What's next for the UFC 146 winners?

This is an interesting column to write seeing as all five of the UFC 146 main card fights were heavyweight contests, thereby producing a quintet of big men coming off wins in need of a new dance partner.

Having all these heavyweights on similar timetables is one of the happy little perks of putting the UFC 146 main card together this way; getting the explosive collection of fights we did over the weekend was the primary goal, and it was clearly achieved.

Here are my thoughts on what’s next for the winner’s from UFC 146.

Junior dos Santos
Next Opponent: Cain Velasquez

As much as some critics will say this rematch is coming too early — they fought back in November — it is absolutely the right fight to make. Now, if Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix winner Daniel Cormier was (1) on his way to the UFC already, and (2) healthy (he broke his hand in his win last weekend), things might be different, but you can only play the cards you’re dealt, and this is the right play.

These two separated themselves from the pack on Sunday, with Velasquez having the more dominant performance of the two in his first-round thrashing of Antonio Silva. An argument can be made that dos Santos caught Velasquez on an off night when he beat him back in November, and now that he’s perfectly healthy, and clearly hungry to get the belt back, it makes perfect sense to pair them off again and see what happens.

If dos Santos wins again, he’s cemented himself as the alpha dog in the heavyweight ranks. If Velasquez gets his revenge, a trilogy bout is waiting in the wings. That’s a win-win scenario for the UFC, and precisely why I think we’ll see this bout come together before the year is out.

Roy Nelson
Next Opponent: Travis Browne/Ben Rothwell Winner

“Big Country” dropped a big right hand on Dave Herman on Sunday, putting the enigmatic heavyweight to sleep early in the first round. While he’s not quite championship material, Nelson is a tremendous gatekeeper, and as such, a pairing with the winner of the upcoming battle of emerging contenders Browne and Rothwell seems to make sense.

Nelson has the big hands, durability, and ground game to hang with anyone in the division; he’s just not quite big enough to topple the guys at the top of the heavyweight ladder, which makes him an ideal candidate for the gatekeeper position.

Should Browne get through Rothwell, he’ll be 5-0-1 in the UFC, with little left to accomplish outside of the upper tier. Rothwell bounced back with a first-round knockout of Brendan Schaub earlier this year, coming into the contest looking better than he has in his entire career. Halting Browne’s unbeaten run would move him up the ladder, and a fight with Nelson would actually be a rematch of their 2007 meeting, which Rothwell won by split decision.

Additionally, Nelson’s popularity makes him an ideal partner for an emerging heavyweight who isn’t quite established with the casual audience just yet.

Stipe Miocic
Next Opponent: Matt Mitrione/Rob Broughton Winner

Personally, I don’t think there is any need to rush the undefeated Miocic up the ranks at this point. The top of the heavyweight division is loaded with talent, so why not let the 29-year-old continue to gather momentum (and hopefully wins) against middle tier talent for the next year?

As such, a pairing with the winner of the August fight between Mitrione and Broughton works for me. I full expect Mitrione to get the win, and his previous exposure to casual fans through The Ultimate Fighter and his six bouts thus far would be enough to earn these two a main card spot on a pay-per-view or make them a strong addition to a televised event, perhaps even in the co-main event.

Miocic showcased some nasty ground-and-pound on Sunday, and took the best Shane Del Rosario had to offer in the stand-up too, which has me moving closer to declaring him the real deal. But just nine fights into his career, you still never know, so why not keep finding out incrementally in the middle of the pack before potentially hanging a loss on him in the top end of this talented division?

Stefan Struve
Next Opponent: Mark Hunt

Instead of moving Struve up the ladder another step following his speedy first-round submission win over Lavar Johnson, I say line him back up with the man he was expected to face at UFC 146 in the first place, Mark Hunt.

Hunt has much better takedown defense than Johnson, and isn’t as easy to submit as the heavy-hitting American, which will further test the skills of the lanky Dutch heavyweight. While Struve has shown improvement in his Fight IQ in his last two outings, facing a solid veteran like Hunt would certainly put that to the test.

Quick Preliminary Card Pairings

Darren Elkins
Next Opponent: Dennis Bermudez

He’s beaten the winner of TUF 14’s featherweight competition, now how about pairing him with the runner-up? Bermudez scored a solid win earlier in the month against Pablo Garza, so the timing works too.

Jamie Varner
Next Opponent: Matt Wiman

Varner capitalized on a great opportunity against Edson Barboza, but let’s see how he handles a grinder like Wiman before proclaiming him all the way back to form.

C.B. Dollaway
Next Opponent: Ed Herman

TUF runner-up vs. TUF runner-up, a fight tailor-made for the main card of a solid, but unspectacular television event. Dollaway’s lack of excitement hurts.

Dan Hardy
Next Opponent: Chris Clements

The UFC isn’t going to throw Hardy right back into the depths of the division after his win on Sunday, so a pairing with a guy like Clements who likes to stand and trade seems appropriate. Sadly, it will probably be the co-main of the September show in Hardy’s hometown of Nottingham, England.

Paul Sass
Next Opponent: Danny Castillo

“Last Call” has won three straight since losing to Jacob Volkmann, whom Sass just submitted. You can only have so many lightweights on a winning streak too.

Glover Teixeira
Next Opponent: Igor Pokrajac

“The Duke” is on a nice little three-fight winning streak, and has the right kind of make-up to pair with Teixeira nicely.

Mike Brown
Next Opponent: Eddie Yagin

The former WEC featherweight champ has hinted at retirement, but if he comes back, a date with Yagin would make sense to me.

E. Spencer Kyte is the author of Keyboard Kimura, the MMA blog of Vancouver’s leading newspaper, The Province. Follow him on Twitter (@spencerkyte), or Facebook.