Top ten MMA fighters next in line to battle UFC champ Ronda Rousey

Jessamyn "The Gun" Duke is undefeated since turning pro in early-2012, and a victory over Miriam Nakamoto at Invicta FC 6 will prove that she's a legit top ten bantamweight contender.At the tender age of 26, Duke is still considered a prospect. However, it's going to be tough for the UFC to not give her a chance if she continues to rack up victories in impressive fashion.Santos vs Rousey is the superfight that everyone wants to see, and there's still a strong possibility that they'll duke it out with each other sometime down the road.The UFC will likely build up the Santos vs Rousey rivalry for the next couple years before the fight actually happens.For now, Santos is set to fight Ediane Gomes at Invicta FC 5. Gina Carano hasn't fought in the cage in three years, but she refuses to close the door on her fighting career.In recent interviews, she even mentioned that she still trains hard and that it's always been her dream to fight someday in the UFC.A Carano vs Rousey fight would be a huge moneymaker for all parties involved, so it's tough to rule out a return to cage fighting from the former "face of women's MMA."Sure she's busy with her acting career, but let's just say her appearance in Haywire didn't exactly earn her any Oscar awards.Let's be honest; Carano vs Rousey isn't happening any time soon. However, two years down the road, Rousey will be just 28 and Carano will be just 32. There's plenty of time to make this fight happen.View the list »
Shayna Baszler and Sara McMann may fight Ronda Rousey sometime in the near future

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According to a Feb. 19 report from Yahoo! Sports, Liz Carmouche and Ronda Rousey are set to fight each other on Feb. 23 in the main event of UFC 157, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

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"Liz will be out there fighting for her life," Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp said of Carmouche. "Lay money on that. With what she's endured in her personal life, this is easy. This is just a fight. She's been there, done that. She's had a lot of obstacles in her personal life that have been a lot more difficult. Fighting a fight in a cage is just another day at the office for Liz."

If Rousey knocks off Carmouche as many expect will happen, there's a long list of potential opponents waiting in the wings.

There's the obvious, such as a rematch with Miesha Tate or a bout against fellow former Olympic medalist Sara McMann.

And then there's the hope that Cris "Cyborg" Santos will be able to eventually cut down to the 135-pound weight class, rather than staying put at 145.

Additionally, there are several women developing in the Invicta FC bantamweight ranks, who may be just one or two wins away from earning a spot in the UFC.

Rousey recently said that she posed artistically nude for ESPN the Magazine's Body Issue to help enhance the sport of MMA, and not because she sees herself as a sex symbol.

"I don't really see myself as a sex symbol because ever since people have started calling me a sex symbol, I haven't had a lot of sex in my life," Rousey revealed. "Like, it's just, it's not really working out great for me."

Here's a look at ten opponents that Rousey may find herself fighting over the course of the next three years.

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  • Gina Carano hasn't fought in the cage in three years, but she refuses to close the door on her fighting career.In recent interviews, she even mentioned that she still trains hard and that it's always been her dream to fight someday in the UFC.A Carano vs Rousey fight would be a huge moneymaker for all parties involved, so it's tough to rule out a return to cage fighting from the former "face of women's MMA."Sure she's busy with her acting career, but let's just say her appearance in Haywire didn't exactly earn her any Oscar awards.Let's be honest; Carano vs Rousey isn't happening any time soon. However, two years down the road, Rousey will be just 28 and Carano will be just 32. There's plenty of time to make this fight happen.
  • Santos vs Rousey is the superfight that everyone wants to see, and there's still a strong possibility that they'll duke it out with each other sometime down the road.The UFC will likely build up the Santos vs Rousey rivalry for the next couple years before the fight actually happens.For now, Santos is set to fight Ediane Gomes at Invicta FC 5. 
  • Jessamyn "The Gun" Duke is undefeated since turning pro in early-2012, and a victory over Miriam Nakamoto at Invicta FC 6 will prove that she's a legit top ten bantamweight contender.At the tender age of 26, Duke is still considered a prospect. However, it's going to be tough for the UFC to not give her a chance if she continues to rack up victories in impressive fashion.
  • What does UFC President Dana White have in common with Leslie "The Peacemaker" Smith?They both can't stand boring "press-against-the-cage" fighting styles.Smith aims to please with her exciting standup striking style, and that's exactly why the UFC is going to fall in love with her.She's set to fight former Strikeforce champ Sarah Kaufman at Invicta FC 6, and an impressive performance would secure a spot as No. 2 in the women's bantamweight division.
  • Alexis Davis is just 28 years old, but she's been around the women's MMA game forever and her recent victory over Shayna Baszler pushed her into the top echelon of the women's bantamweight ranks.Davis won five of her last six, with the lone hiccup being a close loss to former Strikeforce champ Sarah Kaufman in early-2012.No word yet on who her fight UFC opponent will be. In all likelihood, she's one UFC victory away from a shot at Rousey's belt.
  • Holm, 31, is one of the greatest female boxers of all-time, but she recently made the transition to MMA.She's 2-0 in her mixed martial arts career, with both wins coming by way of knockout.
  • When Ronda Rousey was recently asked who her biggest potential challenge might be, she specifically named Sara McMann.Much like Rousey, McMann is a former Olympic athlete who successfully transitioned to MMA.McMann has almost the same record as Rousey, but she doesn't receive as much attention because she's mild-mannered and not as outspoken as the star judoka.As for Baszler, her recent loss to Alexis Davis doesn't come close to telling the full story.Over the past three years, she has defeated the likes of Sarah D'Alelio and Elaina Maxwell, in addition to taking McMann the distance at Invicta FC 2.
  • Invicta FC veteran Cat Zingano can spoil plans of the long-awaited Miesha Tate vs Ronda Rousey rematch by earning a victory against Tate on Apr. 13 at the TUF 17 Finale.Zingano, 30, is a perennial contender in the women's bantamweight ranks, as she's undefeated in her seven appearances.Some have questioned the caliber of her opponents since she hasn't squared off against any of the top five 135-pounders in recent years, but a win over Tate will prove she's for real. 
  • MMA fans love juicy story-lines, and the real-life "beef" between Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey would definitely help the UFC sell pay-per-views if these two former Strikeforce standouts accepted a rematch in the UFC ranks.The first Tate vs Rousey fight is the match that got many casual fans into women's MMA, so it makes sense to have them square off again.Tate and Rousey are both super marketable, so it wouldn't be a complete disaster for the UFC if "Cupcake" became the new champ.
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, Long Island MMA Examiner

Eric Holden, 29, has vast writing, editing and multimedia experience, most notably from a two-year stint as an MMA blogger for Y!CN, a Yahoo! Sports platform. He also had articles published in ESPN's Inside ...

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