Top 10 Fights For July

July 2016 boasts the best package of fights in a single calendar month in MMA history. Six UFC shows highlight the month, and Bellator will add two events to the mix as well. Seven world titles will be decided; six of those title matches will determine who walks away as the top-ranked fighter in their weight class. One fight has major historical implications as a fighter looks to capture a championship in a second weight class, while another fight could significantly alter the greatest of all-time discussion.

With more than 180 fighters slated to enter the UFC and Bellator cages alone, there is an abundance of quality fights; narrowing down a list of the month’s top 10 bouts was no simple task. Here are the top 10 fights to look forward to in July.

10. Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Hunt – UFC 200

Many of the fights on this list represent the finest athletes and competition this sport has to offer. This is not one of those fights. Although Brock Lesnar reached the highest levels of MMA at one time and Mark Hunt came damn close, the appeal of this fight is as a curiosity – a freak show. What carnage awaits when two Mack Trucks collide at full force? Will the striker, among the toughest individuals the sport has ever seen, knock back the former champion? Or will the wrestler, though rusted, get the fight to the mat to test his lunchboxes against a thick Samoan skull? I can’t wait to find out.

9. Cain Velasquez vs. Travis Browne – UFC 200

This is the forgotten match at UFC 200, overshadowed by three title matches and the collision of the beasts. It seems as though one performance twelve months ago has erased peoples’ memories of who Cain Velasquez is, so let this serve as a reminder. Until Fabricio Werdum bested him, Cain Velasquez sprinted through everyone in front of him. He brutally battered Junior dos Santos over nine-plus rounds and stole Bigfoot Silva’s soul. Granted, those matches were years ago. He’ll turn 34 in July, and his fighting age is even older due to the wear and tear of injuries that have riddled his career like clockwork. I’m not sure if Cain Velasquez is still Cain Velasquez, but Travis Browne is a good test to help us find out.

8. TJ Dillashaw vs. Raphael Assuncao – UFC 200

Little more than two years ago, Raphael Assuncao was earmarked for the fight of his life: a world title match against Renan Barao. When he couldn’t take the fight due to an injury, TJ Dillashaw, a fighter Assuncao narrowly defeated in October 2013, stepped in as a heavy underdog and shook up the bantamweight division with a dominating performance. He established himself as the division’s best with another win over Renan Barao before losing a close match to Dominick Cruz in January. All the while, Assuncao sat on the sidelines nursing injuries. If one judge scored one close round differently in January, this could be a title fight. Instead, they’ll have to fight each other to get to a shot at the belt.

7. Tony Ferguson vs. Michael Chiesa – UFC Fight Night: Ferguson vs. Chiesa

This fight may not determine the next lightweight title contender as long as Khabib Nurmagomedov stays healthy, but the winner will be knocking out the champion’s door. Ferguson has won seven consecutive fights and looked tremendous in doing so. Chiesa is coming off back-to-back rear naked choke victories over Jim Miller and Beneil Dariush, and his only loss since 2013 was on a cut stoppage. This one could be great.

6. Miesha Tate vs. Amanda Nunes – UFC 200

Miesha Tate is an unlikely champion. It appeared she’d spend her UFC career in the Franklin position, able to beat everyone in the division but the champion. Then, through equal parts skill and will, she upset Holly Holm for the strap in March. This will be her first defense, and it’s a dangerous one. Traditionally, Amanda Nunes is tremendous for a round – near as dangerous as anyone in the division – but if she doesn’t finish the fight, fatigue takes her out of it. Her last fight was an exception, as she held up well through three rounds to win a decision. Tate should be favored, but Nunes is a very live underdog.

5. Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar – UFC 200

The shadow of Conor McGregor looms heavily over this fight, but Aldo vs. Edgar is worth looking forward to. Edgar, one of the best lightweights ever, is unbeaten in five fights since last meeting Aldo. If he can beat Aldo this time, he’ll be the third two-division champion in UFC history, after Randy Couture and BJ Penn. Aldo is looking to take the first step to reclaim his spot as the world’s best featherweight, a spot he held for six years before he spent 13 seconds with McGregor. This fight represents a pivotal point in the careers of two of the sport’s greats. The winner can still claim to be in the prime of his career, while the loser will likely be considered on the downside of his.

4. Robbie Lawler vs. Tyron Woodley – UFC 201

How could you not be excited for a Robbie Lawler fight? He delivered perhaps the best fight of 2014 with Johny Hendricks, a virtually unanimous fight of the year with Rory MacDonald in 2015, and his fight with Carlos Condit is a leading candidate for that title in 2016. Tyron Woodley may not be the most popular choice to challenge Lawler, but he still poses a threat to the champion.

3. Rafael dos Anjos vs. Eddie Alvarez – UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Alvarez

Raphael dos Anjos has looked excellent since losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov two years ago. He’s taken out Benson Henderson, Nate Diaz, Anthony Pettis, and Donald Cerrone, and none of the fights were even close. Eddie Alvarez has the odds stacked against him. He lost to Donald Cerrone in his UFC debut, and then scraped by against Gilbert Melendez and Anthony Pettis. However, in the latter fights, he found ways to win. Although his performances in the UFC haven’t shown a clear path through which he can beat dos Anjos, they have shown he can formulate a smart strategy, and nobody can question his gameness. He is an easy out for nobody in the division, even somebody like dos Anjos, who has torn through the ranks.

2. Joanna Jędrzejczyk vs. Cláudia Gadelha – The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia Finale

Jędrzejczyk and Gadelha are the best fighters in their division. They’ve fought once before – a razor-thin decision that propelled Jędrzejczyk to UFC gold. They also happen to hate each other. This is an excellent fight that will determine who will rule the strawweight division for the foreseeable future, or at least until they meet again.

Honorable Mentions
Roy Nelson vs. Derrick Lewis – UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Alvarez
Cat Zingano vs. Julianna Pena – UFC 200
John Lineker vs. Michael McDonald – UFC Fight Night: Ferguson vs. Chiesa
Paul Daley vs. Doug Lima – Bellator 158
Edson Barboza vs. Gilbert Melendez – UFC on Fox: Holm vs. Shevchenko
Holly Holm vs. Valentina Shevchenko – UFC on Fox: Holm vs. Shevchenko

1. Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones – UFC 200

We know how the first fight went down. Cormier fought closely, but Jones took a clear decision. Since that early 2015 fight, Cormier, 37, has not gotten any younger, but he proved himself as world championship material with wins over Anthony Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson. In any other era in MMA history, Cormier is likely the #1 light heavyweight in the world. However, he’s fighting in the Jon Jones era. Jones, 28, is already in strong consideration for being the greatest fighter of all-time. At some point, that title may become his indisputably. Cormier has the potential to alter the trajectory of history. If he beats Jones, he’s an automatic all-time great and the fight becomes a thing of legend. It’s an uphill battle, but not quite an insurmountable one. If Jones wins, it’s another feather in his cap as the greatest. With either result, the match has significant historical ramifications.

Dan Plunkett has covered MMA for 411Mania since 2008. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @Dan_Plunkett.