UFC: Top 5 Bantamweight Fights To Look Forward To After Cruz-Johnson

After the most recent UFC bantamweight fight between champion Dominick Cruz and Demetrious Johnson, many fans were left wondering just who would be next for "The Dominator."

These five matchups will all take place before the end of the year and may produce the next challenger for Cruz, who has already defeated all of the top contenders in the division.

UFC president Dana White announced that the winner of the upcoming Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles matchup may be next, but who is after that?

These fights will determine how the rankings play out and who will get their shot at the champion.

No. 5: Miguel Torres vs. Nick Pace: UFC 139

Former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres looks to rebound from his loss to Demetrious Johnson when he takes on Nick Pace at UFC 139 in November.

Pace is coming off a loss as well to Ivan Menjivar in August. He made his UFC debut last year and defeated Will Campuzano.

With a 38-4 record, Torres does hold a vast amount of experience over his opponent, who is 6-2.

Torres will come into the fight a heavy favorite with his only recent losses coming against Johnson, Joseph Benavidez and Brian Bowles. He is one of the few top contenders who has yet to face Cruz, and it's a fight that he could be put into faster than many of the other opponents that Cruz has already faced.

No. 4: Michael McDonald vs. Johnny Eduardo: UFC 139

The second bantamweight bout from UFC 139 will feature an up-and-coming prospect in Michael McDonald as he goes up against Johnny Eduardo.

McDonald is 13-1 in MMA with a 2-0 record in the UFC. His victories include those over Edwin Figueroa and Chris Cariaso. He also avenged his only career defeat in 2010 by knocking out Cole Escovedo.

Eduardo will make his second appearance in the Octagon when he takes on the 20-year-old. His first fight was a decision loss to Raphael Assuncao. He brings a 25-9 record with six knockouts and 13 submissions to his credit.

No. 3: Scott Jorgensen vs. Jeff Curran: UFC 137

Top five bantamweight fighter Scott Jorgensen will take on Jeff Curran at UFC 137 and look to get his second UFC victory.

Jorgensen made his debut in the UFC earlier this year when he knocked out Ken Stone in the very first round. It was his first fight back since losing to Dominick Cruz last year. Before that, he had been on a five fight win streak with wins over Antonio Banuelos, Brad Pickett and Takeya Mizugaki.

Curran will return to the UFC for the first time since losing to Matt Serra at UFC 46. He brings a 33-13-1 record to the cage and has gone 4-1 in his last five fights with his four-fight losing streak well behind him.

No. 2: Brad Pickett vs. Renan Barão: UFC 138

From Birmingham, England, the UFC will host this co-main event matchup between Brad Pickett and Renan Barao at UFC 138.

Pickett is 20-5 in MMA with wins over Demetrious Johnson and Ivan Menjivar. He also holds a peruvian-necktie submission victory over Kyle Dietz.

Barao is 26-1 and recently defeated Cole Escovedo at UFC 130. His only loss came in his very first bout, which he lost by split-decision.

The winner of this fight could be one fight away from a title shot in the 135 pound division.

No. 1: Brian Bowles vs. Urijah Faber: UFC 139

In a bout that will determine the next challenger for Dominick Cruz, former WEC champions Urijah Faber and Brian Bowles will battle it out at UFC 139 in San Jose, Cali.

Faber is coming off his competitive decision loss to Cruz while Bowles has gone 2-0 since losing the title to Cruz in 2010.

This fight has fireworks written all over it, and it might just turn out to be the best fight on the card, which also features fights with Cung Le, Stephan Bonnar, Martin Kampmann and Wanderlei Silva.

With a victory, Faber could challenge Cruz for the third time. They are both 1-1 against each other and would like to settle the score once and for all. Bowles would love to get revenge against the only man to beat him in his career.