· Who’s Next? UFC 128 Edition

What kind of media outlet would we be if we didn’t immediately mention Jon Jones in this piece? Although he already has his next bout lined up with Rashad Evans, it is still relevant to mention the youngest champion in UFC history.

The co-main event at UFC 128 had title implications as well, and the UFC has already confirmed that Urijah Faber will take on Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight title. That fight could take a little while to happen, however, as those two are pegged as likely coaches for the first-ever season of bantamweights and/or featherweights on “The Ultimate Fighter.”

Those two already have their next fights lined up, but who should the rest of the notable fighters from UFC 128 take on?

Nate Marquardt vs. Josh Koscheck

Marquardt mentioned after his unanimous decision win over Dan Miller that he either wants to fight Michael Bisping or drop to 170 pounds. Since the UFC is likely to make Bisping vs. Chael Sonnen because of the immense amount of trash talking that both fighters will do, we could have seen the last of Nate "The Great" at middleweight. An interesting tidbit of information may have also slipped from Marquardt in his post-fight interview, as he mentioned that he wants to go for the title at welterweight, and that he talked about it with teammate Georges St-Pierre before the fight. The fact that he mentioned it publicly could mean that St-Pierre is all but certain to move up to middleweight if he beats Jake Shields next month.

With all of that news out of the way, let’s talk about this fight. Koscheck is coming off of a lopsided loss to GSP in a title fight, and he needs a tough opponent to prove that he is still championship material. Marquardt needs a tough first opponent at 170, and Koscheck is exactly that. Make this the main event of a free card and fans will be happy.

Jim Miller vs. Sean Sherk

What’s a guy to do when he’s won seven fights in a row and his only two losses are to the top two fighters in the world at his weight class? For Jim Miller, his route to a title shot could come through former champion Sean Sherk. “The Muscle Shark” has been in limbo since stopping Evan Dunham’s hype train at UFC 119, but we know that he’s still somewhere near the top of the 155-pound heap. Miller likely has to wait behind Gray Maynard and Antony Pettis for his title shot, but a win over Sherk would certainly make it tough to keep giving him guys that we all know he is going to beat.

Brendan Schaub vs. Shane Carwin

Shane Carwin has been added to the UFC 131 card but still doesn’t have an opponent, and every other notable heavyweight in the UFC is currently locked up. It would be a fairly quick turnaround for Schaub, but he shouldn’t be too beat up after his win over Cro Cop, and he’s still young enough to recover quickly and get ready for another fight. The winner of this fight would immediately be in contention for a title shot, and the list of challengers could be lean after either Lesnar or Dos Santos takes on Velasquez.

"Shogun" Rua vs. Rich Franklin

Need an intriguing fight to main event an international card? Here’s your answer, UFC. Two fighters who have been on top before but have fallen back to the bottom, Rua and Franklin would put on an entertaining fight that few fans would have trouble picking sides in. It could be a co-main event on a card with a big draw in the main event, and one of these guys would be right back in the title mix with a win.