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WALKER: Ten top dream fights we'll (probably) never see in the UFC
Mar 12, 2012 - 9:00:49 PM WALKER: Ten top dream fights we'll (probably) never see in the UFC

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By: Brad Walker, MMATorch Contributor

I've spent a lot of my free time playing UFC Undisputed 3, and in the process realized that not only are we missing a lot of good fighters who should be in the game, but what if we could make dream matchups in real life to see how they go down? I have come up with my final list of 10 dream fights I know I would personally love to see, and in all likelihood never will. I'm going to also attempt to pick the likely winner of these fights, and how they would win - and I will probably be wrong, and fully expect to hear about it on twitter.

Fight #10: Dan Henderson vs. Randy Couture

In some ways, you could probably call this the battle of the elders, or if you're into grappling you could call it a wrestling clinic. As long as Hendo doesn't land that big right hand, we would probably see a war on the ground of epic proportions. Couture's lack of knockout power combined with Dan's ability to not get knocked out means one thing: takedowns. They would be frequent, and the transitions on the ground would probably number well above any other matchup we've ever seen. It would probably look like an Olympic wrestling match where the guys got angry and started throwing punches, which would also be highly entertaining.

It could be a three round snooze fest, but depending on whose got the better strength on the ground, it could also turn into a blood bath. Henderson has out wrestled almost every fighter he has faced, and so has Couture - the main difference is Henderson still does it. Randy may be retired, but we could do the whole time machine thing, and make them both 42 years old just to even the scales of time; after all, we don't want them getting sent to an age doctor. Couture would know he needs to not stand in front of Dan, and Dan would know Randy didn't want to, so the sprawl would become a very important part of this fight. In the end, I know who I think would win, because well, his prime is upon us.

Brad's Predicted Winner: Dan Henderson via second round TKO

Fight #9: Shinya Aoki vs. Georges St. Pierre

Yes, I know they are in two different weight classes, but who is to say that I can't dream a little dream of GSP getting his arm ripped off by Aoki? Okay, so maybe that wouldn't happen, but these two and their ground games would match up impressively on paper, and look even better in the cage. I highly doubt we'd see a single strike thrown by Aoki, and perhaps a few strikes by GSP to set up a takedown. They are both well versed in submission and extremely talented all around grapplers – however GSP will obviously be the bigger man in the cage. I would also request that it take place in a neutral country, just for giggles let's say this fight will take place in Vegas.

The odds would tell us right out of the gate who everyone is going to pick to win, and that's going to be Georges. However Aoki is often under estimated because of his small size, and his lack of striking ability, but hey – David took out Goliath. Georges would work his wrestling game to the fullest extent avoiding Aoki's submissions, and we would likely see an absolute clinic on sweeps. This fight would be best contested as a five rounder, since both fighters have gas tanks that seem to have no limits. Who would win – how would the victor manage to get his hand raised?

Brad's Predicted Winner: Georges St. Pierre via unanimous decision

Fight #8: Nate Diaz vs. B.J. Penn

What better way to continue the legacy of Penn vs. Diaz then to have him get in the cage with the younger brother, who isn't at least temporarily retired? They can both box, and they have both mastered jiu-jitsu so let's throw them in the imaginary cage and see how it plays out. Penn would look to work his jab but with Diaz having a reach advantage he's going to need to find a way to close the distance. Diaz would do exactly what he did to Cerrone – get in his head and punch him in the face with incredible accuracy. I think eventually we would see B.J. Penn go for the takedown, but with Diaz's quick submission skills I don't know if that's the best idea.

If B.J. could get inside of Diaz's reach, he would be able to do a considerable amount of damage, and perhaps get the upper hand. Diaz however is fantastic at moving away from his opponent, except for apparently Donald Cerrone's head kicks. He can be dropped, we know that much, but he's never been stopped by strikes, and only once even by submission. Penn on the other hand has been stopped by strikes twice, but never by submission. We know this becomes a battle to finish, neither one of these guys likes the judges, and they want to see blood flowing from their opponent.

Brad's Predicted Winner: Nate Diaz via TKO late in round three

Fight #7: Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir III

Yes, I know we've seen it twice, but a rubber match would certainly be a great way to cap off their legacy. Mir took home the first win with an incredibly times knee bar, and Lesnar punched his way to victory knocking out Mir in their second match. Lesnar took a huge opening in the start of each fight putting Frank on his back and pummeling him with his giant lunchbox hands, however his lack of knowledge about BJJ lead to the knee bar submission. A third fight could yield a totally un suspected result, now that Brock's chin has been put into question Mir may try to stand and bang with him, it might not work, but he likes to try anyway. On the other hand, we could see Brock utilize his new ability to choke and try to squeeze the life out of Mir on the ground.

It can go a lot of ways when two large, well rounded and powerful heavyweights go toe to toe inside of the cage, and it can be really difficult to think out all of the scenarios that may take place. One thing I do know is that Mir is the better technical striker, while Brock is by far the better wrestler. On the other side of things, Mir is the far superior BJJ practitioner while Brock is seemingly infinitely stronger than Mir. It's hard to pick a winner with all of the factors in place, and how the first fight ended so freakishly and out of the blue, but things tend to not repeat themselves in such a manner. In the end it would come down to more of a question of Brock's health and drive than anything.

Brad's Predicted Winner: Brock Lesnar via TKO in round two

Fight #6: Chuck Liddell vs. Rich Franklin Part 2

First, let me say this; if Franklin hadn't landed that sudden and perfectly placed right hand to Chuck, he would probably still be fighting. I tuned into that fight with the hopes of seeing the Iceman rise again, however my hopes were squashed by Rich Franklin's incredible one punch knockout. It was sudden, it was powerful, and Chuck's lights were turned off for the final time. Chuck did clearly have Rich in a couple bad spots in that fight, and even broke his arm with a kick – however Rich has taken much worse beatings in the cage than that. I truly am glad that Chuck retired when he did, because none of us want to see a legend suffering from having not retired when the time was right.

However, I make this statement; Chuck would win a rematch. He was in better shape going into that fight than he had been in years, and his striking looked crisp. Rich was looking to get his name back on the boards as well, and they both desperately wanted the win. I had a hard time predicting a winner initially and finally came to rest on Chuck by TKO in round two, but Franklin really put me through the ringer with that one. Chuck's chin is gone, he went from Iceman to Glass Jaw, and because of that and that alone he fell from grace, Franklin however continues to make his mark on the game.

Brad's Predicted Winner: Chuck Liddell via TKO in Round 1

Fight #5: Cung Le vs. Mirko Cro Cop

This is another one where we have totally different weight classes, but I remind you all; I am a dreamer! This fight would not be on the mat for a fraction of a second as these two would throw everything including the kitchen sink at each other. We would see strikes numbering near the two hundreds from each fighter if it went to the judges and some of the flashiest strikes ever in a cage. It could be contested under K-1 rules since there is certainly not going to be a takedown, but let's stay with MMA for now. Cro Cop will have a size advantage, but with Cung Le not needing to cut, probably not by much.

Mirko would look to work his violent kicks, and stay on the outside with his reach. Cung on the other hand would be spinning, twisting, and swinging everything he has – and not stop until Cro Cop drops. It's something we would never and will never see, but just imagine the fight these two would be capable of having. If Cung connects with one of his vicious kicks, Mirko would be out before he hit the ground, and the same goes for Cro Cops kicks landing on Cung. These are perhaps the two most violent leg strikers on the planet, and if they went head to head we'd all be in for one hell of an entertaining fight. Just for good measure we're going to say that this should take place under Pride rules.

Brad's Predicted Winner: Cung Le Via KO (Head Stomp) In round two

Fight #4: Ronaldo Souza vs. B.J. Penn

There are so many things about this fight that appeal to me when I think about it, the jiu-jitsu, the striking and the need for both to finish the fight. With the likeliness of how this fight will be a perfect mixture of a grappling war, attempted submissions, and powerful striking – the judges need to be left out of the equation. With these two fighters, a finish is likely, but who gets the finish first, and how do they manage it? Both have high level jiu-jitsu and their striking is certainly not shabby by any means. Also, just for the sake of equality let's say they could meet at a 175 pound catch weight.

There would be fireworks from the get go, Penn likely working a nice jab and Souza looking for that huge left hand he shows off so frequently. I would bet that Souza goes for the takedown first, likely to get stuffed on his first try, and perhaps taken down by Penn. The natural size advantage would be in Souza's favor, but Penn will have the speed and stamina going for him. The result all depends on the length of the fight, if we reach the third round, Penn will have a distinct advantage because his gas tank is absolutely fantastic. There would be a few things that are certain; it would end with a submission, there would be blood, and both men would be receiving a fight of the night bonus.

Brad's Predicted Winner: Ronaldo Souza via submission in round three

Fight #3: Fedor Emilianenko vs. Randy Couture

Who hasn't spent time wanting to see this fight take place? The thought of Fedor vs. Couture actually caused Randy to exit the UFC because of their inability to sign Emilianenko to a contract. Sadly, even with Couture leaving to pursue the fight, it never managed to take place. Obviously a large factor in this fight being unable to take place was M-1 Global asking for absurd amounts of money when they shopped Fedor to UFC, and securing the fact that they would never co-promote. How about over in Bizarro land, where Dana White and Fedor have a couple of drinks and become best friends?

This fight would unquestionably be two of the best heavyweights in their prime facing off in an epic clash of titans to determine who's the best was. Fedor holds a superior striking game over Couture, as well as submission skills beyond that of 'The Natural.' Randy has the better wrestling game, and as for conditioning, well Randy looks to be in better shape, Fedor looks roundish. The management of a proper game plan and the ability to execute become key in all aspects, as well as Fedor withholding his need to swing wildly, as that would result in him on his back with Couture working ground and pound. It never happened, but we all know that if it did, we would definitively know who the best heavyweight was in their prime, and be able to watch this epic fight take place outside of EA Sports MMA.

Brad's Predicted Winner: Fedor Emilianenko via KO in round one

Fight #2: Anderson Silva vs. Jon jones

This super-fight is about as likely to happen as the once-planned bout between Dana White and Tito Ortiz. As much as all of us as fans would pay our hard earned money to see Silva and Jones battle to prove who the best pound for pound fighter in the world could be, we won't be given the opportunity. Jones has said he wants Silva to be a mentor, and Silva has said he has no interest in fighting Jones, and there's nothing we can do about it. I have simulated this fight countless times in UFC Undisputed 3, and each time the result is wildly different, but one thing remains constant – there is always a finish. So I guess technically we can see it happen in a video game, just not two flesh and blood humans battling it out.

Jones obviously would have a huge reach, height and age advantage – but Silva would have the experience on his side. They are both excellent and flashy strikers, and they can certainly manage a fight wherever it goes. The submission advantage probably goes to Anderson Silva, but Jon Jones is no slouch – just ask Silva's teammate Lyoto Machida. Trying to predict this fight is probably the hardest of the bunch, because both fighters are so talented and very good at adapting to their opponent. In the end, it's sad that we will never see this fight actually take place, but just imagine how great it would be if we did.

Brad's Predicted Winner: Jon Jones via decision

Fight #1: Nate Diaz vs. Nick Diaz

I know not many people expected this fight to show up on this list, much less at the top, but with the revelations contained within the movie Warrior, I think we'd all love to see the Diaz brothers face off. They're both grinders, who can strike as well as submit, and they both possess an incredible amount of stamina. Nick has fought at lightweight before, so we will give everyone equal opportunity and make it a 160 pound catch weight bout. We all know why this fight won't happen, but just imagine the hype leading into it if it ever did. Nick is very quiet, and Nate is quite vocal – they are polar opposites outside of the cage, however their fighting styles are very similar.
There wouldn't be a lot of hardcore trash talk, but we would certainly hear each one stating their case for being the superior Diaz. Nick would point out that he's older, while Nate points out that his reach is going to be a problem. I would heavily bet on a stand up war between these two, but with them both being so well versed in submission it's not too far-fetched to imagine it going to the mat. All in all I can't say that I'm sad we won't see this fight because sibling rivalries are bad enough without mixed martial arts involved, so to add that to the mix makes for a bloodbath. Few things are certain, but one of them is that we would see one of the greatest technical fights of all time if this took place.

Brad's Predicted Winner: Nick Diaz via decision

Let me know what you all think, and what fights you would like to see – that we may or may not ever get the chance to. Follow me on Twitter @BradMMATorch