Matches to Make After UFC 134

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Someday, even the best wordsmiths among us will run out of superlatives to describe UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, a 36-year-old force of nature who has turned the 185-pound division into his own personal playground. He has now reigned for 1,777 days, and it does not seem out of the realm of possibility that he could reign for 1,777 more, if he chooses to fight into his 40s.

In less than two rounds at UFC 134 on Saturday at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Silva made Yushin Okami -- a respected, world-ranked challenger with 26 wins under his belt -- look less than ordinary. He beat up the judoka in the clinch, stuffed takedowns, ducked and dodged punches and moved in for the kill like only he can.

Okami was powerless to resist, as Silva floored him twice in round two, first with a short straight right and later with a ringing right hook. He did not get up the second time, his will to stay in the fight broken by a knee to the midsection, an elbow to the ribs and the punches that finally did him in. It was Silva’s ninth successful title defense. He has won 15 fights in a row, a record 14 of them in the UFC. He is the rare case where reality often exceeds hype and hyperbole.

A closer look at the seven matches we want to see made after UFC 134:

Anderson Silva vs. Dan Henderson: During his current 15-fight winning streak, Silva has scored six knockouts, four technical knockouts and three submissions. One of those victims was Henderson, the former two-division Pride Fighting Championships titleholder and reigning Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, who succumbed to a second-round rear-naked choke from “The Spider” at UFC 82 in March 2008. Reports of a possible rematch between the two surfaced after the UFC inked a landmark deal with the Fox Broadcasting Company on Aug. 18. Now, a Nov. 12 network debut looms for the promotion, and if the powers that be in the UFC want to make a splash on free television, a second encounter between Henderson and Silva would certainly do the trick.

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Phil Davis: Only Silva’s brilliance could overshadow Rua’s. The 2005 Pride Fighting Championships middleweight grand prix winner and former UFC light heavyweight champion avenged his 2007 submission defeat to Forrest Griffin in the UFC 134 co-headliner.

The 29-year-old Brazilian carved through Griffin with power, speed and precision, as he obliterated “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 1 winner with a series of lethal hammerfists on the ground. Potential challengers in the 205-pound division appear few and far between at the moment, with Rashad Evans awaiting the Jon Jones-Quinton “Rampage” Jackson winner at UFC 135.

That leaves Davis, a NCAA national wrestling champion who wields the kind of overwhelming athleticism that has given Rua problems in the past. He was scheduled to meet Evans in the UFC 133 main event earlier this month but withdrew with a knee injury. Might Shogun now be in his crosshairs?

Yushin Okami vs. Demian Maia-Jorge Santiago winner: Only time can heal the wounds Okami now bears. Smashed and embarrassed by Silva, the Japanese judoka will likely need some time off to heal, physically and, perhaps more importantly, mentally. Despite the loss, Okami remains one of the world’s premier middleweights, and the UFC figures to match him as such. Maia, the 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist, will face Santiago, the former Sengoku Raiden Championship middleweight titleholder, in a pivotal bout for both men at UFC 136 on Oct. 8. The winner would fit into Okami’s future plans quite nicely.

Forrest Griffin vs. Jon Jones-Quinton Jackson loser: Griffin has been here before following losses to Keith Jardine, Rashad Evans and Anderson Silva, and he always seems to bounce back. Defeat often breeds determination in men. At 32, Griffin is drifting towards the edge of his prime, especially considering some of the abuse he has absorbed in his 14-fight UFC run. With that said, he holds too high a profile to face anyone outside of the cream of the crop in the light heavyweight division. Griffin will lick his wounds, look in the mirror and find his way back to the cage for another meaningful fight. He always does. Jones will defend his light heavyweight crown against Jackson in the UFC 135 main event in September and figures to do so as a heavy favorite. Jackson has long pined for a rematch with Griffin. Perhaps Jones will give the UFC reason to grant him his wish.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir: After 41 professional fights, a number of them all-out wars in which he absorbed inhumane amounts of punishment, Nogueira still has fire burning in his belly. The 35-year-old scored just the third knockout of his career -- his first in more than six years -- at UFC 134, where, on the heels of an 18-month layoff, he took out “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 finalist Brendan Schaub. Nogueira lost to Mir in 2008 and has never wavered from his desire for a rematch. They were originally scheduled to meet again at UFC 119, but Nogueira’s body raised the white flag and he instead underwent hip and knee surgeries. Now back in fighting condition, and with Mir on a two-fight winning streak, a second matchup between the two makes perfect sense.

Edson Barboza vs. Dennis Siver: Barboza cleared a significant hurdle in his split decision victory over “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 9 winner Ross Pearson at UFC 134, as he showed off the speed, technique and athleticism that make him one of the lightweight division’s more intriguing prospects. Soon, however, time and success will dictate the need to shed the “prospect” label. On the cusp of a world ranking, Siver, provided he can get past Sam Stout at UFC 137, has the experience and striking prowess to test Barboza at his best. The Russian-born German has won four fights in a row and eight of his last nine, and a showdown with Barboza could give rise to another potential title contender at 155 pounds.

Rousimar Palhares vs. Mark Munoz-Chris Leben winner: Palhares continues to cruise underneath the radar in the middleweight division. He dominated vast stretches of his UFC 134 bout with former International Fight League champion Dan Miller, but he made a horrendous mental mistake in the first round, when, believing the fight was over, he disengaged and scaled the cage with arms raised. It allowed Miller, who was clearly on the verge of being stopped, precious time to recover and made for a much harder and longer night’s work for Palhares. Still, the leg lock specialist emerged victorious and now owns a 6-2 mark in the UFC. Munoz and Leben will meet in the UFC 138 main event in November. Palhares has the look of a fitting foe for the victor.