Penick's Take
PENICK: Top 5 MMA Fights in the Month of October
Oct 1, 2012 - 11:10:33 PM PENICK: Top 5 MMA Fights in the Month of October

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The UFC is in the midst of stretch of four events in four straight weekends, with UFC on FX 5 and UFC 153 still to come in the month of October. But that's not the only action coming this month in the world of MMA, as Bellator's seventh season gets into full swing and women's MMA takes the stage with Invicta FC's third event.

There's a lot of MMA action to sift through, but plenty of it well worth watching. From all the events and all the fights to choose from, here are my top five for the month of October.

5.) Jake Ellenberger vs. Jay Hieron - UFC on FX 5 - Oct. 5 (FX)

I'm sure this isn't the fight that many would pick out of this month, but it's a great matchup between two very good welterweight fighters. Ellenberger's upset loss to Martin Kampmann isn't to be ignored or thrown out, but he's still got a well-rounded game and is almost always in exciting fights. As for Hieron, though he's not the epitome of "exciting" every time out, he does own a victory over Ellenberger, and is out to make an impression in his first UFC bout in seven years. He's also gotten an extra month to prepare after the UFC 151 event got canceled, and that should make for a very competitive, and hopefully entertaining fight. That's what I'm being optimistic for, at least.

4.) Kaitlin Young vs. Leslie Smith - Invicta FC 3 - Oct. 6 (InvictaFC.com)

Young was supposed to face former Strikeforce Champ Sarah Kaufman, but an injury to Kaufman opened the door to this rematch. Young and Smith fought in April to a draw in a fight that was easily one of the most competitive and exciting women's MMA bouts of the last several years. This rematch allows them to continue the battle that did not bring a decisive conclusion in April, and it's a highlight on what should be another good event from the all-women's MMA promotion.

3.) Eddie Alvarez vs. Patricky "Pitbull" Freie - Bellator 76 - Oct. 12 (MTV2)

Eddie Alvarez may be fighting for the final time in Bellator this month, as this fight with Freire is the final bout on his contract with the organization. Alvarez was the original star for Bellator, with them since their very first event, but with his contract coming up, the expectation is that Alvarez will leave for the UFC by 2013. Freire has lost two of his last three fights, but he still has three stoppage wins in Bellator, and is a great opponent to pit against Alvarez. An Alvarez win will almost assuredly lead to a spot in the UFC, and it's going to be a highly intriguing fight for Bellator's third event of season seven. Regardless of whether it's his last fight in Bellator, Alvarez is always a must-watch, and this fight is no different.

2.) John Dodson vs. Jussier da Silva - UFC on FX 5 - Oct. 5 (FX)

This fight could very well determine the first challenger to newly crowned Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson. Dodson, the bantamweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter's 14th season, has had two very good performances in the UFC thus far, and the debuting Jussier Formiga enters the UFC on a five fight winning streak, with four straight submission wins. This is as good a fight as can be booked in the flyweight division at this point, and it should be a highlight on what is a fairly packed card on Friday night in Minneapolis.

1.) Anderson Silva vs. Stephan Bonnar - UFC 153 - Oct. 13 (Pay-Per-View)

I know, I know. This is more than likely going to be an absolute slaughter, and it's an essentially meaningless fight thrown together on short notice so the UFC could go forward with this event. But it's one of the the three greatest fighters currently competing in the UFC in a fight that essentially will allow him to do what he wants, when he wants. This is all about watching Anderson Silva compete. Sure, there's the remote, remote chance that Stephan Bonnar pulls off the upset, but this fight is a chance to watch "The Spider" do something crazy that only comes in a fight like this. He's wholly capable of pulling off some crazy matrix-like striking attack, along the lines of what he did against Forrest Griffin. Or he'll blast through Bonnar like he did against James Irvin. Regardless, Silva is almost assuredly going to put on a show for his home country fans, and I can't wait to see it.