Silva vs. Sonnen 2 Results: Can Mike Easton Become a Contender at 135?

There were other fighters at UFC 148 besides Anderson Silva, Chael Sonnen, Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin.

One specifically was Mike Easton, who defeated Ivan Menjivar by unanimous decision.

Easton is now on a three-fight win streak in the UFC and on a eight-fight win streak in MMA. During that win streak, Easton has taken out some recognizable talent like John Dodson, Josh Ferguson, Ivan Menjivar and former WEC bantamweight champion, Chase Beebe.

Easton can become a contender at 135 pounds, and the Washington D.C. native is still improving.

Easton has what it takes to become a contender in the division. Easton has the striking—black belt in Taekwondo—and the necessary grappling credentials—black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu—to make a run at the belt.

So far he has impressed me in his three fights in the UFC. His first fight with Byron Bloodworth was awesome and he finished with a TKO. Bloodworth even missed weight and was still beaten by the smaller Easton.

Now Easton has tested himself against Menjivar who is a really good test for upcoming bantamweights. Beating Menjivar is no easy task.

Easton should get one more fight under his belt in the middle tier and then start getting the bigger name guys in the division.

His mixture of personality and skills help make him an easy fighter to push to the masses. 

The only thing that goes against Easton that I can see being trouble long term is his size. He isn't exactly the biggest guy, but that isn't any reason to stop him from going far in the division. He isn't as small as Joseph Benavidez or Demetrious Johnson, yet those two guys made title runs themselves.

Easton is getting better and will become a contender eventually in the bantamweight division proving big things can come in small packages.