With Fabricio Werdum now UFC champ, who's next? Arlovski, Dos Santos make their case

With Fabricio Werdum now an undisputed champion, the UFC’s heavyweight division just got a whole lot more interesting. Prior to Werdum’s UFC 188 win over Cain Velasquez, we talked to both Andrei Arlovski (24-10 MMA, 13-4 UFC) and Junior dos Santos (17-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC), who each feel they could be next in line.

Arlovski, a former UFC champ who last held the belt in 2005, is currently enjoying perhaps the best run of his career at 36 years old.

He credits a newfound discipline for his current success, which has seen him earn three consecutive victories since returning to the UFC in 2014.

“I think right now I’m doing everything the right way,” Arlovski told MMAjunkie.

Arlovski wasn’t too forceful with his intentions but did wonder aloud why the UFC would bring him to Mexico City unless they had some intentions of considering him in the current title picture.

Check out the video below to hear more from Arlovski.

Meanwhile, Dos Santos was a UFC champion as recently as 2012. However, with a 1-2 record in three fights with former champ Cain Velasquez, the Brazilian slugger knew it would be a struggle to book a fourth bout between the two. But Dos Santos knew that a Werdum win would open up new possibilities.

“If [Werdum] gets there, it’s going to be good for me,” Dos Santos said. “Now I’m suffering with the politics. … For sure, if Werdum wins, I’m the next in line for the title.”

Check out the video below to hear more from Dos Santos.

Stipe Miocic (13-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) is also “in the mix,” according to UFC President Dana White, and a Werdum-Velasquez rematch isn’t unreasonable, either. So what do you think? Who deserves the next shot at Werdum?

Give us your vote.

And for complete coverage of UFC 188, check out the UFC Events section of the site.