My dislike of what Rampage had become goes without saying for the most part around here, and I have to say that I didn't think Rampage had it in him to fight this sort of fight - I really thought he was at a point where he was content to just get by and cash his checks until the next movie deal or whatever came along. 

Say what you will about the scoring, but under the existing rules, Rampage won the fight and there is really no compelling reason whatsoever for a rematch.  Yes, there are huge scoring issues in MMA than need addressing, but this was not among the more glaring examples of why judging criteria needs to be changed or clarified.  He won two rounds, Lyoto won one round – nothing more and nothing less.  By the standards of today, round three was not a 10-8 round IMO.

Having said all of that, I stand impressed by Rampage’s ability to finally evolve - to adapt the tactics of the modern new school fighters – to break down and analyze tape, to train for a specific opponent, to create and (largely) follow a gameplan specifically tailored to one's opponent, and even to use the media in what I believe was a (skillfully executed) disinformation campaign to try to lull your opponent into a false sense of complacency about your approach and mindset.

As a result, and considering what a draw he is, I think Rampage's next fight should absolutely be a title shot.  However, since that is so far away (time wise), I think he should fight Forrest next and try to avenge that loss first, with a title shot for the winner.  Considering the all-around history between the combination of Rampage, Forrest, Rashad and Shogun, combined with the huge name value each carries, it is a no-brainer and a series of compelling matches.  Rich can fight Randy or Thiago or whoever next instead, with the winner of that facing the winner of Jones-Bader for the next title shot.