BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz and the 15 Best Non-Title UFC Fights Remaining in 2011

Let’s be honest, as awesome as the new UFC 137 main event is between BJ Penn and Nick Diaz is, the card lost some serious intrigue when Georges St-Pierre pulled out of his title fight with Carlos Condit earlier this week.

It’s not that fans aren’t excited about the new main event, it’s a fight that most of us have wanted to see for years, but there is something about a title fight that makes fans infinitely more excited for an event.

But every fight can’t be a title fight (obviously), so we have to start looking forward to the fights with a little less on the line.

Fortunately, the rest of the year is stacked with non-title wars that will get people talking and this list is devoted to the best of them. 

15. Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione: UFC 137

Two heavyweights on the verge of title contention are set to go to battle at UFC 137 next week.

Both Kongo and Mitrione have some of the deadliest power in the heavyweight division and can end a fight in an instant, making this one of those fights that I would advise you don’t take a bathroom break during.

The winner of this fight will likely get a top contender in their next fight and will inch ever closer to a title shot.

14. Martin Kampmann vs. Rick Story: UFC 139

Both of these fighters were near the top of the welterweight division at some point earlier this year, but both have since suffered losses that leave them far away from title contention.

Kampmann has one of the more well rounded games in MMA, but has shown a tendency to fight where his opponent feels most comfortable, which has hurt him in the past.

Story has some solid wrestling and power in his hands, which makes him a tough fight for anyone at 170.

The winner of this one will likely find themselves back in the top 10, while the loser is in danger of being cut with another loss.

13. Brad Pickett vs. Renan Barao: UFC 138

UFC 138 is almost being forgotten by fight fans due to all of the big events in the next few months, but the co-headliner between Brad Pickett and Renan Barao has the potential to be one of the best fights of the year.

Pickett really started to make a name for himself with wins over Ivan Menjivar and Demetrious Johnson in the WEC and was looking to keep his momentum going against Miguel Torres at UFC 130.

Sadly, Pickett was injured and had to pull out of the fight.

Now he is set to fight Ranan Barao, who is known as Jose Aldo’s training partner and is one of the top prospects at 135 lbs. 

12. Mark Hominick vs. Chan Sung Jung: UFC 140

Fresh off of his loss to Jose Aldo at UFC 129, Hominick is looking to get himself back into the title hunt at UFC 140.

His opponent is one of the most popular fighters in the division, Chan Sung Jung, AKA The Korean Zombie, who just avenged a loss to Leonard Garcia earlier this year.

These two will go at it from the start and both have shown that they have the ability to stay in the pocket and trade big shots, making this a favorite for fight of the night on a stacked fight card.

11. Hatsu Hioki vs. George Roop: UFC 137

The UFC debut of one of the best featherweight fighters on the planet is just around the corner, as Hatsu Hioki will step into the Octagon at UFC 137.

Hioki is widely believed to be the number two or three 145 lb fighters in the world and George Roop is more or less supposed to be a showcase of his talents.

However, Roop has been in this position before as he has taken out highly touted fighters Chan Sung Jung and Josh Grispi in two of his last three fights.

10. Rory MacDonald vs. Brian Ebersole: UFC 140

This is a pivotal fight in the welterweight division, as the winner will work their way into the top ten and the loser will be miles away from a title shot.

MacDonald is the top prospect in the sport at the moment, and welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has even said that he thinks MacDonald will be better than him someday.

But Ebersole is a true veteran of the sport and has made the most of his time in the UFC so far, and this fight means far more for his career than it does for MacDonald’s.

9. Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le: UFC 139

Every fan of Wanderlei Silva used to love the days when he would go out and turn a fight into a brawl within minutes.

Now those same fans are worried for Wandy’s health every time he gets touched on the chin.

Regardless of your feelings towards Wanderlei’s safety, this will be a fun fight to watch, as Le throws some crazy kicks during all of his fights and Wanderlei still has that killed or be killed style.

8. Chris Leben vs. Mark Munoz: UFC 138

The winner of this fight could easily earn themselves a shot at the middleweight title.

Leben has the ability to knock out anyone in the world if he connects and is not afraid to get hit in order to do so, while Munoz has some of the best ground and pound in the sport at his disposal.

Both Leben and Munoz have been impressive as of late and in a division with few contenders, it seems likely that one of them will be awarded (or punished) with a shot at Anderson Silva or Chael Sonnen.

7. Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: UFC 140

This is a rematch from back at UFC 92, where Mir scored a shocking upset TKO over Nogueira, who had never been knocked out previously.

But Nogueira has often stated that he was recovering from a serious case of staph infection and was nowhere near 100 percent during the bout and has been asking for a second chance at Mir since almost the second the last fight ended.

These two both have some serious jiu-jitsu skills and decent striking, which makes this a fun fight for the fans.

6. Michael Bisping vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller: The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale

The tension between these two fighters seems to be growing by the week as we watch them get more and more annoyed with each other on The Ultimate Fighter.

Bisping will clearly have the advantage on the feet, but Miller is absolutely deadly on the mat, with very good wrestling and jiu-jitsu, making this a fight that comes down to takedown defense.

This is a pivotal fight in the middleweight division and the winner will likely be a win away from a shot at the title.

5. Clay Guida vs. Ben Henderson: UFC on FOX

This fight can be described in one word: intense.

These two go all out every time they step inside the Octagon, and both have the conditioning to go full speed for five rounds, let alone three.

This fight has fight of the year written all over it, and I would be shocked if the UFC didn’t find a way to show the fight on TV when they make their FOX debut next month.

4. Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles: UFC 139

After their classic fight at UFC 132, fans are already anticipating a third fight between Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber.

There’s only one man standing in the way of Faber getting another shot at Cruz and the bantamweight belt, and that’s Brian Bowles.

This is an awesome fight between two of the best 135 lb fighters in the world, and the fact that the winner gets a title shot makes it even more interesting.

3. Dan Henderson vs. Shogun Rua: UFC 139

Dan Henderson has won a title in both Pride and Strikeforce, but UFC gold has eluded him thus far in his career.

The road to a title shot starts here, and it isn’t going to be an easy return to the Octagon when he squares off against Shogun Rua.

This fight has the potential to end quickly or be a long drawn out war, since both fighters have serious power and throw it with every shot, but neither has really shown that they are susceptible to being finished either. 

2. BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz: UFC 137

It may not be the main event we signed up for, but BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz was probably the most anticipated fight on the UFC 137 fight card anyway.

This fight is a fan's dream, as both have the boxing to make it an entertaining stand-up war, and if it goes to the ground both are legit BJJ black belts who constantly go for submissions.

1. Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem: UFC 141

The second Dana White announced that the UFC had purchased Strikeforce, fans started coming up with their favorite fantasy fights and this was usually near the top of the list.

One of the more interesting clashes of styles that we have seen in some time, this fight will depend on Lesnar’s ability to get Overeem to the mat.

If he does, it will likely result in a win for the former champion, but if he can’t then he’s in for a long night at the hands (and feet) of Overeem.