In the wake of UFC 159 we take a look at what’s likely to come next for the main card’s big winners.
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Jon Jones:
First things first for Jones, he’s going to need to recover from his broken toe, and he’s probably looking at 3 months before he can even train again.
Lyoto Machida is still supposed to be the next in line for the title shot, though Jones himself is calling for a fight with Alexander Gustafsson. Out of those two fights I’d definitely prefer to see him up against the Swede, but Dana White seemed less so on Saturday night.
There’s also still a possibility that the UFC will try to coax Jones into a superfight with Anderson Silva before the end of the year.
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Michael Bisping:
While he keeps falling short of a title shot, Bisping proved once again at the weekend that he’s still one of the top fighters in the division by defeating Alan Belcher.
Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza Vs Costa Philippou takes place next month at UFC On FX 8 and I could see Bisping getting the winner of that one as he tries to continue the climb back up to that elusive No.1 contender spot.
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Roy Nelson:
The talk backstage after UFC 159 is that Nelson could be Daniel Cormier’s next opponent and that’s a fight that makes sense.
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Phil Davis:
Davis showed improved striking skills in his latest victory and remains a significant player in the 205lb division, though there’s a number of fighters currently ahead of him in the line to fight for the title.
Ryan Bader is in a similar position in the division and also has a similar skill-set so it’d be interesting to put them into the Octagon together and see who emerges victorious.
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Pat Healy:
Great performance from Healy on Saturday night – Jim Miller is a tough opponent for anyone and it was impressive to see the former Strikeforce fighter come on strong in the later rounds to seize a submission finish.
That’s the kind of performance that’s going to make people sit up and take notice, though I suspect he’s still going to have to get another win or two under his belt before becoming a serious title contender. Evan Dunham takes on Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC On FX 8 next month and that’d be a solid next step for Healy.
