Fight Forecast: Matches to make after UFC 187

After every UFC event, theScore's Kyle Smith gives his take on which matchups should be made for the big winners and losers of each event.

Daniel Cormier vs. Ryan Bader

After the post-fight press conference brouhaha following UFC 187 on Saturday night, there's essentially no other match to make.

Sure, a second showdown between newly-minted light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and former champion Jon Jones is the real no-brainer, but with Jones' mounting legal issues muddying up the 205-pound waters, a bout with Ryan Bader feels like the only choice for Cormier. They were originally set to face each other at a Fight Night event on June 6, why not reschedule that bout for later this year with the title on the line?

Plus ... I mean, this pretty much sealed it:

Chris Weidman vs. Luke Rockhold

With the UFC's historically weak middleweight division gradually becoming a terrifying shark tank over the last couple of years, there are plenty of decent options for champion Chris Weidman's next title defense.

Riding a four-fight winning streak with vicious stoppages of Costas Philippou, Tim Boetsch, Michael Bisping, and Lyoto Machida, Luke Rockhold is a Swiss army knife of violence, and has the skillset to defeat virtually any man on the planet at 185 pounds.

Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza would also be a good choice, but Rockhold's complete decimation of Machida will likely sway UFC matchmaker Joe Silva to set up a Weidman-Rockhold matchup before the end of the year.

Donald Cerrone vs. Rafael dos Anjos

Since dropping a unanimous decision to Rafael dos Anjos in 2013, Donald Cerrone is on an eight-fight winning streak, and likely earned another crack at dos Anjos with his jaw-crushing head-kick victory over John Makdessi at UFC 187.

Dos Anjos hasn't exactly been silent since the Cerrone fight, either, posting a 4-1 record and capturing the lightweight strap against Anthony Pettis at UFC 185 in one of the most dominant title seizures in the promotion's history.

UFC President Dana White agrees this rematch should take place with the division's biggest prize on the line:

Andrei Arlovski vs. Junior dos Santos

It's the year 2015 and somehow Andrei Arlovski is on the cusp of a heavyweight title shot in the UFC.

Arlovski's improbable career resurgence continued in violent fashion at UFC 187, when he overwhelmed Travis Browne with a vicious barrage of strikes en route to a first round TKO victory. The hirsute Belarusian even had his chin tested by a massive overhand right, and was somehow able to keep his consciousness.

Before throwing Arlovski into the deep end against champion Cain Velasquez (or a rematch with Fabricio Werdum depending on who wins between Velasquez and Werdum at UFC 188) give him a bout against fellow former heavyweight kingpin Junior dos Santos, who, because of a myriad of injuries hasn't fought since December.