Anthony Johnson – Quite the Rumble at 205lbs
By Christopher Jester
Anthony “Rumble” Johnson has reinvigorated his career. The former welterweight turned light-heavyweight is on a monster of a winning streak, two back in his former home of the UFC with a clinical performance over Phil Davis and devastating knockout of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. His latest win has ran his current winning streak to eight victories. With Daniel Cormier vying for a title shot against Jon Jones, and Gustafsson likely gaining one on his return from his injury, this leaves Johnson in a predicament as he is highly considered one of the top contenders in the UFC.
Johnson has blasted his way back onto the scene. Not only is he just defeating top fighters at 205lbs, but he has turned this run into relevancy in a division that has some of the hottest contenders at this very moment. It has to leave the UFC in jeopardy of ruining some of these streaks, as there are numerous stories that can build some momentum as they challenge for the title.
Constantly thanking Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta for cutting him, Johnson has found his home at 205lbs and is potentially the most threatening fighter in the division right now. He is a powerful striker and could make a short night of any fighter. But even in that case, he is not just a brawler. He is a wrestler too who rarely needs to use it; that is just how powerful his strikes are.
Johnson sits at a strange position in the light-heavyweight division. Currently 5th ranked in the division, he has to wait his turn before getting a shot at the title but is most likely one fight away from that lucrative prize. You can scratch Rashad Evans off the list as he has already announced that he will not repeat history and fight a teammate. The fight that makes sense is to have him against Gustafsson when he returns, or potentially Glover Teixeira who is coming off his own loss to current champion Jon Jones.
Fantasy matchmakers will likely pit Johnson against Gustafsson. The Swede recently announced that his knee injury is not as bad as originally seemed. Johnson waiting on Gustafsson is not far-fetched and easily the match that clearly would clarify who is the number one guy is at light-heavyweight.
Johnson is the hottest fighter at light-heavyweight right now, bar Daniel Cormier. With that in mind, his next fight should be the bout that puts him into title contention. His return was full of skepticism, but now has the momentum to tell one of the best comeback stories in MMA history.
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