Should The UFC Give Rumble Johnson Another Chance?

Should The UFC Give Rumble Johnson Another Chance?
by Sam Heard - @samheard_ 

World Series of Fighting

Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson (16-4) made short work of Mike Kyle last Saturday at WSOF 8, dispatching the veteran by 1st round KO to create a rumble in the MMA community. The cause of this commotion? The fact that the in-form Blackzillian is now a free-agent, eligible to potentially be resigned by the UFC.

Anthony Johnson is a fighter whose career – filled with devastating highlight-reel knockouts – has been overshadowed by his inability to find a division he is effective in whilst still being able to make weight. Johnson’s skill already earned him a spot in MMA’s top-tier promotion; primarily fighting at Welterweight before moving up to Middleweight (where he was still incapable of meeting the 185-lbs weight requirement). His decent 7-4 UFC record would normally be more than enough to warrant keeping him signed, but Johnson’s inability to consistently make weight meant he was cut after suffering an understandable loss to Vitor Belfort. He then attempted to fight David Branch at Middleweight for Titan Fighting Championship and once again failed to make weight.

Johnson’s quest to find his best fighting weight – which has seen the 6’2 brute go from Welterweight to Heavyweight – may finally be at an end. Since settling at Light Heavyweight, Johnson has stringed together an impressive six wins – four of them coming via impressive knockouts. It is this brilliant form combined with his not having missed weight since the David Branch fight which means he is now a very viable option for the UFC.

So, should the UFC give Rumble another chance?

In my opinion, yes. Though he certainly messed the UFC around before, he is now settled as a Light Heavyweight; two weight classes above the Welterweight division he struggled to meet the requirements of back during his first UFC run. Moreover, the UFC’s Light Heavyweight division is in desperate need of a rejuvenated talented pool. Unlike any of the other UFC divisions, the average age of Light Heavyweight fighters is well on the wrong side of 30 (no thanks to Hendo). Introducing younger fighters is essential for the long term health of the division. It is very difficult to make a case that Dana and the gang shouldn’t sign Johnson.

If the UFC do choose to give Johnson a second run, who would be a good candidate to welcome him back? Phil Davis has recently been tweeting about wanting a fight, though I cannot see the UFC giving Johnson such a high level opponent to begin with. I personally would’ve loved to have seen him fight Jimi Manuwa in what would essentially be a feast of high-level kickboxing, though clearly Manuwa literally has bigger fish to fry with his fight against the towering Alexander Gustafsson.

Rumble Johnson’s future may be unclear at the moment but there can be no denying that his recent performances – both in preparation for a fight and in the cage itself – will certainly have strengthened his case for getting back into the UFC.