Sometimes, the two guys in the UFC octagon seem placed there for little other reason than fitting the promotion’s matchmaking algorithm. But for tonight’s UFC 192 event, intriguing storylines abound.

The headliner, which pits light-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier against Alexander Gustafsson, is interesting not only for what happens in the cage, but what could possibly happen next. Same goes for a featured co-headliner between 205-pounders Rashad Evans and Ryan Bader.

Alas, a co-headliner between Johny Hendricks and Tyron Woodley had history and possible title implications, but with Hendricks again battling with the scale, we might see a sharp recalibration of the welterweight division in the near future.

Nevertheless, the pay-per-view openers, featuring former title challengers Ali Bagautinov and Joseph Benavidez and a women’s bantamweight showdown between Jessica Eye and Julianna Pena, offer their own versions of high-stakes encounters.

It’s not always that way. Sometimes, bouts are just fun stylistic matchups. But there’s a lot on the line for the fights at Toyota Center in Houston, where tonight’s PPV event takes place. Here are 10 reasons to watch UFC 192, which kicks off with prelims on UFC Fight Pass and FOX Sports 1 before main-card fights on PPV.

1. What’s next?

The light-heavyweight headliner between champ Cormier (16-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) and Gustafsson (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) is an intriguing, if unusually timed, matchup.

The two were targeted to meet before the Jon Jones saga ever took place, but their meeting tonight now takes on a new dimension for what happens next. Now that Jones is clear, for the moment, of jail time, will the UFC move forward on giving him a promised first crack at the title?

We get either a compelling rematch with Gustafsson or a grudge reboot with Cormier, so either looks great. But the UFC could also choose to let Jones work fully through his probation. We’ll hopefully find out at UFC 192 what’s in store.

2. Tall order

Yeah, promoting Gustafsson vs. Cormier as “tall guy vs. short guy” isn’t the most compelling pitch to MMA fans. We know Gustafsson is a long and lanky guy and Cormier is a fireplug. So far, the champ hasn’t been slowed down one bit by his stature, so the bigger question is how he’s able to get inside and how he performs once he’s there.

Check out Dominick Cruz’s breakdown of the fight. It’s a little oversimplified to say Cormier only needs one takedown over five rounds, as Cruz does, but his ability to counteract the Swede’s physical gifts makes it more interesting than perhaps billed.

3. Once was vs. never been

Speaking of ex-champs, there’s a similar dynamic in play in the featured bout between light heavyweights Evans (19-3-1 MMA, 14-3-1 UFC) and Bader (19-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC).

Evans is the former titleholder returning from a long injury layoff that had many questioning his future, and Bader is the guy who has yet to rise to the occasion.

Bader had a chance to earn the title shot when he faced ex-champ Lyoto Machida, but ran straight into a fist. And so now, with four straight wins, he needs that name opponent to put him over, while Evans needs to prove he’s still got it.

4. Cash in

By the way, don’t we also want to see the UFC cash in on Bader’s grudge with champ Cormier? It seemed like the promotion missed an easy sell when they nearly came to blows at a press conference.

Yes, Gustafsson probably moves the needle more than Bader does at this point, and that’s why he’s headlining UFC 192. But if the stars line up right, the former wrestlers should produce fireworks.

5. Heavyweight hopeful

Look, a UFC heavyweight who’s younger than 30! The 28-year-old Ruslan Magomedov isn’t exactly a ready made star cut from the Brock Lesnar cloth, but he could at least inject some new life into the division as stars continue to age. In two UFC wins, Magomedov (13-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has looked like a solid if unspectacular technician.

Opponent Shawn Jordan (18-6 MMA, 6-3 UFC), however, will make him get in his face and make him fight. That’s the kind of test you need as you climb the ladder.

6. Women’s bantam burner

Women’s bantamweight Eye (11-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has a chip on her shoulder. It’s obvious, because otherwise she wouldn’t have taken a fight two months from her decision loss to onetime title challenger Miesha Tate.

A meeting with Pena (6-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) might ease her mind, but it’s a dangerous proposition. Pena is dynamite when she has an opponent on the mat, and you can bet that’s where she’ll try to take Eye.

If Eye can rebound this quickly, she obviously can’t be written off as a future contender.

7. The long and winding road

Two-time flyweight title challenger Benavidez’s (22-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) tour of non-title attractions continues. This time, he’s facing onetime title challenger Bagautinov (13-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC), another onetime title challenger – with a rap sheet – after a win decision over John Moraga.

That should mean something in the grand scheme of things, but with two losses to champ Demetrious Johnson, it’s hard to say whether Benavidez will ever get that chance again.

The best thing for his case now, it seems, is Johnson’s refusal to move up for a bantamweight superfight with T.J. Dillashaw unless he gets paid $2 million. If the champ won’t move anywhere, he’ll eventually have to fight Benavidez again, because there’s simply no one else.

8. Strawweight sluggers

“The Ultimate Fighter 20” vets Angela Hill (2-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and Rose Namajunas (2-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) missed each other by a mile on the show. But they’re cut from the same cloth as striking-based fighters, and both are desperate to win acclaim in the division.

Namajunas looks to shrug off the demons from her loss in the show’s finale, and the cancellation of a return fight against Nina Ansaroff. And Hill, via Twitter, seems to feel perpetually disrespected. Put them into the cage together, and they’re bound to work out some issues.

9. Have you heard of Northcutt?

The media already seem to have anointed 19-year-old Sage Northcutt (5-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) the next big thing. Maybe it’s his age, his good looks, his undefeated record or the fact that he was scouted by UFC President Dana White.

He’s local guy made good. What’s indisputable, though, is that he’s about to face top-tier competition in the UFC.

Francisco Trevino (12-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) thus far hasn’t looked like a world-beater in the octagon, but the promotion’s watermark for talent is high enough that we’ll find out soon if the hype is real.

10. The Eagle’s flying partner

Dagestan’s next MMA prodigy could be here with Islam Makhachev (12-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who faces Adriano Martins (22-7 MMA, 3-1 UFC) in his second UFC bout. A training partner of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev has tapped his past three opponents, including a second-round submission of Leo Kuntz.

A win over Martins, who’s a dangerous threat on his feet and the ground, is another clue as to whether he’s the next “Eagle.”

For more on UFC 192, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.