While we already know who Robbie Lawler will be facing next, what about the other UFC on FOX winners from Saturday?
One of the biggest surprises from Saturday’s fights in San Jose was the emergence of Anthony Johnson. The light heavyweight had one of the most impressive showings of the year and despite the fact that his finish came against an aging Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, at the end of the day, a 44-second knockout is still a 44-second knockout. The problem for Johnson is that there are too many contenders in his path to a title shot. Once Jones and Cormier settle their score at UFC 178, it’s clear that the winner will have Alexander Gustafsson waiting in the wings. In addition, the one tidbit of information that UFC President Dana White did offer up about Johnson’s future is that he would need at least one more fight before being placed alongside the top contenders. As a result, the most logical next opponent for “Rumble” is the winner of the Ryan Bader (10-4) & Ovince Saint Preux (4-0) match at next month’s UFC Fight Night 47. It’s clear that the pair would provide a good test for Johnson and the winner of that fight could certainly challenge for the belt.
The future of Dennis Bermudez is also muddy. Like Johnson, The Ultimate Fighter 14 has been on a tear recently (winning his last seven fights), but also has a long road ahead of him to get a title shot in the featherweight division. In addition to Chad Mendes challenging Jose Aldo Jr. for the belt ahead of him, Cub Swanson and Frankie Edgar also rank ahead of him despite his recent success. While his win against Clay Guida on Saturday was impressive, “The Menace” needs another fight before into the upper echelon of his weight class. The only opponent that makes sense for Bermudez is Ricardo Lamas (5-1) who failed in his last title bid, but recently beat Hacran Dias. The winner of Bermudez/Lamas could easily make a claim for the belt.
