By MATT MOLGAARD
MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer

It’s been an amazing year for the Ultimate Fighting Championship; a 7 year deal with FOX was not only lined up, but secured, Jon Jones emerged as the sports’ biggest story, another new heavyweight champion was crowned (and this one may just have what it takes to hold onto that belt for a while), Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard thrilled viewers twice over, Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua engaged in one of the most scintillating wars the sport has ever seen… well, I could go on and on. In short, 2011 has been amazingly fruitful to the promotion and a sizeable chunk of its roster.

With the year just days away from closure, we fans can anticipate one final card this year (the traditional year-end show) and it looks to be more than simply promising: this could easily be the event of the year. While the card isn’t overtly cluttered with top 5 ranked fighters from every division, it does boast some marquee power, as Brock Lesnar, Alistair Overeem, Nate Diaz, Donald Cerrone, Nam Phan and Ross Pearson will all be competing. There’s a wealth of reasons to care about this card, but I’m only going to illuminate a handful, as I could find myself typing all night otherwise.

Who is the Real Deal: Brock, or “The Reem”?

Fans already know the capabilities that Brock Lesnar possesses: if he can ground an opponent and keep them there, they’re in for a broken face and a long night. However, we’ve now seen Lesnar’s wrestling stifled (by former champion Cain Velasquez), and there are certainly some holes in his game that can be exploited. Alistair Overeem on the other hand is still a fairly unknown commodity to the casual fan (despite being a multi-sport and promotional champion), and he’s got a lot to prove, and a big hurdle in which he’ll have to topple to do so. Lesnar versus Overeem is your classic wrestler versus striker match up, and these two are arguably the best at what they do. Overeem is a world class kick boxer, and Lesnar’s wrestling background is storied to say the least. Expect an aesthetically pleasing affair, as this fight will be extremely violent, and likely frenetic as all hell. After all, a shot at the champion, Junior dos Santos is at stake.

Could Diaz vs. Cerrone Steal the Show, and FOTY Honors?

I don’t think you can put two more evenly matched opponents inside the cage at one time. Both of these men were born with remarkably similar physiques; both are long and rangy, and have developed offensive and defensive skills that nearly mirror one another. Cerrone is likely the crisper of the two in regards to striking, while Diaz is probably a safe pick as slightly superior in the submission department. Both work high rate offenses, and both know how to snatch a victory in the face of defeat. As the comparisons continue, it’s tough not to recognize the fact that both men have fantastic cardio, and both are truly “born fighters”: fear doesn’t drive either man so much as a genuine hunger to succeed. Picking a favorite here is going to be remarkably difficult, though I can say this bout has “Fight of the Year” written all over it, and considering the mind and skill sets of both men, the fight could realistically outshine the Dan Henderson/Mauricio Rua bout that transpired at UFC 139. That’s a powerful statement that should really drive home the significance of this bout. And just think, should Cerrone exit the cage a victor, we could see him awarded with a title shot, as that will make five consecutive wins for “The Cowboy” versus not one loss under the UFC banner. There’s intrigue here people!