Is Jon Jones running out of competition after another convincing title defence? Is Donald Cerrone ready for another crack at the lightweight title?
With UFC 182 in the books it's time to take a look into the future for the main card winners.
JON JONES
UFC 182 Result: Defeated Daniel Cormier via unanimous decision
What's next?: The waiting game.
The light heavyweight division is running out of guys Jones hasn't beaten, but that doesn't mean there aren't compelling opportunities. Alexander Gustafsson and Anthony Johnson square off in Sweden on Jan. 31 for what should be the next shot at the belt. If Gustafsson wins, Jones is looking at a rematch with the guy who almost took his belt in 2013 and proved to be his most worthy challenger to date. If Johnson wins, Jones gets an unfamiliar powerhouse who is on a tear as part of a career resurgence at 205 pounds.
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DONALD CERRONE
UFC 182 Result: Defeated Myles Jury via unanimous decision
What's next?: The campaign trail.
Cerrone is scorching right now with six straight wins and a striking attack that looks unstoppable. His biggest obstacle is the amount of fighters waiting in front of him to get the attention of lightweight champion Anthony Pettis. Rafael Dos Anjos is next up for a title shot in March and former No. 1 contender Gilbert Melendez fell short in his title bout in December, which means Cerrone's quest for gold will likely have to go through the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov (22-0), who is currently healing from a torn meniscus in his right knee and is eyeing a February return.
** UPDATE ** Since this article was posted, Cerrone has agreed to replace the injured Eddie Alvarez in a bout with Benson Henderson at UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Siver on Jan. 18.
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BRAD TAVARES
UFC 182 Result: Defeated Nate Marquardt via unanimous decision
What's next?: Trial by fire
Tavares' rise up the middleweight ranks hit a wall with consecutive losses to Yoel Romero and Tim Boetsch in 2014, but a convincing win over Marquardt will at least stop the bleeding for now. An interesting test would be a bout with CB Dollaway, who is also looking to stop some bleeding of his own after a disappointing TKO loss to Lyoto Machida in his first ever main event in December. Tavares looks talented enough for the upper half of the division and a fight against someone in a similar position could go a long way in proving his worth.
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KYOJI HORIGUCHI
UFC 182 Result: Defeated Louis Gaudinot via unanimous decision
What's next?: Another rung
Horiguchi has dominated his first four opponents in the UFC and now it's time for a real challenge on the ladder up the flyweight division. Without taking away from his UFC victories, the truth is he has yet to face any championship-calibre opponents. With Zach Makovsky and Timothy Elliott set to tangle in mid-February, Horiguchi would slot in well against former title contender Chris Cariaso. Cariaso is an experienced and talented fighter that would be a logical next step for Horiguchi to try and vault himself into the upper echelon at 125 pounds.
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HECTOR LOMBARD
UFC 182 Result: Defeated Josh Burkman via unanimous decision
What's next? The big boys
After his fourth win in five UFC fights, it's time to see if Lombard belongs in the title conversation. The former Bellator champion thinks "Rory MacDonald makes more sense" for his next fight and he would be right based on the circumstances. Since MacDonald has been forced to wait for the Robbie Lawler-Johny Hendricks trilogy to end before he fights for the belt, and the next four ranked fighters are booked, it would make a lot of sense to see if Lombard can compete with a level of talent he has yet to face in the UFC.