With two big announcements made over the weekend regarding upcoming UFC pay-per-views, it has become apparent that 2013 is indeed the year of the rematch. Eleven events remain in this calendar year - 6 of which are pay-per-views - and four of which are headlined by fighters who have met in the Octagon before. In fact, the year-end card - UFC 168 - has now changed its' main event fight into the co-main event, and this is also a rematch. Four of the upcoming five rematches have a belt on the line, though the stakes are also high in the non-title rematch of this list. So, these facts are interesting, but what do they really mean? Is it now a case of the UFC running out of ideas so they are settling with fights which have, as shown in the first (or in Velasquez-Dos Santos' case second) fight, excited fans? Or is it simply unfinished business? For me, it's the latter. The first of this multitude of upcoming rematches comes in the form of Martin Kampmann vs. Carlos Condit, a non-title fight which is headlining the second UFC on FOX Sports 1 card. This event will take place next month (28/8/13) and will see Condit try to avenge his split decision loss to the Dane in their headline fight in April 2009. That fight was a three round fight, thus the pair will crucially have ten more minutes than their past encounter. Both are coming off a loss (or in Condit's case two) and were both defeated by Johny Hendricks in their last Octagon appearances. As facts show, this is quite simply a genius piece of matchmaking by Joe Silva and should prove to be one hell of a fight on this midweek card. The second rematch is one which is years in the making. After TJ Grant withdrew from his lightweight title shot citing migraine complications and Anthony Pettis was forced to pull out of his featherweight title shot, Pettis was slotted in to fill the void left by Grant. Though Dana White previously stated Pettis wouldn't be ready in time for the card should Grant get injured, the matchup has still been made and he will get the chance to fight for the UFC lightweight strap after being promised a shot since the WEC merged with the UFC three years ago. Pettis defeated current champ Henderson in the promotion's last event to win the WEC lightweight gold, but since then Benson has been on a tear and has defeated all of his opponents by decision, winning and defending his UFC 155lbs belt three times along the way. This fight will answer a number of questions and is one of the most anticipated fights of the year. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH7oRb5Knjc As for the third, which takes place in October, it will be the third time the pair have met inside the UFC cage. Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez have defeated each other on one occasion and finally have the chance to settle the score. Dos Santos knocked Cain out in the first Fox event to win the gold, but after Velasquez annihilated Antonio Silva and decisioned Dos Santos, he won back his gold. The two both fought on the same card and won their matches convincingly, which led Dana White to book this fight which will put the heavyweight division on standby for the time being and help new contenders emerge in the meantime. Once again, numerous questions can be answered - was Dos Santos' knockout really a fluke? Did Dos Santos have an off night in the second fight? Is Velasquez's cardio too much for the Brazilian? So on, and so forth. The fourth and fifth rematches take place at UFC 168 and are both for UFC gold. In the co-main event of the card, Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey are fighting for the women's bantamweight crown. Rousey is undefeated and has won all of her fights by way of first round armbar, whilst Tate is coming off a knockout loss to Cat Zingano, who had to pull out of the fight due to a knee injury. Tate and Rousey are known for their hatred with one another and are coaching the upcoming TUF (The Ultimate Fighter) season which will feature both male and female fighters.
Now, the grand daddy of them all. Also taking place of UFC 168 - the rematch between middleweight champion Chris Weidman and the P4P king Anderson Silva. Weidman shocked the world by knocking Silva out at UFC 162, putting an end to Silva's sixteen consecutive wins and put an end to Silva's seven year reign as 185lbs champion. The rematch will answer a number of questions that remain unanswered after the first fight due to Silva's clowning around leading to his loss. Is Weidman's wrestling the key to victory, as it has been Silva's achilles heel throughout his career? Is the Spider's elusiveness and speed too much for Weidman? Can the American submit the Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu black belt? One thing is for sure, Silva will take Weidman seriously this time and the 29-year old will need to be more prepared than ever. The UFC is going through a stage where fans are demanding rematches more than ever. After all, judging by how awesome Cain-Dos Santos II was, Kampmann-Condit I was and Tate-Rousey I was, how much of a shock Weidman-Silva I was and how insanely entertaining Henderson-Pettis I was, there is no wonder why. If you are not a fan of UFC - or MMA as a whole - then I suggest tuning in to this next five months, which have the potential to produce sporting history.