When a fight between Michael Bisping and Wanderlei Silva was first announced for UFC 110, many people were excited with the match-up, but it would be safe to assume that not too many expected it would lead to talk of the winner gaining immediate title contention status.

Of course, that was back when it was unclear when Anderson Silva would finally return to face Vitor Belfort in the Octagon, and everyone was certain that Nate Marquardt would run through Chael Sonnen on his way to the next shot at the belt. The top rank of the middleweight division seemed firmly established, and it was going to be a long time before any of that changed. Right?

Wrong.

Fifteen minutes after Chael Sonnen touched gloves with Nate Marquardt last Saturday night, his dominant performance left him in sole possession of the only convincing win streak at 185 lbs outside that held by Anderson Silva himself. The upper tier of the UFC middleweight division is now largely inhabited by fighters looking to rebuild off losses, and when that happens, the past has shown us that there are two factors given more weight than raw talent when considering new title challengers.

Name recognition and marketability.

Among the top UFC middleweights, Marquardt is unquestionably well-known and talented, but after his loss to Sonnen he is at least two or three wins away from regaining another shot. Demian Maia is fast becoming a favorite among fans for his jiu-jitsu wizardry, and at UFC 109 he also showed a much improved standup game in his win against Dan Miller, but balanced against this, are the facts that Maia is just one fight removed from a flash knockout at the hands of Marquardt at UFC 102, and he suffered an eye injury at UFC 109 that could keep him sidelined until August.

Enter Michael Bisping and Wanderlei Silva.

Though Bisping was criticized by many fans following his appearance as a coach on the "Ultimate Fighter" season 9, and he was soundly knocked out by Dan Henderson at UFC 100, he got back to work and delivered a big TKO win against Denis Kang at UFC 105.

Past performances aside, Bisping has the level of recognition and polarizing personality, that, love him or hate him, make him a marketing dream. If you doubt a divisive personality can work to a fighter's advantage, take a look back at the outspoken career of Tito Ortiz.

Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva hardly needs an introduction to fans of MMA. Youtube is littered with highlight reels of Silva's knockout wins from his days in Japan's now defunct Pride organization. Though, Silva has not found the same level of success since coming to the UFC - going 1-3 in his four bouts with the organization - he has always given fans exciting fights, and is looking for a fresh start after dropping down to 185-pounds for the first time in his career. There is no question that the loyal and popular Silva is one of Dana White's personal favorites, the importance of which should not be overlooked.

So, that brings us to the question: if either Bisping or Silva is going to become the front-runner in the race for the next middleweight title shot after Sonnen, who will they face next? Even their most stalwart fans would concede they need at least one more win before being considered for a championship bout.

There is one fighter...

Make sure to check back with us the day of the event for free, live, round-by-round coverage of UFC 110 right here at FiveKnuckles.com! Join expert analyst Mike Williams as he takes you through the entire fight card blow-by-blow and then keep it right here for all the post-fight news and notes you can handle!