By Joe Osborne

Another stacked Super Bowl weekend card has come and gone. The results from UFC 126 answered some major questions going forward, while a few results opened the door to a variety of different possibilities. Here’s what could be around the corner for UFC 126’s top performers.

Thanks to a dominating victory on Saturday, Anderson Silva is the clear cut #1 pound for pound fighter.

Anderson Silva – It didn’t take long, but Silva was able to display the skills that make him the world’s top fighter. After being dominated for four and a half rounds by Chael Sonnen in August, many began to wonder if age was starting to creep up on the middleweight champion. Silva silenced his critics with one explosive front kick, making quick work of an extremely motivated Vitor Belfort. There’s not much of a secret about what’s next for Silva. If Georges St-Pierre is able to defeat Jake Sheilds at UFC 129 in April, then fans will get to see the super fight that we’ve wanted to see for years. However, if GSP can’t get it done, we’ll have to accept a much lesser consolation prize; a fight with Yushin Okami which would provide one of the most epic war or words to promote a fight in UFC history. Yes, that’s me being sarcastic.

Forrest Griffin – It wasn’t exactly pretty, but Forrest was able to get the job done against Rich Franklin in his first fight in over a year. That makes it two wins in a row now for Forrest, who’s still probably two more wins away from a title shot in the stacked light heavyweight division. Next up for Forrest should be the winner of the upcoming fight between Tito Ortiz and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. A fight with Ortiz makes sense, as it’ll give the fighters a chance to settle the score and complete their trilogy. A fight with Nogueira makes sense as the two fighters were suppose to fight last year on Super Bowl weekend, but Forrest was forced to pull out due to injury.

Jon Jones – The unstoppable force that is Jon Jones will face the biggest challenge in his young career, when he steps in to challenge Shogun Rua for the light heavyweight title, in six short weeks. Thanks to some impressive submission skills, Jones proved that he is deserving to fill in for the injured Rashad Evans. One of the more exciting parts of the night was when Joe Rogan told Jones that he was being offered a title shot, and Shogun entered the octagon to greet him. It had a dramatic WWE feel to it. It’s a good thing that we won’t have to wait long to see this fight.

Jake Ellenberger – The close win for Ellenberger made it three in a row. The UFC would be smart to match him up against a top ten fighter. Ellenberger has made no secret about the fact that he wants to fight Jon Fitch, a fight that probably only happens if Fitch losses to BJ Penn later this month. If Fitch is victorious, a fight with Fitch’s AKA teammate Josh Koscheck would make sense, as Koscheck will be forced to once again attempt to climb the welterweight ladder.

Miguel Torres – Most fans weren’t impressed by his performance, but a win is a win, and Torres now has two in a row as he creeps closer to the top of the division that he once dominated. As he makes his way towards another title shot, the competition will only get tougher. A great fight for the division would be to pair him up with Brian Bowles, the man who took his title and ended his 17 fight win streak in August of 2009. For the fight to happen, Bowles will have to beat Damacio Page next month.

So, that’s it for UFC 126. Anderson Silva and Jon Jones proved that they’re possibly the two most dynamic fighters in MMA, while Forrest Griffin staked his claim as one of his division’s most versatile fighters. What do you think is next for UFC 126’s winners and losers? Have fun playing match maker; we’ll be doing it a lot over the next few months in what will be a very busy time for MMA.

Joe Osborne is a sports and entertainment enthusiast who resides in Halifax, NS. To read more articles like this, visit WhatUpSports.com, or you can contact Joe at osbornejt@hotmail.com.