If Dana White has his way, Anderson Silva will defend the belt three more times. After that, he can move on to a superfight against the champion of an adjacent weight class.
As the most decorated mixed martial artist in UFC history, The Spider has held on to his belt for more than six years and has defended it a record 10 times. Along the way, he has shattered several other records, including most consecutive wins and most knockout-of-the-night awards.
For those reasons, you can’t simply throw any challenger in front of him. You have to strategically pick opponents who deserve a crack at the title and have a reasonable chance of scoring the upset.
With the recent fumbles of potential contenders Tim Boetsch and Alan Belcher, the division appears much smaller today than it did only a few weeks ago. So who should get the chance to challenge Silva for the UFC middleweight championship?
Here is a look at the final three men who should challenge Anderson Silva for the UFC championship before he takes on a superfight.