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Who should be the next opponent for Anthony "Rumble" Johnson and Amir Sadollah following their wins in Seattle?
RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
Amir Sadollah looked better than he ever has looked, but it was against DaMarques Johnson. Word on the street is that Brian Ebersole is next for him, and that makes sense to me. Sadollah's not top 25, and would get drawn and quartered against someone like Carlos Condit. As for Rumble, this guy is a contender. I agree with the sentiment that he should fight Thiago Alves or Rick Story next. Who wouldn't want to see Rumble vs. Alves?
ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Both fighters are deserving and ready for tougher competition. Even though Johnson lost to Josh Koscheck in his last fight sixteen months ago, he is ready to compete against higher ranked opponents. If he were healthy the past sixteen months, he would have fought three or four times.
At this point, I like him against Carlos Condit.
Amir Sadollah would match nicely against Mick Swick or Matt Hughes. I also think Sadollah and Johnson could fight each other. That would be a great fight.
FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Well, I know that Anthony Johnson needed a win, and did what he had to, but I just don't think he showed anything. What did he really prove? I think he's basically in the same position he was in before the fight. Yeah, he beat Dan Hardy with some average wrestling, but that won't work against the top guys in the division. If Johnson couldn't finish Hardy on the ground, how would he be able to beat Josh Koscheck or Georges St. Pierre on the ground?
I'm of the mindset that you should work to be better than you were in your last fight. I just don't think that's the case with Johnson here. I don't think he improved as a fighter. We all know Dan Hardy is weak in his ground game, but Johnson couldn't finish him. He never really even came that close to finishing him. Johnson wanted a safe win, and that's fine, but I don't think that kind of style allows you to grow as a fighter. Being safe doesn't push you to better yourself.
I really like Anthony Johnson, but he didn't show much in that fight. That being said, I'd put him up against Carlos Condit in his next fight. I think Johnson is a really good fighter, and he should be in there against high-level opponents.
As for Sadollah, I love his talking style and the way he fights. He also definitely deserves a step up in competition. I don't know if I'd put him up against Anthony Johnson, but that would be an interesting fight. Whoever Sadollah faces had better be careful, this guy is a dangerous fighter and if he can stay healthy he'll be a fixture in the Welterweight division for the next handful of years.
MIKE BACIOR, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
I feel like "Rumble" vs Condit could be a very exciting fight, and would push the winner into the upper echelon of the division. I think Rumble might try and work the same strategy he did against Hardy, and it would be very interesting to see if Condit could answer.
As for Sadollah, I think Sadollah-Kampmann would be a very technical stand-up battle. It could either push Amir towards the Top 10 or help Kampmann end his two fight slide. I like the matchup.
ANWAR PEREZ, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
For Anthony Johnson, possibly a rematch against Josh Koscheck, or maybe Chris Lytle. Sadollah is a different story. I still think he needs to work on his overall game, and could use some improvement before testing the waters in the top 10. One more fight for either outside of the top 10 would help before diving in head first, and coming out the same way.
ALEX WILLIAMS, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
I might put Anthony Johnson against Jake Ellenberger and would have put Amir Sadollah against Ricardo Almeida had Almeida not retired. But someone on that level works next for Sadollah.
MATT PELKEY, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
Rumble made weight (hooray!) and beat an opponent above him in the division, so he's due for another name brand opponent. It looks like he wants Jon Howard, but Martin Kampmann or Diego Sanchez would also be perfectly appropriate opponents as well. As for Amir, he looked good beating up on a late-notice replacement, but he needs a stiffer test. He'll probably get another mid-level veteran for his next opponent, but fights with Chris Lytle or the loser of the Rory MacDonald-Nate Diaz fight at UFC 129 would be sick.
JAMIE PENICK, MMATORCH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Johnson fought an extremely smart fight against Dan Hardy, and now it's time for him to take on another top contender in the division. He's bordering on a top ten placement himself, but in order to really break into contention he needs to get a big win. I like him against the winner of Thiago Alves vs. Rick Story for his next fight, and we'll see just where Johnson's at in the division.
As for Sadollah, he looked fantastic against Johnson, but he's not anywhere close to being in the upper end of the division. There are plenty of fantastic matchups to make in the welterweight division, and Sadollah could play a part in a lot of them. A rematch against Johny Hendricks could be a good chance for him to show how far he's come since their first meeting, which was only his second career fight. A bout with Brian Ebersole that has been tossed out there makes sense as well. Really, anyone the UFC wants to pit him against outside of the top ten but in the top 20-25 would work for him right now.
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