In a light heavyweight landscape without Jon Jones, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson is the clear-cut No. 1 contender to Daniel Cormier’s throne.
That’s the statement Johnson went about proving in the co-main event at UFC 202 with a first-round knockout over Glover Teixeira on Saturday.
Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com had the official time of the knockout:
After Teixeira called for a fight against Johnson, it looked as though Rumble was trying to erase him from the planet with one shot.
Mike Bohn of MMAjunkie said what everyone was thinking:
For years, Johnson has been one of the greatest “what ifs” in MMA. His tantalizing combination of athleticism and otherworldly power made him a unique challenge early in his career as a welterweight and again in his second UFC run as a light heavyweight.
Since rejoining the UFC in April 2014, Rumble is 6-1, with five of those victories coming by stoppage.
In short, he’s finally putting it all together consistently.
It appears as though Johnson is setting himself up to avenge the one loss on his record. According to Fox Sports, UFC President Dana White was noncommittal in the lead-up to this fight as to whether the winner of the bout had a guaranteed shot at Cormier, but it makes the most sense:
The obvious roadblock to a rematch between Johnson and Cormier is the specter of Jones. The former champion hangs over the division like a storm cloud.
The UFC suspended him for a failed USADA drug test, but White recently revealed that he doesn’t believe the situation is as serious as it once looked, per Luke Thomas of MMAFighting.com:
Johnson isn’t holding his breath, though. According to him, he’s done thinking about Jones, per Brett Okamoto ESPN.com:
It’s just not gonna happen — at this point, I know it’s not gonna happen. It is what it is. I’m moving forward. Everybody is moving forward. I’m still shooting high and trying to do what I can in this sport. I’m not focused on Jon anymore. And I can tell you Daniel Cormier, Glover — they’re not focused on Jon, either. Nobody in this division is focused on Jon anymore. That’s a fact.
Johnson, who has been a marvel in his most recent UFC run, stymied Cormier early in their first fight before Cormier put on one of the most courageous championship performances fans will ever see to rally back.
With three wins for Johnson since that loss, including two Performance of the Night bonuses, the rematch between the two is the fight to make at 205 pounds.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com