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Keith Jardine has lost four of his last five fights and is two split decision wins away from losing his last seven fights.  While this record does put him in the hot seat, Jardine is not in legitimate danger of being cut.  With at least one more fight in the UFC it leaves us with the question, who he fights next?  Jardine is in a unique and unfortunate situation because despite the recent struggles, his profile and impressive victories prevent him from receiving a matchup gift.  For someone on such a slide, plus a loss to Houston Alexander to boot, the assumption would be a drop in competition for his next opponent.  However, with wins over Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin, and Brandon Vera the "Dean of Mean" is not going to face the Jared Hamman's (which in actuality would be a bad matchup) of the world.  The key for Jardine is to find/be provided an opponent that lacks finishing ability on the feet, but is tested enough that the fight does not provide the impression of a sacrificial lamb.  Looking over the UFC Light Heavyweight roster WKR discusses a few many potential opponents for Jardine.

SBN coverage of UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez

Matt Hamill: Hamill is technically riding a three fight winning streak.  Despite the "win" over Jon Jones, I doubt Joe Silva and Co. would provide another step up in competition for Hamill after getting worked over in his last fight.  Except for the head kick to Munoz's skull, Hamill is not known for his one shot KO power which would be preferable for Jardine's shaky chin.  Jones showed that Hamill struggled with awkward striking styles and there is no one who is more awkward, yet effective, than the unofficial Techno Viking.  Hamill is respected enough that a loss to him is far from embarrassing, but still someone Jardine could score a "W" against.

Stephan Bonnar (Repeat fight 1): I have not seen his fight from UFC 110 yet, but based off what I have read a rematch is probably in the works.  If a rematch against Soszynski does not come through a rematch against Jardine is a solid fit.  Both are recognizable fighters who are having major problems right now in the UFC.  Bonnar provides Jardine another fighter without finishing power on the feet and it provides him an opportunity to avenge a loss.

The real question is what happens if Jardine loses his next fight.  Losses to Rampage, Thiago Silva, Wanderlei Silva, and even Ryan Bader are not embarrassing, but adding another "L" to the record would be devastating.  Especially considering that his next opponent will not be on the same level as his previous opponents.  Despite a potential four fight losing streak I do not think a cut is automatic if he loses his fighter.  Although, a lot of it depends on whom that potential loss is against.

The Entire UFC Live on Versus Card: Seriously there are six Light Heavyweights fighting on that card and an argument could be made for at least one fighter involved in the three contests.

      Winner of Jason Brilz vs. Eric Schafer: Two fighters that Jardine would be a favorite against.  Both fighters are primarily grapplers who lack valuable knockout power.  Neither is a household name though and would be a perceived step down for Jardine.  Taking the winner would provide credibility to the casual fan and let's be honest; he needs a step down in competition.

      Eliot Marshall or Vladimir Matyushenko: The theme of this article continues.  Neither fighter is likely to knockout Jardine, but both would provide strong opponents.  Matyushenko would be a solid fit for Jardine, especially with a win, but following a loss as well.  He has wins over Pedro Rizzo, Travis Wiuff, and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, but needs some name recognition in the UFC.  A win over Jardine would bump his stock, but a win over Matyushenko for Jardine would be a solid victory against an MMA veteran.  Marshall probably only gets to fight Jardine with a victory over Matyushenko.  His name recognition might not be enough from TUF, but a win keeps him undefeated in the UFC and he would need to fight a recognizable fighter.

      Brandon Vera following a loss (Repeat fight 2): If Vera loses to Jones that would put him on a two fight losing streak and the hype would probably be completely gone.  Putting two struggling fighters against each other has obviously been done before and both are marketable despite these struggles.  In addition, Jardine's win was way of split decision which can be used as rally cry for a rematch.