As many dreamed of an Anderson Silva/Jon Jones superfight, middleweights asked for fights that would get them a step closer to challenging Silva for his belt.
Michael Bisping started the ball rolling by calling out Alan Belcher on "UFC Tonight." After Bisping's asked for the fight, Belcher responded.
"When someone says, 'Let's do this if you've got the balls to fight me,' and I say, 'OK,' and call (UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva right away, let's make the fight happen," Belcher today told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "I don't see why it's already been two days and there's no date."
Then Brian Stann got in on the fun by saying he wanted to fight Bisping. Stann was supposed to fight Hector Lombard in August, but had to pull out because of a shoulder injury. As his shoulder heals, Stann is looking forward to his next fight. He wants Bisping.
"I just think that the storyline would garner more attention between me and Bisping. I always want to fight guys that are ranked ahead of me, and right now, that's where Bisping is. He's very close to a title shot. I've done all the things necessary to improve my overall game," Stann said. "Now's my time. I'm not getting any younger. I want to fight for the title, and right now, to get to that title, Bisping is one of the guys you have to get through."
With Stann and Bisping now looking to fight, Belcher aimed higher. His sights are set on UFC gold. He used his Twitter account to encourage followers to tweet UFC president Dana White about a title shot. Using the hashtag #Belcher4champ, fans filled White's Twitter mentions with pleas on Belcher's behalf.
Now it's your turn to play matchmaker. Do you want to see Bisping, Belcher or Stann fight Silva? Or should two of them face off for the right to fight Silva? Tell us in the comments, on Facebook or Twitter.
Forrest Griffin Tyson Griffin Karn Grigorian Karen Grigoryan
