFC on Fox 1.

Poirier comes into the fight with a 10-1 record, including three UFC victories over Josh Grispi, Jason Young and Zach Mickleweight.

His opponent is 11-1 with two wins in the UFC. His wins came in the form of flying-triangle choke and a knockout by a flying knee. Both earned him fight bonuses.

The fight might be overshadowed by the heavyweight championship fight in the headliner, but these two could very well steal the show.

No. 3: Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le

In a battle of exciting strikers, Wanderlei Silva will welcome former Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le to the Octagon at UFC 139.

It will be the co-headliner of the event, and it should go down as one of the most anticipated fights on the card.

Silva comes into the fight on a must-win basis, and Le is going to do everything he can to impress fans who are watching him for the first time.

With a win, Le makes a case for himself being a Top 10 middleweight. The only thing that is keeping him out of the rankings is his lack of competition and his extensive layoff.

No. 2: Paul Taylor vs. Anthony Njokuani

Paul Taylor might only be 4-5 in the UFC, but fans love to watch him fight, and it's not hard to see why. He was won multiple fight of the night bonuses for fights versus Chris Lytle, Paul Kelly and Marcus Davis.

He takes on Anthony Njokuani at UFC 138, and many will expect it to be the best fight on the card even if it doesn't mean as much as the others.

Njokuani comes into the bout having won two of his last three. His loss versus Edson Barboza earned him fight of the night.

In the lightweight division, most of the talk is focused around who is next for a shot at the title. Right behind that is talk about how stacked the division is, and this fight proves it.

No. 1: Rory MacDonald vs. Brian Ebersole

Rory MacDonald is considered by many to be the next big thing, and he will take on the far-more experienced Brian Ebersole at UFC 140.

Ebersole has nearly four times as many fights with a record of 48-14-1, while MacDonald is just 12-1.

While the 22-year-old from British Columbia will get to fight once again in front of his hometown crowd, Ebersole will look to put his momentum on hold and extend his win streak to 10.

The winner of this bout could finally break into the Top 10, and it's something Ebersole has wanted ever since he started fighting over 10 years ago.