UFC Lightweight Division Takes a Whole New Look
With Frankie Edgar now the champ, will Gray Maynard, Kenny Florian, BJ Penn or another get the next title shot?
While UFC 112 was overshadowed by the quirky behaviors of middleweight champion, Anderson Silva, the fact is that the organization has crowned a new lightweight champion for the first time in over two years. Frankie Edgar’s unanimous decision victory was arguably the biggest upset since April 2007 at UFC 69 when Matt Serra dropped welterweight champ George St. Pierre with a heavy right hand. Although the hard-fought victory wasn’t expected, it shakes up the current landscape of the 155 pound division nevertheless.
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Frankie Edgar topped BJ Penn by Unanimous Decision at UFC 112 to win the UFC Lightweight Championship belt. Edgar's lone career loss came to Gray Maynard at UFC Fight Night 13. |
It won’t be long before Frankie Edgar will have to stop celebrating and focus on his next task at hand – a new challenger. That next challenger may be Xtreme Couture’s Gray Maynard, a world-class wrestler who already owns a victory over Edgar. Maynard edged Edgar via unanimous decision on April 2008’s UFC Fight Night 13 card. Since then, however, Edgar has picked apart his next four opponents to claim his spot at the top of the division.
While Maynard may just be the next fighter in line for the belt, there is no shortage of 155-pounders willing to take their position in line.
First off, we can’t forget about BJ Penn, who despite his UFC 112 loss, remains a threat and deserves consideration for an immediate rematch. Although it is unlikely, the UFC rarely schedules immediate title rematches, if given the chance Penn could easily reclaim his former spot at the top.
Other top contenders include Kenny “Kenflo” Florian, who although has lost both of his title fights, has won back-to-back fights since his most recent title opportunity at UFC 101. Florian is a finisher (one decision in last ten bouts) who is more than capable of stopping any current UFC lightweight.
Tyson Griffin is also near the top of the lightweight division. He has won two straight and six of his last seven UFC bouts losing only to Sean Sherk at October 2008’s UFC 90.
Speaking of Sherk, he also remains a top lightweight regardless of his two losses over his last three fights. The losses were against new champion Frankie Edgar and former champion BJ Penn.
Names that are sure to show up in the very near future when speaking about top lightweights include George Sotiropoulos and Jim Miller. Sotiropoulos, who was brought into the organization during The Ultimate Fighter 6, has been on fire since losing a semifinal bout against Tommy Speer on the show. The Aussie has won six straight bouts overall including five in the UFC. His UFC 110 unanimous decision over Joe Stevenson proved that he is ready to be mentioned as a legitimate contender.> Check out the UFC apparel & merchandise including Round 5 MMA's UFC action figures online through ProFighting-fans.com!
Miller has been almost just as hot winning four consecutive and 12 of 13 overall. His lone UFC loss was against Gray Maynard (UFC 96) on March 7, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. Ironically enough, his only other career loss came at a November 2006 “Reality Fighting” show losing to Frankie Edgar.
As we move on with a new lightweight champion, only time will tell whether Edgar can show the same consistency of his predecessor – BJ Penn. Options could vary over the course of the next year, and Penn could possibly come back in the picture and begin rehabbing his legacy by coming back stronger and dominating for a longer period of time. Who knows, a brand new name may surface and take the lightweight reigns, but, one thing that is for sure, is that the 155-pound division has a new look and we have Frankie Edgar to thank for it.
By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com Senior MMA Staff Writer