By E. Spencer Kyte
Anthony Johnson has always been talented, but there are times when talent isn’t the biggest determining factor in the road a fighter travels.
The 28-year-old known as “Rumble” endured a public end to his career in the UFC.
A massive specimen who previously competed at welterweight, Johnson was primed to make a splash in the middleweight division with a co-main event pairing opposite former title challenger Vitor Belfort at UFC 142 in January. Prior to the weigh-ins, word began circulating through the internet that Johnson was struggling to make weight, an issue that chased him throughout his career after having missed weight in two previous UFC appearances.
His body shut down, and UFC doctors advised him to rehydrate, leading to Johnson eventually stepping on the scales 11 pounds north of the middleweight limit. The fight went on as scheduled, with Belfort submitting Johnson in the first round. Shortly thereafter, the South Florida-based fighter was let go by the biggest organization in the sport.
“I had a little rough time, but it’s all a learning experience, so I’m happy,” Johnson said in a phone interview last week.
In the wake of his release, Johnson has moved up the scale permanently. He made a one-fight stop at a catchweight of 195 pounds to defeat fellow UFC alum David Branch, and then relocated to the light-heavyweight ranks, where he’s posted back-to-back second-round, technical knockout victories, most recently stopping former UFC prospect Jake Rosholt via headkick in September.
While the media (and UFC President Dana White) had been calling for Johnson to switch divisions for some time, it was a decision Johnson had to come to on his own terms, and one that eventually came down to not wanting to put his body or the people around him through any more unnecessary stress.
“My body wouldn’t allow me to lose the weight like I used to be able to do,” explained Johnson of his decision to finally move up in weight. “Instead of worrying myself, stressing out my family, my team, my coaches, my managers, and the whole world, I just decided to go up.”
“Oh it’s great,” he continued with a quick laugh when asked about the change. “Life is good; no complaints. I get to eat, smile, and be happy, so everything is a lot better.”
Johnson, who used to have to cut as much as 50 pounds to make the 170-pound welterweight limit and has a penchant for Gummi Bears, said that the decision to change weight classes has been accompanied by a more focused approach to his craft as well, something he credits — at least in part — to his manager Glenn Robinson and “The Blackzilians,” the team of coaches and fighters who operate out of the Jaco Hybrid Training Center in Boca Raton, Fla.
“My mindset is a lot different now. I don’t stress anymore; I don’t worry about anything. Now I just train and do my best to get better every time I step on the mats for training, and every time I fight. I always try to bring something new to the table. Everything is just amazing.
“It helps out a lot having guys like this, and my manager Glenn, and the overall atmosphere is good for me. As long as we have guys that are always in the gym fighting, constantly staying busy, it kind of keeps (all of us) in the gym busy and focused.
“I’ve been cutting off on my Gummi Bears,” Johnson added. “I’ve been trying to stay disciplined and stay off of those, though I did have a bag last night. I’m just trying to make sure I stay focused and give it all I’ve got.”
Now that he’s found a home in the light-heavyweight division, the MMA community is once again talking about Johnson’s skill set, and not his issues with the scale. His trio of wins since parting ways with the UFC has landed the Georgia native a place on the main card of Saturday’s inaugural event for the World Series of Fighting. The Las Vegas-based company is poised to make a splash, having inked a multi-fight broadcast deal with NBC Sports (formerly Versus) and signed a number of recognizable names to join Johnson on the debut card this weekend.
Johnson squares off with 14-3 southpaw D.J. Linderman, a tough veteran who has split time between heavyweight and light heavyweight over his career, including an appearance in Bellator’s Season 4 light-heavyweight tournament.
“It’s an honour to be able to be one of the fighters that they wanted to pursue and have on their card,” Johnson said. “Having an opportunity to work with them is great; these guys understand MMA, and (are great) outside of the cage too. I think this will be good for the sport.”
The night after Johnson earned his third consecutive win by stopping Rosholt, UFC president Dana White was asked about the prospects of bringing the nouveau light heavyweight with 11 UFC appearances under his belt back to the Octagon during the post-event media scrum following UFC 152.
“We’ll see,” White answered in his trademark short, cryptic fashion. “I like the kid. It’s not like I don’t like him. I want to see him make weight another time and then we’ll (decide). I don’t care what weight he’s at as long as he f—in’ makes weight.”
For what it’s worth, Johnson isn’t focused on a return to the big stage — or anything at all beyond stepping into the cage Saturday night and dishing out some punishment.
“Right now I’m just going fight-by-fight, day-by-day. I’m not putting the cart ahead of the horse, you know what I mean? I just go with the flow. If it happens, it happens, and if it doesn’t, then it wasn’t meant to happen. I don’t stress about it, and I don’t worry about it at all.”
As for his assessment of Linderman, Johnson said: “He’s tough, and I don’t expect anything less than his best. I’m pretty sure he’s going to be well prepared, just like I’m well prepared for him. I don’t know if I’m going to knock him out, but I plan on hurting him.
“That’s my prediction: straight pain.”
E. Spencer Kyte is a regular contributor to ufc.com, UFC Magazine, and Fight Magazine, and writes the MMA blog Keyboard Kimura. Follow him on Twitter @spencerkyte.
