UFC 126: Where Does Donald Cerrone Go From Here?

After a disappointing first round against Paul Kelly on the Spike TV portion of UFC 126, Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone came back in the second round to submit the tough fighter from the UK. He was filling in as a late replacement and dealing with the passing of his grandfather going into the bout.

It was the UFC debut of the WEC lightweight standout, and it gives Cerrone a taste of what's to come in one of the most stacked divisions in MMA. It was his third win in a row, his 12th submission victory and it improves his overall record to 14-3 with one no-contest.

What makes Cerrone so intriguing as a fighter is his ability on the ground to submit almost anyone he takes there. Combine that with his exciting muay thai skills and solid chin, and he can start to challenge some of the better fighters in the division. Established veterans like Sean Sherk and Kenny Florian may be too much right now, but there are a wealthy amount of other challenges in the middle of the division worth taking a look at.

Fans will probably be robbed of potential fights between Cerrone and fighters like Clay Guida or Melvin Guillard because they all train together at Jackson's Submission Fighting in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The UFC staff is probably looking to build Cerrone up as a future star in the division.

The following are a breakdown of some potential fighters that could be a good challenge for Cerrone:

Paul Taylor (11-6)

Paul Taylor's UFC record of 4-5 can be a little deceiving. He had two very close fights against Chris Lytle and Sam Stout that could have gone either way. The reason he is still in the UFC is simple: He is one of the most exciting fighters and has been for a while. He is recently coming off a knockout victory over Gabe Ruediger on the preliminary card at UFC 126.

This would be an exciting fight and one that could test Cerrone's chin even more. Taylor's ever improving wrestling will help him in this fight because Cerrone's plan would be to take it to the ground and find a submission.

What makes it fun is that Cerrone wouldn't be afraid to stand and trade with Taylor. Both are very technical with their standup, and it could be featured as a co-main event on a Fight Night event.

Mac Danzig (21-8-1)

Danzig is coming off a knockout victory of former lightweight title challenger Joe Stevenson at UFC 124. The TUF 6 winner moved to lightweight in 2009 after struggling with the bigger fighters in the welterweight division. It wouldn't get much easier here as Cerrone is six feet tall and has a 72-inch reach.

Danzig would have to keep the fight on the feet because he is prone to getting caught in chokes. This was also the case in his fight with Stevenson, and he passed that test with a "Knockout of the Night" award.

Edson Barboza (7-0)

If the 24-year-old makes it past his next opponent, Anthony Njokuani, at UFC 128, it may make for a muay thai war between him and Cerrone. Barboza may turn out to be the breakout star of the year depending on who he challenges during the rest of the year, and Cerrone could help him earn that award.

His leg kicks are some of the best in the UFC, and he can test them out well in the lightweight division. Had he been in the WEC, a fight between him and Cerrone may have already happened so it will be engaging clash of skills to see who can move on in the division.

Takanori Gomi (32-7-1)

Gomi is in a dire need of a win, and there's no point in putting him against opponents that aren't too much of a challenge for him. At this point in his career, he's either going to have success in the UFC or he's not.

Since he's coming off a loss to Clay Guida, Gomi would have trouble in determining how to go about fighting against another Jackson team member. He always has the chance to land one big shot, and that would be good enough to warrant a fight between the two.

Cole Miller (17-5)

Miller probably doesn't deserve a shot at Cerrone after dropping a unanimous decision to Matt Wiman at Fight for the Troops 2 last month, but he issued the Colorado fighter a warning prior to that bout.

"Cerrone is a good fighter but he sucks at life," Miller said in a December interview with Bloody Elbow. "I would be more than happy to take a step down in competition to fight Cerrone and I think the UFC would definitely make it happen because it makes sense. It's a very exciting fight."

Cerrone also called out Wiman so this fight could make sense if the UFC is looking for a good fight on a Fight Night card or Spike TV portion of a future PPV event.