MMA's summer blockbuster

Saturday night"s Clay Guida v Diego Sanchez fight in Las Vegas will kick off an 11-week period that will reshape the landscape of mixed martial arts in North America.

The summer season will peak with UFC 100 on July 11 in Las Vegas, with the main event between Brock Lesnar (pictured) v Frank Mir being one of the most highly-anticipated fights in UFC history.

It has all the elements necessary to be the biggest drawing heavyweight match in North America, as the UFC heavyweight and interim heavyweight titles will be unified in a rematch of one of the most memorable fights and talked about fights of all time.

The show is augmented by the top two welterweights in the world, with Georges St. Pierre, defending his championship against Thiago Alves, who stylistically may be St. Pierre's biggest challenge on the current scene.

The combination of the UFC 100 milestone and the main events will likely not only be the biggest pay-per-view event in company history, the biggest of any kind this year, and the largest non-boxing pay-per-view event in history.

But for all the hype Lesnar v Mir will receive, one could make a strong case that from a pure sports ranking standpoint, the biggest heavyweight fight ever on US soil will take place three weeks later at Affliction's show at the Honda Centre in Anaheim, California.

Consensus number one ranked Fedor Emelianenko puts up his reputation as the most successful fighter in the history of the sport, against Josh Barnett. Emelianenko has been considered the top heavyweight since he beat Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on March 16, 2003, in Yokohama, Japan to capture the PRIDE championship.

In a sport where the rule of thumb is that longevity at the top is fleeting and anyone can win on a given day, Emelianenko has defied the odds. Barnett has been a top ranked heavyweight since his UFC heavyweight title win over Randy Couture in 2002.

Regardless of which heavyweight fight is bigger, there is no argument that the August 15 battle between Gina Carano and Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos will be the highest profile woman's fight in the sport's history.

Carano, a ratings juggernaut, because of her looks and crowd-pleasing fighting style, has the potential to become the biggest mainstream star in the sport. But in Santos, she faces an exciting destruction machine that has mowed down all competition.

The story behind the summer's top 10 blockbusters:

UFC: Clay Guida v Diego Sanchez, Las Vegas, June 20: Sanchez (22-2) has taken a step down from middleweight to make a run at a lightweight title shot against Guida (25-9). Guida, a former junior college national wrestling champion, has constant aggression, unique charisma, great heart and chin and endless stamina. These attributes have led to three of the greatest matches in recent years against Gilbert Melendez, Roger Huerta and Tyson Griffin. But Guida also lost all three.

UFC: Brock Lesnar v Frank Mir, Las Vegas, July 11: There was probably no fight in MMA history more hotly debated beforehand than the February 2, 2008, match between the two. Mir, a former UFC heavyweight champion on a comeback after a nearly career ending motorcycle wreck, beat former pro wrestling superstar Lesnar, making his UFC debut, in 90 seconds. But Lesnar dominated the entire fight until being caught in a leg lock.

Was it a mistake of inexperience by Lesnar that the last 17 months of training has nixed, or a reality that Lesnar has an Achilles heel against submission fighters that he'll never shake? Since that time, Lesnar (3-1) quietened his critics by beating Couture and becoming the UFC heavyweight champion. Mir's win over Lesnar catapulted himself to a match with UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, where in a huge upset; Mir (12-3) became the first fighter ever to finish the legendary Brazilian.

UFC: Georges St. Pierre v Thiago Alves, Las Vegas, July 11: Welterweight king St. Pierre (18-2), has been unstoppable for two straight years in taking down and dominating three of the best wrestlers in the sport in Matt Hughes, Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch. Alves (16-3) looks to be his most difficult challenge because neither Hughes nor Koscheck could take Alves down.

UFC: Dan Henderson v Michael Bisping, Las Vegas, July 11: Bisping (17-1) would likely get a middleweight title shot with a win, but Henderson (24-7), the only man to hold world championships in two weight classes at the same time, is the heavy favourite. The big question is age, as Henderson will be six weeks shy of his 39 birthday at fight time and is ten years younger than Bisping.

Affliction: Fedor Emelianenko v Josh Barnett, Anaheim, California, August 1: At least on paper, Barnett (24-5) looks to be Emelianenko's biggest challenge since his win over Mirko Cro Cop four years ago. Barnett is solid in all areas and shouldn't be the latest in the line of victims of quick victories against the 30-1 (1 no-contest) native of Stary Oskol, Russia.

UFC: Anderson Silva v Forrest Griffin, Philadelphia, August 8: Silva (24-4), the UFC middleweight champion, moves up in weight to try extending his all time UFC winning streak record to 10, against the former light heavyweight champion. Griffin (16-5) can't match Silva for speed or skill, but he is physically bigger and stronger.

UFC: B.J. Penn v Kenny Florian, Philadelphia, August 8: With six straight wins, Florian (11-3) has proven that looks are deceiving. Looking more like a college biology student than a fighter, Florian combines quick Muay Thai skills with high level jiu-jitsu, and has improved greatly since his first shot at the lightweight title three years ago. Penn (13-5-1), the champion, has to both physically and mentally rebound from his high-profile defeat at the hands of St. Pierre on January 31, the most devastating loss of his career.

WEC: Miguel Angel Torres v Brian Bowles, Las Vegas, August 9: Torres (37-1) defends the WEC bantamweight title and brings a 17 match winning streak to the summer's biggest lower-weight-class fight against Bowles (7-0).

Strikeforce: Gina Carano v Cristiane Santos, San Jose, California, August 15: Carano (7-0) and Santos (7-1) are both known for their Muay Thai skills and have always had exciting fast-paced fights. A key aspect of the fight is that both women are used to doing three 3:00 rounds, and this will be five 5:00 rounds to crown the first Strikeforce women's champion. Going 9:00 v 25:00 is a completely different mentality, particularly in setting a fast pace both are used to. The woman who adapts best will have a huge advantage.

UFC: Randy Couture v Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Portland, Oregon, August 29: Couture (16-9), who will be 46 by the time of the fight, is clearly on borrowed time. Then again, he's won his last four world championships on borrowed time. With an impressive win, either man could get a shot at the Lesnar v Mir winner, and in the case of Couture, that has potential to be one of the biggest pay-per-views in the sports history. A devastating loss would surely be the end of the either.