What Does The Future Hold For The 155lb. Division And Anthony Pettis?
The UFC Lightweight division is undergoing a transformation at present, as a new generation of contenders flood the division. As well as a newly crowned champion in Anthony Pettis, guys like Pat Healy, TJ Grant, Josh Thomson and Rafael Dos Anjos have flooded a weight class already rich in talent.
Flashback to 2012 and Frankie Edgar, Jim Miller , Benson Henderson, Gray Maynard and Nate Diaz were the top guys at 155lbs. The division has changed drastically in the space of just a year and it leaves me wondering how much it will alter by the end of 2014.
Anthony Pettis’ destruction of Benson Henderson certainly marked the beginning of a new era for the LW division; many people thought that Bendo would reign for many years atop the heap of uber talented athletes, but Showtime put a spanner in the works with his convincing victory.
Now people are already saying that Pettis will own the Lightweights for the foreseeable future, but with a weight class so abundant in talent; it simply isn’t that easy to forecast. TJ Grant is the next contender for the Lightweight strap, here is a guy that is undefeated in three years and has a well rounded skill set. His knockout of Gray Maynard was a statement to the entire division.
Josh Thomson has been one of the best 155ers (in my opinion) for a while now, and Rafael Dos Anjos improves with every single fight. Gilbert Melendez has always been a difficult fight for any top tier scrapper, Pat Healy is an aggressive beast and anyone who expects Benson Henderson to stay sidelined for long is nuts.
The former 155lb. Champ will have to go back to the drawing board following his loss to Pettis, Showtime made quick work of Bendo and I’m sure he isn’t too pleased about it. The point I’m trying to make is that the division is so crammed with a wide variety of talent that it would be almost insane to bet on Pettis being the champion in a year’s time, right?
Well, maybe not. Pettis showcased some serious, almost scary attributes when he beat Bendo at UFC 164. Not only did he outstrike the Tae Kwon Doe practitioner, but he outgrappled a BJJ wizard. Being able to finish a fight from your back or on your feet is a huge advantage for any fighter, but especially for a fighter surrounded by guys with strong wrestling backgrounds.
My one thought on Pettis before UFC 164 was ‘If he beats Bendo, he will probably get taken down and grinded out by Grant’. Following Pettis’ submission win, I actually think he could hold the division hostage for a long time. But hey, I also publicly picked Chael Sonnen to beat Jon Jones, so don’t go betting the mortgage.
