NY Times pegs CM Punk as one of 10 UFC stars to 'fill gap left by Ronda Rousey'

That didn't take long.

Just a few days after Ronda Rousey was knocked out by Holly Holm in the UFC 193 pay-per-view (PPV) main event (see it), New York Times already has her popularity dead and buried, recently coming up with a list of 10 potential fighters capable of filling her gap.

That includes WWE import CM Punk, who lands at No. 8 on this unintentionally hilarious list (via Bloody Elbow):

10. Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone (28-6, 1 NC)
9. Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson (23-2-1)
8. Phil "CM Punk" Brooks (0-0)
7. Anderson "The Spider" Silva (33-6, 1 NC)
6. Chris "All American" Weidman (13-0)
5. Holly "The Preacher's Daughter" Holm (10-0)
4. Jose "Junior" Aldo (25-1)
3. "The Notorious" Conor McGregor (18-2)
2. Jon "Bones" Jones (21-1)
1. "Rowdy" Ronda Rousey (12-1)

Good to know Rousey can fill her own gap.

It should probably be noted that Johnson -- despite his considerable talent -- holds the record for lowest-selling UFC PPV event, so I think we can go ahead and rule him out. Silva's time in the spotlight has long been over, after he coughed up his title and ran into trouble with Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC).

That said, any of the names featured on this list stand out as "the next big thing?"