Since the almighty reign of B.J. Penn, the UFC lightweight division has felt like a revolving door of champions. Fighters have come and gone like a cool breeze on a hot summer day. Many great champions have inherited the throne, but none has ever quite owned it, not like Penn.
Benjamin Franklin would likely add to his quote of death and taxes being the only things certain in this world after watching Rafael dos Anjos dismantle Anthony Pettis for the lightweight title at UFC 185.
Pettis had kicked off his shoes, put his feet on the table and made himself at home atop the UFC’s lightweight division. Subliminal advertising and flamboyance unlike anything ever seen conjured up the belief that Penn’s successor had finally arrived. Pettis’ “Showtime Kick” got more replays than The Andy Griffith Show.
It’s ironic walking down the aisle of a local grocery store and seeing Pettis’ chiseled mug on a box of Wheaties, brandishing the UFC lightweight title. This was a limited time offer. Pettis was merely keeping the throne warm for the next journeyman looking for an opportunity to bathe in the spotlight.
Dos Anjos was the backhand that forced us out of our Pettis-adoring, vegetative states. In one fell swoop, he managed to quiet every talking head in MMA, and the last man to beat him is desperately looking to do the same.
Khabib Nurmagomedov, a two-time Sambo world champion, has breezed through stellar UFC opposition, including dos Anjos, and amassed a 22-0 professional record.
A vastly improved Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone is also waiting in the wings, not to mention potential rematches for dos Anjos with Pettis and Benson Henderson. Gilbert Melendez and Eddie Alvarez aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, and perhaps even Jose Aldo lends his name to the conversation, if he gets past Conor McGregor in July.
No one is safe at 155 pounds, not even dos Anjos.
The lingering doubt of consistency only grows stronger with dos Anjos at the helm. Faced with a murderer’s row of opposition, it’s tough to visualize him emerging with the belt still intact. This assumption speaks to the degree of difficulty in the lightweight division.
Dos Anjos beat Pettis from pillar to post in every aspect of fighting. He stopped Henderson in the first round with strikes. Nate Diaz is somewhere out there still limping after his encounter with dos Anjos several months ago.
However, the musical chairs in the lightweight division won’t end with Pettis. One of the aforementioned contenders will likely rise up and knock the king from his throne. No UFC champion has ever defended the title more than three times at 155 pounds.
Perhaps the division is just destined for change.
Jordy McElroy is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon and FanRag Sports.
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