Power Ranking Every UFC Event of 2011

To this point, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has produced 20 fight cards since New Year's Day 2011.

While there are still seven events set to take place before 2011 comes to a close, we've already seen some of the greatest knockouts, submissions and decisions in UFC history.

We've seen up-and-coming fighters hit the ground running, and we've seen fighters sadly walk away from the sport they deeply love.

As we move closer to the New Year, let's take a look at the Power Rankings for every UFC event of 2011 thus far.

Let's begin with...

20. UFC Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger

UFC Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger had the potential to be one of the worst fight cards of 2011 leading up to the event that took place in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The most exciting fight of the evening came from two subpar fighters in Matt Riddle and Lance Benoist, who set off fireworks in a Welterweight bout.

While it was a good night for Ellenberger, who knocked out Shields in the first round of action, the same couldn't be said for the rest of the card as it lived up to its low potential.

19. UFC Live: Hardy vs. Lytle

There was one good thing about UFC Live: Hardy vs. Lytle, and that was sending the UFC veteran Lytle out on top.

While Lytle and Hardy were awarded Fight of the Night, the remainder of the card was subpar at best.

It didn't help that UFC Live was one of the worst-put-together cards leading up to the event.

18. UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill

Prior to UFC 130, UFC fans across the globe believed the fight card had potential to be one of the best of 2011.

The fight card consisted of big names in Quinton Jackson, Matt Hamill, Frank Mir, Roy Nelson, Stefan Struve, Thiago Alves and Brian Stann.

Sadly, the fight card didn't live up to expectations, which could be blamed on the main event, as it went to a mediocre unanimous decision declaring Jackson the victor.

17. UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis

Some believe UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis has been the worst fight card of the entire year to this point.

Luckily, Phil Davis saved what was left of the overrated event in Seattle, Washington, as he established himself as a legitimate Light Heavyweight fighter.

Other than that, there wasn't much going on in front of the sold-out Key Arena.

16. UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann

There's not a lot that can be said about a fight card that is headlined by Martin Kampmann.

Fans underestimated Kampmann, though, as he went the distance with Diego Sanchez only to lose a decision. The two were later awarded Fight of the Night honors.

Other than an impressive knockout victory by Mark Munoz, there wasn't too much action in Louisville, Kentucky on March 3rd.

15. UFC 133: Evans vs. Ortiz

Similar to UFC 130, UFC 133 had potential to be one of the best fight cards of the year leading up to the event. But it didn't live up to expectations.

Despite having glimpses of greatness throughout the night, the overall performance of the entire fight card was average.

Alexander Gustafsson and Rory MacDonald established themselves as legitimate contenders in their respective divisions, but it was Ortiz who left a sour taste in the mouths of fans.

Despite making it to the second round, Ortiz was completely dominated by Rashad Evans.

14. UFC: Fight for the Troops 2

One thing's for sure about UFC: Fight for the Troops 2: We can be glad our soldiers are fighting for our freedom, rather than the group of guys who fought at Fort Hood, Texas on January 22nd.

The fight card started weak but picked up as the evening went on.

As expected, Melvin Guillard took home Knockout of the Night. Surprisingly, Yves Edwards vs. Cody McKenzie brought home Fight of the Night Honors.

13. The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale

Some UFC fans are probably surprised The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale is as high as it is, and they probably have a right to be.

Luckily for the sold-out Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Kyle Kingsbury and Fabio Maldonado saved the day, earning Fight of the Night honors.

Clay Guida and Anthony Pettis also put on a show for the Vegas crowd on June 4th.

12. UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch

UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch certainly wasn't the best fight card of the year, but it also wasn't the worst.

The UFC traveled to Sydney, Australia and displayed some of the most fundamental fighting UFC fans have seen in a long time.

Four fights ended in submission victories, and Brian Ebersole vs. Chris Lytle took home Fight of the Night.

11. UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage

UFC fans across the globe had mixed emotions following UFC 135 in Denver, Colorado.

The sold-out Pepsi Center got to witness firsthand the mastermind submission artist in Nate Diaz as he tapped out MMA legend Takanori Gomi.

Jon Jones continued his dominance in a win over Rampage Jackson, and Matt Hughes fell to Josh Koscheck in just the first round of action.

10. UFC 131: Dos Santos vs. Carwin

Dos Santos vs. Carwin cracked the top 10, as it displayed one of the best-put-together cards of the year when the UFC traveled to Vancouver, British Columbia.

Surprisingly, it was Sam Stout who stole the show, knocking out Yves Edwards at 3:52 of Round 1.

Junior dos Santos, Kenny Florian and Mark Munoz all took their opponents to the judges' scorecards for unanimous decision victories.

9. UFC 128: Shogun vs. Jones

Expectations weren't too high leading up to UFC 128 in Newark, New Jersey on March 19th.

However, fans got every dime they paid for when Jon Jones stepped foot inside the Octagon and was declared the youngest champion in UFC history.

On top of that, Edson Barboza proved he is one of the best up-and-coming fighters in MMA today, while Brendan Schaub landed a huge knockout blow to Mirko Cro Cop.

8. UFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnson

How is Cruz vs. Johnson as high as eighth in the power rankings?

Well, it could probably be even higher.

It's rare that the UFC offers a televised five-round championship bout for free. That's just what UFC fans got when Dominick Cruz defended his title against the UFC's smallest fighter, Demetrious Johnson.

But it was Matt Wiman and Mac Danzig who set off fireworks in the nation's capital as they swung for the fences all three rounds, which eventually led to a Wiman decision victory.

7. UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry

Just when you thought you couldn't get a better free UFC event than Cruz vs. Johnson, enter Kongo vs. Barry.

This UFC Live event could be higher on the charts, as it presented fans with arguably the best knockout of the year when Kongo finished Barry at 2:39 of the very first round.

Fans also got to witness Joe Lauzon's expertise in the submission game, as he took home Submission of the Night honors.

6. UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort

UFC 126 actually isn't even referred to as UFC 126 anymore. It's referred to as "The Kick Heard Around the World."

Unfortunately for Vitor Belfort, he was on the other end of the kick that went down as arguably the best kick in the history of the UFC.

Fans also got to see one of the most action-packed fight cards of the year, as Jon Jones submitted Ryan Bader, Forrest Griffin defeated Rich Franklin in a decision and Jake Ellenberger continued to establish himself as a legitimate Welterweight contender.

5. UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber

Nobody thought a Bantamweight fight could headline a UFC pay-per-view event.

However, all doubts scrambled away when Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber met at UFC 132 in one of the best fights of the entire year.

Fans were able to appreciate the lower-weight slugfest as Cruz remained the Bantamweight champion in a controversial decision.

Tito Ortiz also won his first fight in nearly a year by submitting Ryan Bader just two minutes into the first round.

4. UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III

Frankie Edgar proved his case as the toughest fighter in mixed martial arts today by battling back from a defenseless first round in which he got beat to shreds by Gray Maynard.

In the fourth round, Edgar pounced on Maynard and pounded his way to a knockout victory.

However, it was Nam Phan and Leonard Garcia who stole the show in front of the Texas crowd, battling three rounds in one of the best fights of 2011.

3. UFC 125: Resolution

What better way to kick off the New Year than watching one of the best fights in the history of mixed martial arts?

In a grueling, five-round Lightweight Championship fight, Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard saw neither one of their hands raised, as the judges' scorecards read a draw.

Fans also got to witness firsthand Brian Stann and Jeremy Stephens knock out their opponents in fashion, while Clay Guida submitted Takanori Gomi.

2. UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields

UFC 129 took place in Toronto, Canada and could easily be the best fight card of the entire year.

The Canadian fans saw their home country hero Georges St-Pierre battle five rounds to a unanimous decision victory over Jake Shields.

The Toronto crowd also had the privilege of seeing Featherweight champion Jose Aldo defeat Mark Hominick in a unanimous decision.

But it was Lyoto Machida who stole the show when he "kicked" Randy Couture into retirement.

1. UFC 134: Silva vs. Okami

Not only is UFC 134 arguably the best fight card of 2011 up until this point, but it ranks near the top as one of the greatest fight cards in UFC history.

The UFC traveled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the first time in 10 years as the world's greatest fighter, Anderson Silva, defended his Middleweight championship in front of one of the loudest crowds in the history of the organization.

Hometown fans also got to witness Brazilian legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira knock out highly dangerous striker Brendan Schaub, while Mauricio "Shogun" Rua avenged his previous loss to Forrest Griffin via knockout at 1:53 of the very first round.