Robbie Lawler’s destruction of Jake Ellenberger was a clear-cut sign that there some dangerous contenders for Johnny Hendricks and his welterweight title. It is a possibility that he will have to fight Lawler in his first title defense.
Since Georges St-Pierre vacated his welterweight title, some very hungry fighters have came forth with some impressive wins, looking to make a serious impact on the division. This list includes: Hector Lombard, Matt Brown, Dong Hyun Kim, Tyron Woodley, Rory Macdonald and Robbie Lawler, who may be surging ahead at this point.
Even though Lawler just fought Hendricks, it was a razor-thin decision and many feel like Lawler may best him in the future. In the Ellenberger fight, Lawler was outclassing him in every aspect of the game. He had a significant advantage in striking and showed a very diverse and elusive game on his feet. When Ellenberger took Lawler down, he popped right back up and stuffed other takedowns to land strikes that eventually put Ellenberger on the mat.
I’m sure that everyone in the division looked at that fight and realized that the bar has been raised. The popular opinion about the title-contenders that St-Pierre fought were not the same caliber as the present-day contenders in the UFC. Fighters such as Thiago Alves and Josh Koscheck are barely even making a mark in the “Shark Tank” known as the UFC welterweight division. Jon Fitch is barely holding his name in another organization, Jake Shields got cut and Carlos Condit was battered and given a wake up call by by Woodley in his last bout.
The current contenders are making exclamation points that can’t be ignored. Dana White recently stated that Robbie Lawler is the “clear-cut number 1 contender at this point“, but would have to wait for the Woodley vs Macdonald fight to take place at UFC 174 before any announcement will be made. This will put a lot of pressure on both of the fighters to make a statement and go for the finish.
Another intriguing bout in that division is Kim vs Lombard in Macau, China. Both of these fighters have had a very impressive year in 2014 and have shown to be exciting fighters.
Rumors of Matt Brown fighting Nick Diaz have made the MMA headlines recently, but Diaz has been too hesitant to sign on the dotted line and has been reluctant since he fought St-Pierre last.
There is no better time to be a fan of the welterweight division and it is a fighter like Robbie Lawler that excites the crowd and puts a fire back into this stacked division.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @LWOSToddP. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For more great MMA interviews with the biggest fight stars on the planet, remember to check out Hammer MMA Radio on 93.3 CFMU or find their latest episodes on our main page’s sidebar. Hammer Radio features interviews from some of the industry’s biggest stars. You can find the latest on the Hammer @SteveJeffery.
For the latest sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Main Photo
