UFC rumors 2016: Who will be Luke Rockhold's next opponent?

Luke Rockhold [photo: YouTube Screen Capture/UFC - Ultimate Fighting Championship]

Luke Rockhold will be looking to defend his newly won title soon, but the question is against whom?

To date, there are three names in the mix — Scott Weidman, Yoel Romero, and Vitor Belfort. Each one has a good story to tell.

Weidman is, of course, someone who would be logical. After losing at Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 194 in December, an immediate rematch could be in the works. But the other two hold pretty interesting twists as well.

Belfort is someone whom Rockhold would love to get his hands on, mainly because he was the one who dealt him his only loss. That happened back in 2013 when Belfort won via knockout in the first round.

Of course, Belfort is not free from scrutiny. He has been criticized for allegedly using performance-enhancing drugs in their last match, although it has been an issue for most of his fights. But is he a wise choice or more of a vendetta?

Romero looms as a favorite as well because he is dangerous. He is a fairly new face in the UFC scene so for folks who want to see new kids on the block to rise, Romero should be an interesting choice.

But if Rockhold had his say, Romero didn't exactly impress against Ronaldo Souza at UFC 194. Which brings us back to option number one — Weidman.

Tough as it may seem, it looks like it will all end up being an all-American affair once more as mentioned via MMAmania.com. Weidman has everything working on his end, being the top contender to Rockhold's title.

It remains to be seen if the UFC will indeed lean on a rematch. Better yet, there is no word on when Rockhold would be defending his title, although a post from MMA Junkie says it will not take place at UFC 199.

So how about UFC 200 which seems to be the event that most big name UFC fighters will be in?

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