Anthony Johnson’s Manager Teases Heavyweight Return

Anthony Johnson’s retirement may not be permanent after all.

The former two-time UFC title challenger shockingly announced his retirement last April after losing to Daniel Cormier in a rematch at UFC 210 in Buffalo. The man known as “Rumble” cited new opportunities outside of the cage as his reason for stepping away from fighting.

Now, however, it looks as if he may have regained that itch.

According to his manager, Ali Abdel-Aziz, who appeared on today’s (Oct. 2, 2017) edition of The MMA Hour, Johnson would likely return as a heavyweight, although the circumstances would have to ‘make sense’ for him:

“It has to make sense for him,” Abdel-Aziz said.

“He’ll come back as a heavyweight,” he added. “We want him to come back as a heavyweight.”

“Rumble” has only competed at heavyweight once, scoring a decision victory over Andrei Arlovski at a World Series of Fighting event in March 2013, but given his size and power, it’s reasonable to assume that he could find success at the weight.

Johnson would have to rejoin the USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) testing pool for six months before being eligible to make his return, but Abdel-Aziz said that a meeting with the UFC will take place this week to plan for the future:

“We’re meeting with UFC this week to see what he wants to do,” Abdel-Aziz said. “Dana White really loves Anthony Johnson. How can you not love Anthony Johnson? He’s terrifying.”

Would you like to see Johnson return and test the waters at heavyweight?