The Top 5 Most Anticipated Fights Of August 2011: Featuring Silva/Okami, Evans/Ortiz, And More

A new month is now upon us, which means all-new fights and much-anticipated epic encounters. Near the start of every month I’ll be counting down the five fights I’m looking forward to the most, and why I’m looking forward to them. This is “Top 5 Most Anticipated Fights of August 2011”. Let’s get started.

5. Mauricio Rua vs. Forrest Griffin at UFC 134

If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you’d know that I’m not too high on Mauricio Rua. I think he’s still a good fighter, great at times, but the over-zealousness of his fans really irks me. That said, at UFC 134 “Shogun” gets a chance to redeem himself against the man that derailed his UFC debut. Both men are very different fighters compared to when they first met, so this rematch makes a lot of sense and it should be pretty entertaining.

4. Jim Miller vs. Benson Henderson at “UFC on Versus 5”

In my opinion, the winner of this fight deserves the next shot at the UFC Lightweight Championship, period. Have a fight like Clay Guida vs. Melvin Guillard to determine who gets the next title shot after whoever wins this fight. Jim Miller has been running through people left and right while Ben Henderson is one of the most exciting, well-rounded fighters in the division. This one should be an instant classic.

3. Dan Hardy vs. Chris Lytle at “UFC on Versus 5”

This fight also has the potential to be a classic. If everything falls into place and this fight turns into the brawling war of attrition we all hope it will be, then this could very well be one of the best fights of the rest of the year. Chris Lytle is my original “dark horse favorite”, and I really hope he beats Hardy. But I know that Hardy is very tough and can be quite dominant when the fight is fought in his element. Realistically, this fight should be on a Pay-Per-View. I’m pretty glad I’m getting it for free.

2. Tito Ortiz vs. Rashad Evans at UFC 133

Can Tito Ortiz do the impossible… twice? Can he go from “one more loss and you’re retired” to “beat Evans and you become the #1 contender”? Even if the rumors of Ortiz getting a title shot if he beats Rashad turn out to be just that, if Ortiz does beat Evans he’ll honestly have made one of the most dramatic turnarounds in the history of Mixed Martial Arts. And if he can’t, Rashad Evans re-asserts himself and stays the #1 contender, waiting for his grudge match against Jon Jones. There’s a whole lot riding on the line for this fight, and I definitely don’t want to miss it.

And my number-one most-anticipated fight of August 2011 is…

1. Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami at UFC 134

I’ll be bluntly honest: Yushin Okami does not factor into the equation that led me to put this fight at the top of my list. I’ve simply never found him all that entertaining. But I suppose he has finally earned himself a title shot. But what I’m really looking forward to in this fight is simple: it’s a chance to see Anderson Silva fight again. It’s a chance to see one of my favorite fighters, one of the most dominant fighters of all time, step into the cage once again. It doesn’t matter who it’s against, whenever Anderson Silva fights it’ll always chart high on this list.