It depends on what criteria one uses to define "best" (I lean towards some admixture of relevancy, skills used and displayed, grit required to persevere, the amount of action and competitiveness), but Josh Gross lines up the contenders:
In no particular order:
• Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers (Strikeforce, Nov. 7 on CBS) -- Whenever Fedor fights, it's an event. His first effort in a cage makes this one in particular unique. If Rogers can muster any kind of effort, this could be a bout remembered for quite some time.
• Jake Shields vs. Jason Miller (Strikeforce, Nov. 7 on CBS) -- Battling for the Strikeforce middleweight title, Shields vs. Miller should manifest into a ground war, with submission attempts aplenty.
• Mike Swick vs. Dan Hardy (UFC 105, Nov. 14 on SpikeTV) -- Billed as a No. 1-contender fight in the UFC welterweight division, this bout is compelling on those stakes alone, perhaps even more so than Randy Couture's return to light heavyweight against Brandon Vera.
• Mike Thomas Brown vs. Jose Aldo (WEC 44, Nov. 18 on Versus) -- Vying for the WEC 145-pound championship, Brown and Aldo meet in a clash of styles. Featherweight has consistently pumped out great action, and this one shouldn't be any different. If I'm forced to pick just one fight to watch in November, this is probably it.
• Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin 2 (UFC 106, Nov. 21 on PPV) -- This spot was reserved for Lesnar-Carwin, and the card has certainly taken a hit with its loss. Still, while several bouts from UFC 106 -- Dustin Hazelett vs. Karo Parisyan, Josh Koscheck vs. Anthony Johnson and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Luiz Cane -- should be exciting, the Ortiz-Griffin rematch demands attention for the storylines surrounding both fighters.
Based on my critieria, I'm leaning towards Aldo vs. Brown. I couldn't possibly care less about Swick vs. Hardy. Ortiz vs. Griffin could steal the show, but questions remain about Tito coming off of back surgery. Shields vs. Miller should be good, but hardly a barn burner. Fedor vs. Rogers carries import, but no matter how it ends I don't see it as being particularly competitive. Hazelett vs. Karo is a contender, but doesn't carry enough relevancy. Ditto for Lil' Nog vs. Cane. And Koscheck vs. Johnson could be good, but that's about the best one can say relative to these other fights.
It's also fair to say the MMA community is being spoiled this month and it's awfully fun to act like a brat.