UFC boss: Jim Miller, Chael Sonnen, Brian Stann all likely on verge of title shots

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UFC president Dana White readily admits it's difficult to predict the direction of his promotion's entire roster mere moments after an event concludes.

Who gets cut, who stays, who moves up the ladder – White said he prefers to reflect for a day or two, then convene with UFC officials Lorenzo Fertitta and Joe Silva to make group decisions.

However, White did say a trio of fighters – namely Jim Miller (20-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC), Chael Sonnen (25-11-1 MMA, 3-4 UFC) and Brian Stann (11-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) – are all within striking distance of a shot at a UFC title and will soon find themselves in potential No. 1 contender fights.

First up, lightweight Miller, who faces former WEC champ Ben Henderson in the co-main event of next weekend's UFC on Versus 5 event.

"Jim Miller is right there," White said. "He probably will (earn a title shot with a win). Again, for me to say who's going to get it, who's not going to get it or whatever – but yeah, it makes sense."

It certainly does. After all, Miller currently carries a seven-fight octagon win streak, and his career mark matches up favorably to those of UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and top contender Gray Maynard – combined.

Perhaps holding Miller back are his two careers losses, one of which came to Edgar in the pair's pre-UFC days and one to Maynard inside the octagon. But a win over Henderson would mark eight-consecutive wins against stiff competition and give Miller a seemingly inarguable case for a shot at the title.

Meanwhile, Sonnen and Stann are set to meet in October, and while White refused to guarantee the winner a shot at the middleweight title, he admitted the contest seemed worthy of No. 1 contender status.

"I think it should be," White said. "We'll see."

Meanwhile, Sonnen's career mark in the octagon doesn't scream "title contender." But at UFC 117, Sonnen gave current champ Anderson Silva his toughest UFC fight to date. Should Silva beat Yushin Okami at UFC 134 and Sonnen prove victorious over Stann at UFC 136, the potential for a big-money rematch would likely prove too tempting for White not to book.

White laid out the scenario while also explaining why UFC 133 winner Vitor Belfort will likely need a few more wins before he gets a chance to avenge his UFC 126 loss to "The Spider."

"If they went out and had this war back and forth, if it was like the Chael Sonnen-Anderson Silva fight, that would be one thing," White said. "But it lasted 35 seconds. … It would be hard to make a rematch that quick after what happened."

Meanwhile, Stann may be the biggest stretch for now and is perhaps why White was hesitant to guarantee a title shot hangs in the balance. However, Stann's military background, his ability to mesmerize audiences with well-spoken speeches and his constantly improving game since re-inventing himself at 185 pounds have all left the "All-American" on the verge of superstardom.

In short, the UFC boss generally likes to play his cards close to the chest for as long as possible while arranging upcoming matchups. But for Miller, Sonnen and Stann, their futures apparently lie in their own hands.