[Cat--Smasher]

UFC 155's Jamie Varner anticipates April return, four opponents on radar | News

Jamie Varner said Rafael Dos Anjos, Ross Pearson, Matt Wiman and T.J. Grant are among the fighters he's looking at for his next octagon appearance.

The former WEC champ anticipates an injured thumb will keep him from meeting one of them until April, but his only preference is that he moves closer to title contention.

"I think Dos Anjos is on a streak, so he may be on my radar more so than anyone else," Varner told MMAjunkie.com Radio (MMA Radio, UFC Radio - MMAjunkie Radio). "But Grant, I've been hearing his name pop up a lot, as well."

Varner (21-7-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC) dispatched Melvin Guillard (30-12-2 MMA, 11-8 UFC) at this past weekend's UFC 155, which took place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The bout, which aired on the FX-televised preliminary card, was one of several odd decisions handed down by judges that night. One gave all three rounds to Guillard while two gave all three to Varner, who earned the split call.

The win was a relief for the 28-year-old Varner, who forced the UFC to postpone the bout when he fell ill earlier in the month, when he initially was supposed to meet Guillard at The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale.

Perhaps angry at a delayed payday and extended fight camp, "The Young Assassin" attempted to make the bout personal, and he got in Varner's face at weigh-ins. Varner, however, said he made a resolution not to get emotionally involved in a bout following a rivalry with UFC lightweight Donald Cerrone in the now-defunct WEC.

"It definitely pulls me out of my game plan and makes me a sloppy fighter," he said.

"I'm not going to try to mess with the UFC and tell them that I want a certain matchup," he said. "I definitely want that fight back. But I want to fight every guy that I lost to, and I'm hoping that I get a shot at all of them."

Varner demonstrated his potential this past year when he accepted a short-notice fight with Edson Barboza and scored an upset at UFC 146.

With Lauzon behind him, he resumes his push toward a title. He expected to get a timeline for his return after seeing a doctor on Friday.

"If I can get one of those guys that can push me toward No. 1 contender guys, that's the guy I want the most," Varner said.