The Top 5 Upcoming Fights

And just like that, the much anticipated UFC 126 card is over.

Anderson Silva continues to steamroll all challengers while fan favorite Forrest Griffin kept his UFC career alive with his huge decision win over Rich Franklin.

Three fights from my previous "Top Coming Fights" installment are in the books (Silva vs. Belfort, Griffin vs. Franklin, Bader vs. Jones) in addition to Pettis vs. Henderson, so this is a good time to take a look at the top 5 upcoming fights on the way.

1.) Lyoto Machida vs. Randy Couture UFC 129 - "The Natural" facing off against anyone would be worthy of a spot on this list, but the fact it comes against the once dangerous Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida makes it a must see. Machida is trying to avoid his third consecutive loss after starting his professional MMA career 16-0. "The Natural"  will be looking to get his 4th consecutive win. Granted, those wins were over the likes of James Toney, Mark Coleman, and the recently cut Brandon Vera, but they are wins nonetheless.

2.) Carlos Condit vs. Chris Lytle UFC 127 - This one has "Fight Of The Night" written all over it, as these two surging fighters have a combined 6 "Fight Of The Night" honors between them. Even though Chris Lytle is never going to be an easy fight, I see Condit getting the win by unanimous decision after a performance from both that will be a favorite to get "Fight Of The Night." The question is who will face Condit next after the win? I would rather see GSP vs. Silva than Condit vs. GSP but either way, Condit always makes a show of it.

3.) Dan Hardy vs. Anthony Johnson UFC Fight Night 24 - Free UFC broadcasts of any type are always going to deliver but UFC Fight Night 24 is exceptional. Hardy comes into the fight trying to avoid 3 losses in a row for the first time in his professional career. Where as Hardy has fought GSP and Carlos Condit in his last 2 fights, Anthony Johnson has been out of action since losing to Josh Koscheck in November of 2009. Johnson is sick on his feet but this night will belong to Hardy.

4.)  Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick UFC 129 - In what will be a battle of two elite strikers, Hominick could be the first to truly test the seemingly unstoppable Jose Aldo. Hominick definitely earned a title shot after go through his last 5 UFC/WEC opponents and the match up is great for the fans. I see Hominick pushing Aldo but eventually succumbing to Aldo's leg kicks and unorthodox style in what will be a largely hyped UFC debut for Aldo. Does the name Luciano Azvedo ring a bell? Didn't think so. This is the only fighter to beat Aldo in his professional MMA career back in 2005.

5.) Quinton Jackson vs. Thiago Silva UFC 130 - They might as well just put a phone booth in the center of the cage for this one. Similar to the recent Forrest Griffin vs. Rich Franklin bout, this one is tough to make a prediction for. Other than the fact that someone is going down. I am going to give the edge to Rampage on this night after getting a career saving win over Lyoto Machida back at UFC 123 which no doubt gave him major momentum going into this showdown with Silva. Look for both of these fighters to be head hunting until one of them is counting lights.

*Honorable Mention*   Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera UFC 127 - Fans have been waiting on this one for what seems like an eternity now. Rivera has been on the sidelines since his huge win over Nate Quarry in March of 2010 and Michael Bisping will be trying to string 3 wins together for the first time since 2008. This will be a "last man standing" affair with Bisping (as much as I hate to say it) getting the win via KO.

Are any of these going to end up being Fight Of The Year?

Fight Of The Night?

Only time will tell. If you enjoyed this check out the Top Fight Moments Of ROF 41 here: http://colorado-mma-colorado-boxing.com.

See you at the fights!