UFC on FOX 2: What's Next for the Fighters?

Last night, the highly anticipated UFC on FOX 2 took place in Chicago, Illinois. Although many fans went in with high hopes for the card, it did not deliver like most thought it would.

Yesterdays fights gave us two top contenders, but also left us with questions. Where will guys like Demian Maia and Michael Bisping go from here? Who will get cut?

Some of these questions do not have definitive answers, but I will try to offer some insight on where each fighter goes from here.

Dustin Jacoby

Dustin Jacoby was on the wrong end of a guillotine choke last night, marking his second loss in as many fights in the UFC. Conventional logic tells us that Jacoby will most likely be cut following last nights loss to Chris Camozzi.

Should the UFC keep him around, Jacoby will likely be used to give somebody a comeback fight or he will be used to build another prospect up. For his own benefit, let Jacoby slug it out with Brad Tavares, who has not seen the Octagon since July of last year, where he dropped a decision to Aaron Simpson.

Chris Camozzi

Chris Camozzi likely saved his job last night with his third round guillotine over Dustin Jacoby. Currently at 3-2 in the organization, Camozzi is still near the bottom of the pecking order at middleweight.

Having said that, Camozzi offers a solid stand up game to go along with an underrated ground game. A fight against a guy like Jared Hamman would be exciting, and serve as a decent test for Hamman, as he is coming off a loss against Constantinos Philippou. Both bring solid kickboxing to the table, and it would be interesting to see if Camozzi could break through Jared Hamman's granite chin.

Joey Beltran

Despite dropping a reported 25 pounds for this fight, Joey Beltran was completely overwhelmed by Lavar Johnson last night. Unfortunately for the fan favorite, last nights fight may have been his last in the UFC.

Although I hope the UFC realizes the entertainment Beltran brings to the table, he will most likely be cut. In the event Beltran receives another chance, a fight against Ednaldo Oliveira could serve as a loser leave town fight. Oliveira, a training partner of Junior dos Santos, was less than impressive in his debut at UFC 142 earlier this month.

Beltran has an amazing tolerance for pain. Oliveira works his boxing with the same people as Junior dos Santos. That could make for an interesting fight.

Lavar Johnson

Somebody eventually had to knock out Joey Beltran. Why not the man with dynamite in his hands, Lavar Johnson. Johnson made a successful debut last night, jumping over from Strikeforce. Johnson showed great composure for his first fight in the Octagon and put on a "Knockout of the Night" performance.

Johnson does have over 20 fights under his belt, but a big step up in competition would not be a great idea yet. Rob Broughton dropped out of UFC 142 due to injury, so is available to take a fight. Throw him in there against Johnson and see who the better man is.

Shane Roller

Three losses, especially in the UFC's lightweight division, most certainly will get a fighter cut. This is most likely the case for Roller, who was outclassed by Michael Johnson last night. Although he did almost come back in the final round, threatening with a rear-naked choke, that did not make up for his all-around lackluster performance.

Like I said, Roller is probably going to be cut. Should the UFC brass love him, and keep him in the UFC, a fight with Ramsey Nijem could be a good test for both men. Roller needs to get a win under his belt, and Nijem needs a step up in competition, after thoroughly dismantling Danny Downes. Their wrestling may cancel out, which would in turn be a battle of whose stand-up is better.

Michael Johnson

Michael Johnson looked fantastic last night, using his quickness, solid takedown defense, and superior stand-up against Shane Roller. Working with the Blackzilians has definitely improved Johnson's game.

With that, Johnson has a lot of options from here. He needs to test his submission defense, as he was submitted by Paul Sass before last night's fight. He also was on the brink of defeat when Roller got his back. TJ Grant does not have an opponent as of right now, and he could be the man to test Johnson's submission defense. Styles make fights, and this stylistic match-up could be fun to watch.

Eric Wisely

This may be unfair to say, but Eric Wisely had no chance last night. He was thrown to the wolves in his debut, as Charles Oliveira is a tough fight for anybody, let alone a guy making his UFC debut. He ultimately succumbed to submission defeat, tapping to a calf slicer.

Wisely needs an upstart fight. Assuming that there was no damage to his leg from that submission, he could have a quick turn around fight. Milton Vieira just signed with the UFC to compete as a featherweight, but does not have an opponent yet. Wisely could be Vieira's welcome fight, and try and erase the memory of his disappointing first UFC fight.

Charles Oliveira

Charles Oliveira has found his new weight class. Last night, he pulled out a rare, yet devastating calf slicer to put away Eric Wisely.

Oliveira brings a strong all-around game. He has great submissions and solid Muay Thai. Last night, he made a huge statement in his quick victory. Seeing how he took little to no damage, he could fight again soon. Jimy Hettes is coming off a huge victory over Nam Phan last month. Give him to Oliviera and a "Fight of the Night" could be in the making.

George Roop

Despite his height and reach advantage, I felt that George Roop did not look comfortable last night. He has dropped his last two fights now, but I think the UFC will keep him around.

To Roop's defense, Cub Swanson looked phenomenal last night. With that, Roop needs to start climbing the featherweight ladder again. Roop could find a young, yet talented, opponent in Daniel Pineda for his next fight. Both men are good kickboxers, which means we could be in for a real treat if these two were to square off.

Cub Swanson

Swanson erased the memory of his UFC debut loss to Ricardo Lamas last night by outclassing George Roop. He knocked Roop out, which is not the easiest of tasks. Although Swanson is very talented, he is still somewhat inconsistent.

The ground game is still Swanson's bread and butter, so a match against Javier Vazquez could make for an interesting chess match. Vazquez is one of the best ground fighters in the featherweight division, and seeing how Vazquez is without an opponent currently, this could be in the cards for both men.

John-Olav Einemo

John-Olav Einemo is now 0-2 in the UFC following his loss to Mike Russow last night. Although he could be on the chopping block, I believe the UFC should keep him, as he is a talented fighter that needs time to put together some wins.

His ground game was negated last night by Russow's solid top control. Einemo, despite his losses, is a beast and certainly adds depth to the heavyweight division. Phil De Fries and Stipe Miocic will battle at UFC on FUEL TV in February. Whoever loses that bout should be matched up against Einemo, in what could be an exciting under card bout.

Mike Russow

Mike Russow is undefeated in the UFC following last nights victory. Although not an exciting battle last night, Russow has serious skills. He controlled the stellar submission skills Einemo offered and stifled any offense Einemo tried to mount.

Russow needs a step up in competition. He is rugged and as tough as they come. With that said, Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva is coming over from Strikeforce and will be looking for somebody to compete with. Silva has a solid ground game and brutal ground and pound. If Russow can get by Silva, he will prove that he is a top tier heavyweight.

Nik Lentz

Nik Lentz has probably come to the end of his road in the UFC. He is winless in his last three fights now and was handled easily by Evan Dunham last night. Seeing Lentz's track record as a "boring" fighter, in combination with the winless streak, it's hard to see Lentz sticking around.

If Lentz does get another shot in the big show, he has to impress. A man who he could face off against, Khabib Nurmagomedov, impressed in his debut earlier this month. Nurmagomedov is still a prospect, but he handled himself well inside the Octagon. A Lentz-Nurmagomedov showdown may be in order to see if Lentz can get back to winning or if Nurmagomodov isn't just a flash in a pan.

Evan Dunham

Evan Dunham was impressive in his doctor stoppage victory last night. He showed solid striking ability and was able to make a mess of Nik Lentz's face. Dunham has proven that he is back to the pre-losing streak form that we had come to know. Dunham deserves a test in his next fight.

Edson Barboza wowed the audience with his wheel kick knockout of Terry Etim earlier this month. These two young stars could collide in their next fight, displaying two of the best young talents the lightweight division has to offer. Dunham is a handful on the ground, and we have yet to really see what Barboza's ground game looks like. This fight could answer a few questions.

Demian Maia

Demian Maia was on the wrong end of a decision last night to hot prospect Chris Weidman. He now finds himself in an interesting spot, as a loss to Weidman may have knocked him down the ladder quite a bit.

Maia needs to get back to his roots, which is his ground game. He is a very gifted submission artist, which is what has served him his most success in the Octagon. Maia needs a fight against a guy like Jason "Mayhem" Miller to get back on track.

Miller is a tough out for anybody, despite what you saw when he fought Michael Bisping. He has a solid ground game himself and is tough as nails. Pitting these two against one another would serve as an interesting bout.

Chris Weidman

Chris Weidman, although unimpressive in his win last night, was in fact the winner of his fight with Demian Maia. Still a prospect, he has proven he can hang with a tough fighter like Maia. With that, he will need a step up in competition.

Alan Belcher is without an opponent currently, and could serve as a solid test for Weidman. Belcher is a good all-around fighter that could test Weidman's chin, as well as his composure on the ground.

Belcher also needs a guy like Weidman to prove he is top tier. He dominated his comeback fight against Jason MacDonald last year. Putting these two opposite sides of the Octagon has the makings of a classic.

Michael Bisping

Karma. You flip off the city of Chicago, you get repaid with a loss in a number one contender's fight. Bisping did not look horrible in yesterdays fight. He was just beaten by a guy who is at the top of his game these days.

Bisping is still relevant, as much as it disgusts me to say that. He is definitely still a top middleweight in the UFC. Chael Sonnen's original opponent, Mark Munoz, could be in the cards for Michael Bisping. Although Munoz's injury could hold him out of competition for a while, Bisping may want to take a break after fighting twice in two months. Upon Munoz's return, Bisping could be standing there waiting for him. Sounds like a good fight to me.

Chael P. Sonnen (R)

This one is obvious. Sonnen's win last night gets him the ultimate rematch. Anderson Silva has been in his sights and with last nights victory we can expect to see the two square off in Brazil for the UFC Middleweight Championship.

Sonnen did not look especially great last night, but it got the job done. The most highly anticipated rematch since Chuck Liddell-Tito Ortiz is set to happen. Hopefully Chael can improve from last night and give us another epic showdown with "The Spider."

Phil Davis

It is the first blemish on Phil Davis's record. If last night proved anything, it is that Phil Davis needs to improve his all-around game. Rashad Evans won a clear cut decision last night and Davis will be looking to come back strong.

The talented wrestler is still a top 205er. He may need to fight somebody lower down in the division like Igor Pokrajac. Pokrajac has shown solid kickboxing, which could be tested by Davis's grappling. Should these two meet up, we can see if Davis can erase the memory of last night and get back to his winning ways.

Rashad Evans

It's finally going to happen. Rashad Evans will now fight Jon Jones for the title. That is of course, unless Evans gets injured again. Evans dominated Phil Davis last night. Since moving to the Blackzilian camp, Evans has shown improvement in victories over Davis and Tito Ortiz. He will need to put all of his skills together if he wants to beat Jon Jones.

The former training partners know each other well. Jones claims Evans has a weak chin and Evans says he held his own when he used to train with Jones. We will finally settle this soon, so we can stop listening to their subpar trash talk. If anything, this fight will be solid at the least.