Michael Bisping vs. Demian for UFC on Fox 2

After pummeling Jason Miller, rising middleweight Michael Bisping will next meet Demian Maia in a key middleweight showdown early next year.

Maia arguably has the best BJJ in MMA, and will pose an immediate threat anytime he’s able to get the fight down to the ground (if he can drag Bisping down). Bisping, an underrated BJJ practitioner, will likely try to keep the fight standing in an effort to avoid a grappling match against the Brazilian BJJ specialist.

Bisping vs. Maia will join a stacked UFC on Fox 2 card that also includes Chael Sonnen vs. Mark Munoz and Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis. While Sonnen vs. Munoz is for the next shot at Anderson Silva, the winner of Bisping vs. Maia should find themselves next in line for a crack at the middleweight title.

The No. 1 MMA organization suddenly has found itself with a few different middleweight contenders — as Silva heals up, and should be ready to defend his middleweight title by summer 2012, according to the UFC.