State of the welterweight division:

Rumble Vs. G.S.P. Editorial by: Jason Boulianne

The U.F.C. welterweight division has been waiting for a messiah to challenge the reigning champ Georges St. Pierre (19-2-0). The current condition of the division, could be compared to a desert waste land, with G.S.P sitting a-top the Luxor. With dominant victories over the likes of Matt Hughs (44-7-0), B.J. Pen (14-5-1), Jon Fitch (23-3-0), and Thiago Alves (22-5-0) just to name a few. Many question who will give the champ a worthy challenge. Currently, the upcoming match between Mike Swick and Dan Hardy is set to determine the next official opponent for the French Canadian. Honestly, does anyone really think that either of these two stand a chance? Anything is possible, as we all learned from the first Matt Serra bout, however I can't see either match drumming up any substantial hype or credibility. Neither has earned enough accolades in there perspective divisions to warrant a title fight, which leads to the question: Who is the next threat to the welterweight crown? The answer to this was made clear to me after watching U.F.C. 104.

Anthony "Rumble" Johnson (8-2-0) knocked out Yoshiyuki Yoshida (11-4-0) in just 21 seconds in another, very impressive victory. The win, seemly, was over shadowed by the fact Rumble did not make weight, coming in at a bulky 176 lbs. To look at Johnson you might think the guy might be a middle weight or even a light heavy weight. Rumours have Anthony at 225 lbs. pre and post weigh-in, which makes a cut to 170 lbs. un-fathomable to most professional fighters. In the post fight interview Joe Rogan asked Rumble if he planned to go up to middle weight, in response, he quickly dismissed this for the time being stating: " I'll move up in the future...". He claimed the extra weight was due to injury to his knee during training. In any case, Anthony "Rumble" Johnson is an immense 170 pounder with a sizable reach and a background in wrestling, which makes him a viable threat to anyone in the welterweight division. Certainly there were many middle weights who had there notices sent. Watch out for Rumble. For the time being, however, 170lbs. is his home and we can only speculate at his future distinction in this division.

Breaking down G.S.P. vs. Rumble:

Could Johnson really give G.S.P. a run for his money? I believe yes, if not yet, definitely in the near future. With Johnson's 78" reach and devastating knock out power, we still have yet to see our champ take his lumps and keep on tickin, with the exception perhaps of the first B.J. fight. The question is, does Rumble have the wrestling to stuff the best wrestler in MMA? That remains to be seen. Anthony's wrestling has looked sharp, and one could assume the path of least resistance would have to be G'n'P for Georges. The tell tale signs of what could be, might take place in the rumoured fight between Josh Koscheck (14-4-0) and Rumble, at U.F.C. 106. In my opinion, this will be a great fight, and could be a huge indicator of Anthony's wrestling abilities and there limitations. So I guess we'll have to wait and see, one thing is certain, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Anthony "Rumble" Johnson could be our next great fight, for the welterweight championship of the world.