12 Reasons 2012 Will Be MMA's Biggest Year Yet

As 2011 enters its final days, fans are already looking ahead to what next year will bring them.

Like a child ripping the paper through early Christmas presents, we are caught peeking into the future when there's still time left before the calender switches over.

2011 brought us a lot of great moments, but 2012 promises to be the best year in MMA.

And if the world is going to end, 2012 better be a good year.

12. UFC Undisputed 3

The next video game in the "Undisputed" series looks like it could (and should) be the best game of them all.

Fans were left feeling cheated by the last "Undisputed" game as it felt rushed and incomplete. THQ and fans knew there was no reason to create a new game every year, so THQ decided to hold off on making a new UFC game.

The wait looks to be worth it as the newer divisions will now be available along with new game modes (Pride mode!!!).

Other than big sales, ask any game developer what they would like more of and most of them are likely to say "time." The extra time spent developing "Undisputed 3" means fans can really enjoy the UFC even when a PPV or show isn't on.

11. One of Two Things Will Happen for Jon Jones

Jon Jones is quite the polarizing figure in the UFC. He either elicits a strong positive or a strong negative response from fans.

With the injury to GSP, the UFC will likely make a huge push for Jones in order to make him a marketable PPV draw, which means one of two things will happen in 2012.

Either Jones will continue his reign of terror and leave the 205-pound division in his wake or he will lose for the first time in the Octagon.

Whichever happens in 2012, it is sure to give fans a repeat of the greatest year in MMA or fans will finally see their hated villain fall.

Both are cause for a celebration.

10. Bellator Moves to Friday

In a bold move by the smaller company, Bellator is taking its cage to Friday nights.

Friday nights aren't the typical prime time hours for TV shows, but it could help the young promotion create a niche of its own instead of directly competing with the UFC.

Bellator would never win a head-to-head battle with the UFC, so it's good they're taking their talents elsewhere.

They may not get as many viewers as they do on a Saturday night, but how nice would it be for fans to have a Friday-Saturday lineup of fights on some weekends?

9. More Stars Will Be Made

With Georges St-Pierre sitting on the sidelines for most, if not all of 2012, the UFC will need some other fighters to step up to draw PPVs.

This means the UFC hype machine will be in full gear behind a number of guys, which in turn will create a plethora of stars for the UFC to sell their monthly shows.

Instead of depending on just GSP to do major buys, the UFC can now have a stalwart of guys who can continuously sell PPVs.

It will also help establish the fighters to the casual fans as more and more tune in each time a UFC show is on FX or Fox. The UFC could always use more stars and 2012 looks to create a handful of them.

8. Brittney Palmer + Playboy = Greatness

Do I really need to say why this is great?

Okay, moving past my male hormonal instincts, the pictorial spread has a lot of potential to help the sport grow (mind out of gutter please).

If any of you have followed WWE, some of their biggest divas have posed for Playboy and it has skyrocketed not only their careers, but the organization as well.

However unlikely it sounds, Palmer could replace Arianny Celeste as "top woman" when it comes to the media as she has a lot more than just pretty looks for the UFC to sell to media outlets.

7. UFC Returns to Japan

The UFC will finally return to Japan when UFC 144 rolls into the land of the rising sun.

It's no secret that the Japanese MMA scene is dying and perhaps a visit from the UFC is just what it needs to get itself back on its feet.

Regardless of whether or not the show is more ceremonial than meaningful, the main event between Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson is likely to provide nothing short of fireworks in every round.

It may even give some of the faltering Japanese fighters a fresh start to their UFC careers if they can win in front of their countrymen.

6. Women's MMA

The women's division in Strikeforce has received a lot of attention lately due to Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate having their back and forth discussions through the media.

Besides providing some interesting conversations, the banter has moved the spotlight from the males to the women for a little bit.

In a struggling division, a little spotlight is just what women's MMA needs. A bout between Rousey and Tate would not only provide good pre-fight talk, but it could be one of the biggest draws in women's MMA since Gina Carano.

If Strikeforce and Bellator—or even the UFC—chooses to experiment with a women's division, getting them air time would provide fans with some fresh faces and exciting matches.

5. The UFC Returns to Chicago

Maybe it's a little bit of a biased opinion, but the UFC's return to Chicago should be a great event to help kick off the new year.

We could see three title challengers emerge from the main card fights, as both the Evans-Davis and Sonnen-Munoz fights have been tabbed as title eliminator bouts.

Should Michael Bisping get past Demian Maia, it will be hard for anyone to discredit the Brit's legitimacy for warranting a title shot.

Chicago fans can be some of the most enthusiastic in all of sports. If you don't believe me, just look at how fanatical the fans can be when their teams have down years.

And if the city can rally behind a team that hasn't won "the big one" in over 100 years, I think they can get behind a sport like MMA and the UFC.

4. The Heavyweight Division Is Finally Coming Around

For years, the UFC heavyweight division was considered both weak and shallow in depth.

Those days are no more as the division is littered with proven veterans, future stars and rising prospects galore.

New champion Junior dos Santos has looked unbeatable so far in his career, but that's exactly what we were saying about former champs Cain Velasquez and Brock Lesnar before they were dethroned.

The division that captivated audiences for decades in boxing finally has the chance to do the same for MMA fans as the lineup of potential matchups in 2012 is mouthwatering to say the least.

And that's not even counting the heavyweights from Strikeforce beginning to merge over.

3. Flyweights

The introduction of the Flyweight division will give fans another lighter weight class to find enjoyment in.

If fans thought the featherweights and bantamweights were fast, wait for the flyweight division to grace your TV screens.

Guys like Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez are examples of guys who were considered "small" for 135 pounds and will now get their chance to fight at a weight class that suits them.

The UFC will have a little trouble at first with finding a quality stable of contestants at 125 pounds, but since there is now a future in fighting at that weight class, look for it to grow exponentially next year.

2. Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva II...And III?

Forgive me for passing judgement on the Chael Sonnen-Mark Munoz bout, as I believe Sonnen won't have any difficulty putting away Munoz en route to another title shot.

When Sonnen challenges Anderson Silva for the middleweight title again, it could very well break the one million PPV buys and become the highest grossing PPV for the UFC on that fight alone.

But let's say that Sonnen is actually able to defeat Silva in the rematch.

That could set up the UFC for its biggest trilogy bout in the history of the organization. It could be one of those rivalries that comes to define the sport like a Lakers-Celtics, Bears-Packers or Yankees-Red Sox rivalry.

1. UFC on Fox

What hasn't been said already about this monumental deal?

It's a win-win for both sides, as the UFC finally gets mainstream TV exposure and Fox Sports gets a new sport to advertise. When the UFC gets big, they can be the one saying they gambled and won.

Besides getting UFC events on a national TV scale, the new deal also features some changes in The Ultimate Fighter show. New changes like live weekly episodes instead of taped ones and fan voting for fights should reinvigorate any jaded fans of the show.

The potential for the growth of the sport, not only for the UFC, can't be put in words. When the UFC shows that MMA can go mainstream, look for everyone to begin saying they "train UFC" in 2012.