Nine Rematches that Need to Happen in 2010

In the world of MMA, not much inspires the excitement and anticipation of fans like a rematch whose time has come.  Wanderlei Silva vs. Rampage Jackson II, Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg II, and more recently Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir II and BJ Penn vs. Georges St. Pierre II are all fights that generated a tremendous amount of chatter and speculation among fans.

As we look forward to the fight cards that will finish 2009 then, and look ahead to 2010, here (in no particular order) are nine rematches that need to happen sometime in the next year.

Anderson Silva-Dan Henderson II:  This one sells itself.  Henderson is arguably the only man to steal a round from Anderson Silva in the UFC, and many feel his style and skillset are the most suited to dethrone Silva from his perch atop the UFC 185-pound weight class.  With Anderson having all but cleaned out the division, and Nate Marquardt and Dan Henderson standing as clearcut 1-2 contenders or equal #1 contender, as well as Henderson's recent statement that the only fight he wanted at 185 was a rematch with Silva for the belt, this fight needs to happen.  Anderson recently announced he was done through 2009 but this is a title fight rematch that should occur in early 2010.

Josh Thomson-Gilbert Melendez II: Melendez, once considered at 13-0 to be a top-5 lightweight in the world, lost some of his luster with a decision loss to Mitsuhiro Ishida in the 2007 Yarennoka! event and then a second loss two fights later to current Strikeforce 155-pound champ Josh "the Punk" Thomson.  Thomson outfought Melendez in every way imaginable en route to a 5-round decision victory at the June Strikeforce card.  Gilbert recently avenged his first career loss with a dominant 3-round TKO stoppage of Ishida stateside on Strikeforce's August card - a fight that was originally scheduled to be a Melendez-Thomson rematch for the title.  With this rematch now twice scheduled and scrapped, and Melendez having avenged his first loss with authority, the time is right for these two - champion and interim champion - to meet again in the cage and deliver another blockbuster.

Forrest Griffin-Rampage Jackson II: Quinton "Rampage" Jackson seems to always have exciting fights; and his UFC 86 five-round war with Forrest Griffin was no exception.  Voted 30th most exciting UFC fight of all time by the fans, this 25-minute battle for the light heavyweight title was as close as a fight can possibly be, with arguments burning to this day as to who rightfully won the fight; even a drawn fight, that rarest of results, seems to be something many fans could accept.  Quinton is coming off of two big wins - over Keith Jardine and Wanderlei Silva - while Forrest got waxed by Anderson Silva at UFC 101, so this one still has to simmer for a bit - but there will come a time in 2010 for this rematch.

Vitor Belfort-Wanderlei Silva II: This is one for the fans if not the purists.  Usually when one guy steamrolls another, a rematch is not indicated; and steamroll is a good way to describe Belfort's pasting of Wanderlei Silva at UFC's "Ultimate Brazil" in 1998.  Belfort overwhelmed Silva with his lightning-fast hand speed, chasing him from one fence to the other in a flurry of strikes that ended the fight in 44 seconds.  But that was a decade ago - geological time by MMA standards - and with Wanderlei having uneven results as of late, depending upon what kind of splash Vitor makes in the UFC I could see Zuffa setting up this rematch, possibly overseas where they love to feature "stand-and-bang" main or co-main events.

Matt Hughes-Dennis Hallman III: Where the last one was for the fans, this one is all for Matt Hughes.  Sometimes a rematch is indicated due to a close decision; sometimes due to a great fight; sometimes due to an early stoppage.  Sometimes a rematch is earned by the loser's subsequent performances, e.g. Jackson-Silva III or Liddell-Horn II.  This rematch, when it happens, will join those.  Hughes is clearly past his prime now, but is still one of the 2 greatest welterweights in the history of the UFC and, at 43-7, has only lost to three fighters that he hasn't beaten:  Jose Pele Landi, Thiago Alves (when already past his prime)...and Dennis Hallman, twice.  With Hallman recently re-signing to the UFC, I can see the rematch writing on the wall, with the Zuffa hype machine kicking in: "the only man to ever defeat Hughes twice without suffering a loss...."  This is a win-win for Zuffa and Hughes, as Zuffa will get the last bit of PPV-buy mileage out of Hughes due to their hype machine, and Hughes will get a chance to at least somewhat avenge his previous losses to Hallman.

Mirko Cro Cop-Gabriel Gonzaga II: With the "musical chairs" drama following Mirko's UFC 99 win resolved, Cro Cop can get back to the business of trying to make a name for himself in the UFC.  On the immediate horizon he will face off with fellow striker Junior Dos Santos at UFC 103; but into 2010, a Gonzaga-Cro Cop rematch will not only be a fantastic fight to watch, and a big draw, but will make sense in the overall heavyweight landscape.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira-Frank Mir II: Mir famously became the only man ever to stop Big Nog, doing so in devastating fashion at UFC 92 in December.  Nogueira has since stated that he was suffering from a variety of ailments including staph and a torn knee ligament.  With Mir running his mouth in patented Mir style since that fight, and Nogueira's PRIDE-flashback performance against Randy Couture at UFC 102, Nog's competitive fire has been stoked and he has publicly called for a rematch with Mir.  There are issues to sort out first - a possible Mir fight with Cheick Kongo, a potential title fight for Nogueira - but this train is on the tracks and it seems inevitable that these two will meet again sometime next year.

Nick Diaz-Robbie Lawler II: One of the fans' 100 favorite UFC fights of all time (criminally ranked 99th - I would have had it a lot higher than that), this 2004 blockbuster featured one of the most unexpected results ever - Diaz standing toe to toe with Lawler, talking trash and employing his patented "Diaz hand wave", and finally catching Lawler on the button for a KO in round 2.  With Diaz's training partner Jake Shields recently snapping Lawler's 6-fight unbeaten streak, and with Diaz bouncing up to 185 to fight there, Strikeforce would be smart to reignite this old rivalry inside a new cage and let the fans enjoy watching the evolved skillsets of both these fighters clash once again.

Kenny Florian-Diego Sanchez II: A good old-fashioned grudge match. Sanchez famously wrecked an overmatched and outsized Kenny Florian in the Ultimate Fighter I Finale (where both competed at 185 pounds), forcing the referee to rescue Kenny less than 3 minutes into the fight.  Both fighters are night-and-day improved now, well over four years on, and after taking different paths both have landed in the same weight class. In Diego's immediate future is a title shot against 155 king BJ Penn; but at some point in 2010, either as a title fight should Diego steal the strap, or as a contender fight, these two are bound to meet again in the center of the Octagon and produce what will likely stand as an all-time classic.