June might as well have been dubbed MMA month. Every weekend in June has a fight card associated with it, and MMA fans couldn’t be happier. Cards from UFC, Strikeforce, and Bellator are being shown in the United States, with many of the fights having title implications.
The featherweight division and welterweight division have a lot riding on these next couple of weeks, but the heavyweight division will gain the most from these fight cards. The number one contender match Saturday will determine who will face Cain Velasquez in Houston this October at UFC 136, and the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix’s first round will conclude on June 18.
Many believe that the winner of the tournament will face off against the UFC champion sometime next year, as the UFC would have another opportunity to make a super fight. Fans have been wanting to see Alistair Overeem vs. Velasquez since Velasquez dethroned former champion Brock Lesnar, and winning the tournament might be Overeem’s opportunity to face the current UFC champion.
These are my top five fights of June that I judged from potential excitment, intriguing storylines and impact on their weight divisions. I got around to doing this slideshow later than I wanted, so I didn’t get to include Anthony Pettis vs. Clay Guida.