HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight champion Jamie Varner expects to defend his belt against either Rob McCullough or Donald Cerrone at WEC 38, tentatively scheduled for Jan. 25 in San Diego, Calif.

McCullough, the man from whom Varner won the title, will duke it out with Cerrone at WEC 36 on Wednesday at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. The victor will get the next crack at Varner in a matter of months should everything go according to plan.

“The winner of this fight,” Varner said, “is just another guy in my way.”

Varner’s rise to the top of the WEC’s lightweight division has been nothing short of meteoric. The 23-year-old Arizonan stopped the favored McCullough on strikes to capture the lightweight crown in February in just his second WEC appearance. He then dispatched the previously unbeaten Marcus Hicks in 2:08 at WEC 35 in August. The technical knockout win against Hicks provided legitimacy to Varner’s reign.

“That was definitely huge for me, showing fans I wasn’t a one-hit wonder,” Varner said. “I think that says a lot about me.”

Finished only once in his career, Varner (15-2) has rattled off four consecutive victories since his submission loss to Hermes Franca at UFC 62. Only one of those four opponents has survived the first round with him.

“I’m here to accomplish one goal, and that’s to be the best lightweight fighter in the world,” Varner said. “I don’t want to let my trainers down, and I don’t want to let my family down, but ultimately, I do this for me. I don’t know how long that fire’s going to keep burning, but right now, it’s raging.”