5) Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami (UFC 134 - Aug. 27 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
This will be the fight that tells us whether or not Silva's UFC 117 fight with Chael Sonnen was a fluke due to his rib injury or if Silva is indeed "slowing down," like has been speculated about recently. After five years in the organization, making his debut at UFC 62, Okami is finally getting his title shot. He beat Nate Marquardt in November to earn it and now he gets Silva, who knocked out Vitor Belfort with a front kick in February. A lot of people are sleeping on this fight. Okami has a real chance here if he can get Silva to the mat. This might not be the most crowd-pleasing fight, but it certainly will be interesting.
4) Donald Cerrone vs. Charles Oliveira (UFC on Versus 5 - Aug. 14 - Milwaukee, Wisc.)
The funny part of this fight is that it took two injuries for it to happen. Now, the fans have a fight that should be one of the most exciting ones of the month. Cerrone and Oliveira both employ exciting grappling styles and this should be one of the most exciting fights of the month. Cerrone is coming off a dominant decision win over Vagner Rocha at UFC 131 while Oliveira's last fight was a no contest with Nik Lentz at UFC on Versus 4.
3) Pat Curran vs. Marlon Sandro (Bellator 48 - Aug. 20 - Uncasville, Conn.)
This is another Bellator tournament final that should deliver. The tournament was obviously set up so these two could meet in the final and both took care of business and this fight should be a good one. Curran already has won a Bellator tournament (winning a lightweight tournament), so he has the experience in the Bellator format. Sandro is a former Sengoku world champion and one of the top featherweights in the world. This is a huge fight for both men and should deliver.
2) Jim Miller vs. Ben Henderson (UFC on Versus 5 - Aug. 14 - Milwaukee, Wisc.)
What a scrap this should be. Miller has proven to be one of the top lightweights in the sport, racking up a 20-2 record, with the only losses coming to Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, and has won seven straight fights, including an impressive TKO stoppage of Kamal Shalorus at UFC 128 in March. Henderson, a former WEC champion, is no slouch in his own right, winning 11-of-12 fights. This should be up-and-down and an extremely technical and skilled fight.
1) Mauricio Rua vs. Forrest Griffin (UFC 134 - Aug. 27 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Will this be the biggest barnburner of the month? No, probably not. It won't be as fast as Miller/Henderson, but for my money, this is the top fight of the month. These two met in an epic fight at UFC 76 that saw Griffin shock the world by submitting "Shogun" with a rear-naked choke late in the third round. Since that fight, both have held the UFC light-heavyweight championship and fans have been eagerly awaiting a rematch. Now's that time and the winner here could be putting themselves in excellent position for another shot at the championship.
Agree? Disagree? This is just one man's list, so let us know in the comments what yours is and don't forget to vote in the poll below for your favorite fight of the month.
Poll Which August fight are you most looking forward to?
- Rashad Evans vs. Tito Ortiz (UFC 133)
- Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama (UFC 133)
- Chad Mendes vs. Rani Yahya (UFC 133)
- Dan Hardy vs. Chris Lytle (UFC on Versus 5)
- Jim Miller vs. Ben Henderson (UFC on Versus 5)
- Donald Cerrone vs. Charles Oliveira (UFC on Versus 5)
- Pat Curran vs. Marlon Sandro (Bellator 48)
- Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami (UFC 134)
- Forrest Griffin vs. Mauricio Rua (UFC 134)
- Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Brendan Schaub (UFC 134)