Anthony Johnson: I’m Very Blessed To Be Back In The UFC
Anthony Johnson made a solid impression during his stint outside of the UFC, spending two years fighting for World Series Of Fighting and taking care of the best competition that the promotion had to offer. Four brutal knockouts and two decisions later and ‘Rumble’ is back fighting on the biggest stage.
Currently signed to a four fight deal and returning as a Light-Heavyweight against Phil Davis at UFC 172, it appears that the troubled, weight missing Welterweight Johnson is a thing of the past. He stopped by with MMAJunkie.com to discuss his return to the UFC:
“I didn’t want to let my emotions get the best of me, but I’m very blessed to be back in the UFC, and I know I’ll make the best of it now,” Johnson said. “I just feel like I’m more blessed than fired up. I worked really hard to get back to where I am right now.”
Johnson left the UFC with a 10-4 record, losing against Vitor Belfort after missing weight for a third time at UFC 142. He has nothing but praise for WSOF though, as he explained:
“It was difficult because I have so much respect for those guys, and they did a lot for me,” Johnson said. “I never had any bad blood with them. We were always on the same page. They’re just overall good people over there at World Series of Fighting. I really enjoyed myself there. They were real respectful of it. I showed them respect, and they showed it right back.”
Johnson faces a tough nut in ‘Mr Wonderful’ at 172, as he is coming off his third straight win in the division. ‘Rumble’ made his feelings clear about his next opponent, stating that he respects, but will also TCOB against Davis:
“I know we’re going to put on a show for everybody,” Johnson said. “He’s a class act, and we have a lot of respect for each other, but at the same time, we’re going to punch each other in the mouth.”
Johnson’s UFC return is well deserved after putting in the work over at WSOF, and he has got a tough fight on his hands against Davis. Truly living up to his new moniker of knockout artist, will AJ continue his path of destruction now he is back in the big leagues?
