Each week, our ESPN.com panel tackles hot topics in the world of mixed martial arts.
This week, UFC middleweight contender Luke Rockhold joins our expert panel.
1. Who should be the next winner of Saturday's Cain Velasquez-Fabricio Werdum heavyweight title bout?
Luke Rockhold: I think Junior dos Santos needs another fight. Obviously, Stipe Miocic had an amazing fight [against Mark Hunt], and Andrei Arlovski has proven his case too. It depends what the UFC wants to do. Do they want to do a No. 1 contender's fight or put one of them into a title fight immediately? Even Stipe losing to Dos Santos [in December], I think it's either him or Arlovski. That would be a great fight and great matchup between Stipe and Arlovski. It depends what the time frame is with Cain.
Brett Okamoto: If everything remains as it is, the answer is Miocic. But I think the UFC has to book a No. 1 contender's fight to drum up interest. With all due respect, Miocic hasn't created the kind of buzz you'd like for him to step in and fight for the UFC heavyweight title. He just hasn't. He's the most deserving right now, but I don't think there's anything wrong with the UFC making him win one more fight to earn the shot. Arlovski as an opponent does make sense. One way or another, I expect the UFC to book a handful of heavyweight fights and see what happens before immediately awarding Miocic the next shot.
Mike Huang: If Velasquez wins, I'm in no rush to see him beat down on dos Santos again. I really wish Alistair Overeem would get some momentum behind him because that's a fight I'd want to see: a tactical, focused Overeem against Velasquez. I like Miocic, and he's one of the UFC's most technically sound fighters. But that just doesn't seem to have the juice and flair of Overeem. If Werdum wins, then yeah, JDS should get the call.
2. Did the UFC make the right call in naming Alexander Gustafsson the No. 1 light heavyweight contender?
Rockhold: I think he's a bigger name, a bigger sell. It's a tough matchup too. I'm not going to lie, but it's tough. I thought Ryan Bader earned his shot, and I believe this is the time, if any, to give it to him. It's tough to give Gustafsson the fight when he just got beaten by the guy [Anthony Johnson] Daniel Cormier beat. It's hard. I think Bader deserved the shot.
Okamoto: I'm actually completely OK with Gustafsson getting the shot. I realize he just lost to Johnson in January (in the first round, in his hometown, no less) but if you recall, Gustafsson was once supposed to fight Jon Jones before Cormier but had to withdraw due to an injury. Even with the win streak Bader has put together, when you compare what he has done in the Octagon to what Gustafsson has done, the Swede wins out. If we're being honest, Cormier-Gustafsson is the better fight. If you had to wager on either Gustafsson or Bader taking out DC, whom would you put your money on? I'm guessing Gustafsson.
Huang: Gustafsson is the right choice. DC surprised a lot of people, considering Johnson's momentum going into their fight. I don't think Gustafsson has anything left to prove that he's one of the top four light heavyweights in the world. With Jones still suspended, it's the most logical choice, and Gustafsson deserves another shot.
3. To this point, who has had the more impressive career: Gilbert Melendez or Eddie Alvarez?
Rockhold: That's a tough, tough, tough, tough one. I think Alvarez has had an amazing past. He has fought some tough guys [and] put on some great shows. I think with Gil, the competition was just a little stiffer. Within Strikeforce, there was definitely elevated competition. Both are equally impressive in their performances, but I think the competition might have been tougher for Gil, so I'll give him the nod.
Okamoto: It's Melendez. He's the more decorated fighter, for sure: former WEC champion, defended Strikeforce title four times, came within one judges' scorecard of winning the UFC title in a split decision loss to Ben Henderson. And there's just no question Melendez has fought tougher competition. That's not really Alvarez's fault, and he has still been one of the most impressive fighters of the past decade. But if we're comparing the two, it's Melendez.
Huang: Melendez for sure. "El Nino" had such a successful run in Strikeforce, and while Alvarez did the same in Bellator, the competition in Strikeforce was better in its heyday than Bellator when Alvarez was champion. Today, Bellator has really upgraded its fighter pool (just as the fighters have also improved), almost to the point that it's comparing apples to oranges when assessing Bellator 2015 and Bellator 2009 or 2010. If you compared that to Strikeforce, Melendez wins.
4. Which would be a bigger feather in Werdum's cap: His win over Fedor Emelianenko or a win over Velasquez at UFC 188?
Rockhold: He's not going to beat Cain, so he's going to hold on to the feather he has, and that's Fedor.
Okamoto: Historically, the biggest feather in Werdum's cap will always be Emelianenko. What that win represented at the time of the fight even a UFC title wouldn't eclipse, in terms of his finest moment. Degree of difficulty, though? There is no doubt in my mind that a win over Velasquez on Saturday would be the more impressive of the two. If that makes sense, the Emelianenko win will always hold more significance as far as Werdum's resume goes, but beating Velasquez on Saturday would be the harder feat.
Huang: Either one is a career-maker, but if you look at the points in their careers at which Werdum faced both, it's clear a win over Velasquez would be more significant. When Werdum slapped that arm triangle on Fedor, it was the first time the Sambo and kickboxing legend had been defeated in 10 years. Because of that, no one thought Fedor was close to empty in the gas tank, both physically and in terms of his desire to fight or train. But we know now he was. On the other hand, despite two major injuries, Cain still remains one of the UFC's most fearsome competitors, and taking the UFC heavyweight belt from him would carry much more weight for Werdum than Fedor.
5. What is the most overlooked fight on the UFC 188 card?
Rockhold: Are Eddie and Gil getting overlooked? I don't know. I think Kelvin Gastelum fighting Nate Marquardt is another great fight. Gastelum is tough as nails. I don't think he's well-suited at 185, but I think it's a good matchup. Those are the two fights that stick out to me. Obviously, everything gets overshadowed by Cain -- not so much Werdum, but Cain.
Okamoto: I do think it's the Melendez-Alvarez fight. Even though both are coming off losses and there is no title on the line, this matchup could easily have headlined a non-pay-per-view event for the UFC. It seems people are excited about it but not gushing over it. And this is a gush-worthy fight. Beyond that, I'll be watching Henry Cejudo. The flyweight contender has really had the look of something special in his past two fights.
Huang: I know when a big heavyweight fight is on the card, it soaks up most of the attention. But this Mexico City event is supposed to be the UFC's flag-planting of sorts. They've arrived in Mexico showing off one of their biggest stars, who happens to be of Mexican descent and has "Brown Pride" tattooed across his chest. (Although his mom told me he said if he were going to have that tattoo, he better learn how to speak Spanish!) To me, Cejudo is someone I have to watch if I like watching Velasquez. Cejudo's style is exactly like Velasquez's -- relentless pressure, takedowns, ground-and-pound. He's just stifling, and at flyweight, he's like a mini Cain! And