Matches to Make After UFC 187

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Chris Weidman stood his ground atop the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s middleweight mountain, even as the ever-dangerous Vitor Belfort advanced on his position.

Weidman weathered a fierce punching volley and ultimately disposed of “The Phenom” with first-round strikes from the mount, as he retained his middleweight championship in the UFC 187 co-main event on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Belfort succumbed to a bitter cocktail of elbows, punches and hammerfists 2:53 into round one, failing in his bid to become the third two-division champion in UFC history.

Serra-Longo Fight Team’s Weidman put his unshakable resolve to use while taking heavy fire from the quick-fisted Brazilian. When the punches stopped, he dumped Belfort to the mat with a double-leg takedown, sliced through his guard, achieved full mount and let his hands and elbows do the rest. Before long, referee Herb Dean had seen enough.

In wake of UFC 187 “Johnson vs. Cormier,” here are six matchups that ought to be considered:

Related » By the Numbers: UFC 187

Chris Weidman vs. Luke Rockhold: Serious challenges remain for Weidman at 185 pounds, even after he buried Belfort in the first round of their long-awaited showdown. Now a perfect 13-0, the undefeated 30-year-old has rattled off nine consecutive victories since arriving in the UFC as a heralded but unproven prospect in March 2011; and he has done so against increasingly difficult opposition. In his last four appearances, Weidman has defeated Belfort, Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva (twice) -- all former UFC champions. Rockhold last appeared at UFC on Fox 15 in April, when he submitted Machida with a second-round rear-naked choke and planted his flag as a potential No. 1 contender.

Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones: Cormier filled the vacancy Jones left when he was suspended and stripped of the light heavyweight title, as “DC” submitted Anthony Johnson with a third-round rear-naked choke in the UFC 187 main event. The American Kickboxing Academy ace walked through Johnson’s punches and kicks and wore down “Rumble” with clinches, takedowns and a brutal top game, exiting the cage with the vacant 205-pound championship strapped to his waist. Jones defeated Cormier by unanimous decision in January, and a rematch between the two would seem to be a priority for the UFC, provided “Bones” can get his life in order and his pending legal issues resolved in a timely fashion. If not, the door swings open for fighters like Ryan Bader, Alexander Gustafsson, Ovince St. Preux and Rashad Evans.

Donald Cerrone vs. Rafael dos Anjos: Cerrone made the best of a less-than-ideal situation, as he took care of John Makdessi with a second-round head kick that appeared to break the Canadian’s jaw. Makdessi filled in on short notice for the injured Khabib Nurmagomedov, a man many view as a champion in waiting at 155 pounds. With Nurmagomedov still sidelined, Cerrone’s path to a long-sought-after shot at UFC gold seems to be clear. Dos Anjos captured the lightweight crown with a one-sided unanimous decision over Anthony Pettis at UFC 185 in March. The Kings MMA-trained Brazilian was also the last man to defeat Cerrone, having done so on points at a UFC Fight Night event roughly two years ago.

Andrei Arlovski vs. Junior dos Santos: No one saw this coming, perhaps not even Arlovski himself. Given up for dead four years ago following consecutive losses to Fedor Emelianenko, Brett Rogers, Antonio Silva and Sergei Kharitonov, “The Pit Bull” now finds himself on a five-fight winning streak and very much a factor in a division he once ruled. The 36-year-old Belarusian continued his career renaissance at UFC 187, where he blasted through the favored Travis Browne with first-round punches in a riveting encounter between two of the promotion’s premier heavyweights. Arlovski has turned away Browne, Silva and Brendan Schaub in succession since returning to the Octagon in 2014, enjoying a slow but steady climb on the promotional ladder. Dos Santos, meanwhile, has not fought since taking a five-round unanimous decision from Stipe Miocic at UFC on Fox 13 in December. He has won 12 of his past 14 bouts, falling only to reigning heavyweight king Cain Velasquez.

Vitor Belfort vs. Lyoto Machida-Yoel Romero loser: Belfort had undoubtedly visualized dethroning Weidman as middleweight champion countless times, but reality proved to be a different animal. After his initial blitz failed to net the desired result, Belfort found himself pinned beneath a mounted Weidman, eating punches, hammerfists and elbows. The technical knockout loss halted the Brazilian’s run of three straight wins and snuffed out his latest bid to join Randy Couture and B.J. Penn as the only men to win Ultimate Fighting Championship titles in two weight classes. While it seems unlikely Belfort will challenge for UFC gold again, there are still plenty of intriguing possibilities available to him at 185 pounds. Machida and Romero will lock horns at “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4” Finale on June 27.

Anthony Johnson vs. Ovince St. Preux-Glover Teixeira winner: Johnson’s gas tank and defensive wrestling skills failed him in his submission loss to Cormier, as he wilted in the clutches of a third-round rear-naked choke and missed out on his chance to claim the vacant light heavyweight championship. Still one of the scariest talents in the sport, Johnson does not figure to fall too far in the 205-pound pecking order. The 31-year-old Blackzilians representative owns a 9-1 record across his past 10 appearances and should benefit from the shallow state of the division in which he competes. St. Preux will meet Teixeira in a UFC Fight Night headliner on Aug. 8.