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Dan Henderson: Other than two months in a hot tub, with a bevy of Geishas tending to his every whim, I think Henderson is looking at either Jon Jones or Rashad Evans in next fight. Considering his massive appeal, and the fact that eventually he will show his age, I say strike while the iron is hot and give this man his title shot.
Mauricio Rua: Once he recovers from the ordeal Henderson put him through, Rua should be able to pick his next fight. Does he want a cake walk (Brandon Vera?), a contender (Rampage Jackson?), or something in between (Ryan Bader?). If Shogun proved nothing else on Saturday night, he showed that he's never going to take the path of least resistance. Let's see him take on another former Pride fighter in Rampage Jackson. Jackson wants to fight Rua in Japan, but I don't think Rua's going to want to turn around that quickly.
Wanderlei Silva: Look, we all know that Silva's going to go out on his shield. He's not the type to retire gracefully. He may have one more great performance left in his body, but lest we forget that Cung Le isn't exactly Anderson Silva, either. I would prefer to see Wanderlei retire on top, but since that's not likely to happen, the next best thing would be to have him get into a war. I say Alan Belcher should be next, maybe in Brazil?
Cung Le: I would be shocked if we see Cung Le fight again. If we do, he needs to be put in against a striker who has no desire to go to the mat. I mean, if you have Cung Le, let him look like Cung Le. He doesn't need to be fighting against Jake Rosholt or Rousimar Palhares, right? If Alexander Shlemenko were in the UFC, that would be a sick fight. But since he's not, my vote would be for Riki Fukuda. Cung Le doesn't fight very frequently, so even if Fukuda still needs time to recover from his car accident, that's not a problem for Le.
Urijah Faber: Easy one; Dominick Cruz for the title.
Brian Bowles: Bowles was simply outclassed, and his performance really makes me reconsider his standing in the division. A fight with Brad Pickett ought to sort that out.
Martin Kampmann: This is almost as easy as picking Faber's next fight. Bring on Diego Sanchez. Kampmann got hosed by the judges when they first fought in March (Hosed is a full two steps away from robbery, but it was in fact a rotten decision). Diego is rumored to be fighting Jake Ellenberger, but I don't think that's nearly as intriguing a fight as Sanchez-Kampmann 2.
Rick Story: It's been a bad, bad year for the career of Rick Story. Oh sure, it started with a bang by beating the perennially overrated Thiago Alves. But being out-grappled by Charlie Brenneman and then being out-struck by Martin "The Inaptly Named Hitman" Kampmann has to leave Story scratching his head and wondering what's next. How about a fight with Mike Pyle?
Stephan Bonnar: Another easy call. Two calls really. 1.) Anything that keeps him away from backstage interview duties on the next Fox show. 2.) A date with Rich Franklin when Franklin is ready to return from his shoulder surgery. Assuming Bonnar wants to fight before July or August when Franklin would be ready, then I suppose a third fight with Forrest Griffin might sell a few tickets. A more realistic, and more appealing, option would be a returning Thiago Silva. And if Silva's suspension goes beyond the time that Bonnar wants to fight next, then how about Ovince St. Preux. Rumor has it that some guys are going to be trickling across from Strikeforce to the UFC. No, really.
Kyle Kingsbury: Preferably he won't face an opponent that can put him on the ground. If they like Kingsbury, they'll give him a winnable fight, or at least a fight that stylistically is right in his wheelhouse. If not, he'll be facing Jason Brilz if I have anything to say about it.
Ryan Bader: Assuming Alexander Gustafsson gets past Vladimir Matyushenko in a few weeks, that would be a great fight for both guys. I don't think anyone thinks Bader will ever be a contender, so booking this fight lets Bader prove people wrong, and gives Gustafsson another great test.
Michael McDonald: How good is this kid? If he were 25, I'd want to know immediately by having him fight Renan Barao in Brazil. But since there's no rush whatsoever, a fight with either Takeya Mizugaki or Raphael Assuncao makes all the sense in the world. Alex Caceres would be good as well, but well, not so much for Caceres...
Chris Weidman: If Tim Kennedy or Luke Rockhold debut with the UFC soon, pick either guy out of a hat and drool at the thought. If not, then how about Tim Boetsch or Ed Herman?
Miguel Torres: Renan Barao, Brazil. Nothing more needs to be said.
Follow me on Twitter @MMATorchRich. I mean, you don't have to, and there's nothing in it for you, so, yeah.
Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/richhansen/article_11344.shtml
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