As the year draws to a close, let’s take a look at the state of the UFC’s roster and what we can expect in the upcoming months. Today, we’re going to be looking at the UFC Light Heavyweight division (205lbs).
Similarly to the Middleweight division, the Light Heavyweight division is starting to look like older veterans starting to fade into the latter stages of their career. Daniel Cormier, Anthony Joshua, Ryan Bader and Glover Teixeira are all in their 30s, and Gustaffson, the youngest contender in the division, has lost to the three men ranked above him. Yet, that’s not to say Light Heavyweight doesn’t have an interesting future ahead of it. Namely, an interesting future in the shape of one man.
Judging by his Instagram, Jones is back with a vengeance and has one thing in his sights. Cormier won the vacated belt after Jones’s tumultuous year got worse by beating Anthony Johnson via submission. Since then, Cormier went on to defend his title in a fight-of-the-year candidate against Alexander Gustaffson, who once again came so close, but so far, from winning the title.
Not that it makes a difference to Jones. In his (and many of the fans) eyes, he never truly lost the belt and DC’s refusal to accept he is an undeserving champion has rubbed many the wrong way.
The two have so much history together, with their all-too-public feud playing out on television in front of our eyes. The Light Heavyweight division essentially revolves around the two men, and it’s this fight that will set the trend for the future of 205lbs. The whereabouts of that fight is yet uncertain, but signs point to an MMA debut at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Ready to face either man is both Ryan Bader and Anthony Johnson. Bader has long been hunting for an elusive title shot and, while Jones was champion, was unable to find himself winning in the required dominating fashion to earn his rematch against ‘Bones’.
Now, Bader and Johnson are set to face off to determine, without any doubt, who is the number one contender. If Johnson wins, and he is the heavy favorite, then either a rematch with Cormier or a fight that was meant to happen with Jones awaits.
For Bader, he’ll either get his rematch with Jones or a grudge match against DC, with whom he’s exchanged a mean spirited back-and-forth in the past. Currently, the odds for that fight show Anthony Johnson -350 against Ryan Bader’s +250.
Past these men (with the exception of Alexander Gustaffson, who will always be lurking near the championship level), the division is at its thinnest for a while. Rashad Evans hasn’t looked his best for year, and Teixeira seems to show a lack of substance if his opponent can avoid his heavy hits.
In 2016, perhaps we shall see a new contender rise up through the ranks, because if not, a future of rematches awaits.
Prediction for 2016: Jones returns and beats Daniel Cormier, then beats Anthony Johnson before announcing his moving up to Heavyweight at the end of the year.
