Don’t look now, but the storied light heavyweight division could finally be back.
Veteran Thiago Santos picked up his third straight win at 205 since late September when he starched No. 4-ranked Jan Blachowicz in the main event of Saturday’s (Sat., February 23, 2019) UFC on ESPN+ 3 from the O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic. In doing so, the Brazilian ‘Marreta’ tied Anderson Silva and Anthony Johnson for the second most knockouts in UFC history with 11, trailing only Vitor Belfort. Both are incredible feats in today’s MMA landscape.
The win itself won’t garner a ton of hype or mainstream attention whatsoever. It headlined an afternoon card in Europe that aired at 2 p.m. EST in the States. Not exactly the recipe for success in the UFC’s targeted U.S./North America demographic. But the fight carried a much more vital – and more subtle – undertone in that it furthered the continued resurgence of the UFC light heavyweight division.
Return To Greatness
With luminaries like Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Belfort, Tito Ortiz, Rashad Evans, ‘Rampage’ Jackson, and many others, light heavyweight was once the most harrowed and glamorous of all UFC divisions.
Yet 205 pounds had devolved into somewhat of a festering wasteland over the past few years. With former champion Jon Jones on the sidelines uncertain to return due to a series of drug-related issues, the weight class lacked cohesion. Daniel Cormier was an admirable enough champion, but many thought he was there by default. After he beat “Rumble” twice, the legitimate contenders outside of yet another Gus title shot were sparse. And with Cormier’s foray into heavyweight, the division was stagnant at best.
Jones returned to the throne by demolishing longtime rival Gustafsson at December’s UFC 232. Whispers of a trilogy bout with Cormier at heavyweight were the obvious direction. However, Jones insisted he wanted to make up for lost time at his home of light heavyweight, and it’s looking like he made a great call there.
Jones will meet surging contender Anthony Smith, who has three straight finishes of his own at 205 after moving there last year. “Bones” and “Lionheart” will throw down in the main event of this coming weekend’s (Sat., March 2, 2019) UFC 235 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
A New Set Of Contenders
Smith is one of the biggest underdogs in UFC 205-pound history, and for good reason. But the ruthless efficiency with which he beat Evans, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, and Volkan Oezedmir after ditching the cut to 185 pounds was uncanny. Adding another wrinkle to the situation, it was Santos who finished Smith in ‘Lionheart’s’ last bout at 185. The man who calls himself ‘The Hammer’ will obviously be at UFC 235, and he wants to fight the winner.
On paper, a title defense against Santos doesn’t seem like a big enough fight for ‘Bones.’ At this point in his career, it may not be. But we all thought the same about the Smith fight, too. Somehow, we’ll be talking about its result at this time next week.
So Jones truly wants to make up for lost time (and he has a ton of it) and simply take on the latest challenger most deserving of a shot. Say what you want about the controversial superstar, but that mindset is a refreshing throwback in this time where UFC competitors want to call every shot. Santos is most likely deserving of a title shot. Oezdemir got one against Cormier for a similar year in 2017.
There’s also a dark horse in the mix.
It’s 6’6″ rising star Johnny Walker, who’s unproven at the highest levels but scary in terms of potential. He’ll fight for the third time in the UFC when he meets Misha Cirkunov at UFC 235. Throw his name into the mix with Smith and Santos, and you have an interesting trio of knockout artists to contend with the enigmatic Jones. All of the sudden, the future of light heavy is bright.
While a Cormier trilogy fight will always be near the forefront for Jones, perhaps it is best he keeps his division moving. He’s claimed he wants to fight four times this year, and the possibilities for him to do so are exciting to say the least.
So much so, in fact, that the UFC light heavyweight division may finally be back.
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