Is Anthony Johnson The One?

Short answer: No.

Long answer: No, he's not.

Make no mistake, since his run outside of the UFC and his subsequent second stint entrance vs. Davis, Rumble is the one that I've wanted to see challenge Jones for the strap. There are several reasons why I feel and have felt this way, even before the Cormier/Gustafsson debacle.

Firstly, Johnson, while not a fresh face in the UFC, is a fresh face for the light heavyweight division. He also has never contended for UFC gold. While this may very well play into the hands of Jones, Rumble's second stint has been characterized by brilliance in the face of pressure, no fight highlighting this more than his most recent triumph over Gustafsson, the consensus number one contender.

Secondly, I for one loved watching Jones win and subsequently defend his title versus the litany of previous champions as much as I have loved him thrash the up-and-comers. Yet the up-and-comers always end up as better fights. The trend seemed to be (excluding Chael) Jones beating former champions by being Jones; on the other hand, we saw him dominate the fresh blood at their own game. The latter is a much more impressive display.

I see several similarities between this fight (Jones vs. Johnson) and the Glover matchup. We see a late bloomer finding success as a pressure fighter with hands of stone. The advantage here lies in Johnson's relative youth. Many believe Glover has passed his prime (which I don't agree with). At only 30, Johnson is at his fighting prime, as seen in his most recent outings. He will be the physically strongest opponent that Jones has ever faced. Jones has never really faced a fighter in his prime; old guys and young guns, sure, but never someone who is at the peak of their career and at the top of the division. Johnson is as strong, as fast, and as well-conditoned as he will ever be in his life. If it is going to happen for him, now is the time.

I think that this is a great match up for Johnson to address what is perceived to be his biggest weakness: cardio. I say perceived because this is opinion, not fact. I think anyone that can go 15 with Phil Davis relentlessly trying to take them down should never have their conditioning subject to criticism. These concerns stem from Johnson's first stint in the UFC. It's a Rumble cliché to say that you can beat him if you survive the first round. Yes, I'll submit that this was true when Johnson was cutting 35 pounds more to compete at welterweight; this is no longer true at 205, end of story. If the last few championship bouts have been any indication, it'll go the distance and it will be grueling.

While he can silence the detractors by going 25 minutes with the champ, I still do not believe that he can overcome the powerhouse that is Jon Jones. At the end of the day, we see a strong and fast Anthony Johnson going toe-to-toe with a faster and more seasoned Jon Jones. Smart money gives Anthony Johnson a puncher's chance---same chance that Vitor, Rashad, and Glover had against Jones. In all of those fights, not one of those opponents really ever gave Bones trouble standing. Rumble has more power and speed than those three competitors, yet Jones has made a career out of mitigating risk while still maintaining high offensive output. 

And for all of you out there who want to say that Jon barely beat Gustafsson while Rumble throttled him, let me tell you a little secret that no one likes to talk about: Jon Jones looked like absolute shit in the Gustafsson fight and anyone that says different is a romantic and a delusional fool.

While this is probably the match-up I have looked forward to the most---especially after the completely overhyped Cormier farce---I still think we're going to see Bones at the top of every P4P and Lighting Heavyweight ranking worth a damn when the day is done. Still, a puncher's chance is still a chance, and Anthony "Rumble" Johnson has proved himself to be one hell of a puncher.