The opinions expressed in this article are the author's only, and do not necessarily reflect the stance of Bloody Elbow or its staff.

Catching up on 6-10:

10. Frank Mir vs. Brock Lesnar @ UFC 81
9. Caol Uno vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida @ Dream 3
8. Tim Sylvia vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira @ UFC 81
7. Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith @ EXC on CBS
6. Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le @ Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Le

Here are my top 5 fights of 2008 to date:

5. Jens Pulver vs. Urijah Faber @ WEC 34

Backed by exposure on UFC pay-per-views and one of the better marketing campaigns you'll see in MMA, Jens Pulver and Urijah Faber delivered in the WEC's first superight.  In a fight closer than the final 50-45 and 50-44 (twice) scores suggest, the difference proved to be Faber's improved standup complemented by his superior speed and explosiveness.  The California Kid almost ended the fight in round 2, temporary stunning Pulver with a right hook to the ear.  After a heaping of blows, Pulver recovered and returned the fight to the standing position.  In the end, though, Faber did just enough to win each round convincingly and took a unanimous decision.

4. Hideo Tokoro vs. Darren Uyenoyama @ Dream 4

Sometimes good things come when you least expect it.  What looked to be a solid filler fight during Dream's Middle Weight Grand Prix ended up being an exciting 15 minutes of non-stop action.  In one of the more impressive segments of the bout, Tokoro knocked down Uyenoyama with a knee, grabbed hold of a kimura, attempted a triangle, transitioned that to an omo plata, and then ended up with an armbar attempt out of the crucifix position.  Uyenoyama escaped and proceeded to land some vicious ground 'n' pound from the top and knees to the head of a turtled Tokoro.  In the end, Tokoro proved to be too much, including landing a rib-crushing knee to the body in the second frame, and took a unanimous decision.

3. Miguel Torres vs. Yoshiro Maeda @ WEC 34

In a fight that may end up being Miguel Torres' breakout performance, Yoshiro Maeda made a game attempt to play spoiler.  For two rounds, Maeda kept the fight close unwilling to let Torres' reach advantage come into play.  The challenger cut the champion early, partly a result of Torres fighting with too much emotion.  He settled down, however, and in round 3 executed a brilliant bit of strategy by pounding away at Maeda's swollen right eye with snapping jabs.  The eye continued to swell with each jab until it finally shut.  After the bell rang, the doctor stepped in and stopped the fight, giving Torres his first successful defense of the Bantamweight Title.

2. Eddie Alvarez vs. Joachim Hansen @ Dream 3

In front of the backdrop of the Dream Lightweight Grand Prix, Joachim Hansen and Eddie Alvarez put on a performance for the ages.  Alvarez dominated the standup, dropping Hellboy early on in the first minute and then later in the first round.  Using his superior wrestling, Alvarez was also able to control where the fight took place.  Hansen weathered the storm, though, and put his underrated jiu jitsu skills to good use.  In an unbelievable series of grappling, Joachim pulled off a helicopter armbar, transitioned into mount, then ended up capturing the Philadelphian in a modified armbar.  It wasn't enough though and Alvarez took a unanimous decision, establishing his place in the lightweight division and in the hearts of Japanese MMA fans.

1. Quinton Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin @ UFC 86

Unfortunately, the controversey surrounding the decision overshadowed (and may have added to the mystique) what ended up being one of the best title fights in UFC history.  The first round, in what may be one of the biggest scoring travesties in a UFC main event, was dominated by the champion, who made Griffin miss thoroughout the round.  Jackson countered with huge power shots, capped by dropping Griffin with an uppercut towards the end of the period. 

Griffin came out strong in the second round, hurting Jackson with a strong kick to Rampage's lead knee.  The champion attempted to take the fight to the ground, but Griffin grabbed hold of a guillotine and used that to end up on top in half-guard.  He passed to side control and then into mount, where he peppered Jackson with short elbows for the rest of the round.  While he didn't put the fight in a position to be stopped, Griffin earned a 10-8 round via his positional dominance and Quinton's lack of any offense.

The third round is a microcosm for the entire fight, and the way you score the round is telling to how you saw the fight as a whole.  Both fighters landed a similar amount of strikes, with Jackson landing the much more effective strikes to the head.  Griffin, however, pushed the pace and threw a high volume in his efforts.  The question is: Does Jackson's stronger punches and ability to dodge Forrest's strikes outweigh the challengers overwhelming volume?

Jackson returned to form in the fourth.  His knee seemed to come back to him, and he was able to unload in close on Griffin.  In vintage Rampage fashion, Griffin caught Jackson in a triangle, who proceeded to pick up his adversary and slam him bringing back memories of Ricardo Arona.  It seemed if Jackson could continue this momentum in to round 5, he had the fight won. 

Whether it was fatigue or the effects of his injured knee, Griffin took a close final round from a passive Jackson.  The round was almost a mirror image of round 3, with the difference being Griffin's overwhelming amount of strikes landed outpointing the champion's power shots.

The decision went to the original Ultimate Fighter winner, who graciously complimented his opponent and offered an immediate rematch.  However, the result came with controversey.  While arguments can be made that Griffin deserved the victory regardless, a look at the judges' scorecards came with some head scratching.  Two of the judges somehow gave Griffin the first stanza, a round in which Jackson dropped him and landed the more effective striking. 

All told, considering the stakes, the back-and-forth drama, the hype of the reality show, the controversey of the decision, and the story of reality show star to 205 champ, Griffin/Jackson is my early frontrunner for fight of the year.