Anthony Johnson: Daniel Cormier 'knows I'm another type of beast' than before
After months spent training for a 6-foot-4-inch monster named Jon Jones at UFC 187, Anthony Johnson had to make a few adjustments to his training camp when the former champion was stripped of his title and suspended indefinitely after being arrested recently on potential felony hit-and-run charges.
Johnson was only kept in limbo for a matter of hours after the UFC took swift and immediate action to pull Jones from the fight at UFC 187 and replace him with former two-time Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier.
As much as it might seem like Johnson's world was in upheaval for at least a few days while all this was going on, he never skipped a beat. He kept on training and preparing for a fight. Once he got the news that he was still competing for the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 187, everything was right in the world again.
Well, almost.
Cormier stands 5 feet 11 inches tall, with a foot less reach than Jones, so right away Johnson had to break the news to a few of his training partners.
"Nothing's changing. I had to tell some of my guys that are 6 feet 3 inches and above that I might not be using you as much," Johnson said with a laugh when speaking to FOX Sports. "The guys that were 6-foot and under, I was like 'I'm definitely going to need you now'. At the end of the day, I still have plenty of guys to push me -- short or tall, I'll be ready for whatever."
Following the announcement about their fight, Cormier appeared on UFC Tonight where he tore into Johnson about his past losses in the UFC saying, "at the core of Anthony Johnson, Anthony's the guy who got submitted by Josh Koscheck. Anthony's the guy that tapped out before Vitor Belfort got the choke in."
Johnson heard what Cormier said and while he understands that his upcoming opponent is entitled to his own opinion, he believes deep down that the veteran wrestler should know better than to think he's still the same guy who debuted in the UFC all the way back in 2007.
"I heard Daniel say some things and it didn't change my opinion of him. It didn't make me upset because I'm going to fight him regardless. He can say what he wants, he can look at me however he wants, that's his own opinion. He can feel how he wants to feel," Johnson said.
"More power to him. I'm still going to go out there and try to put on the most impressive performance ever."
Since returning to the UFC last year, Johnson has been an animal. He manhandled former NCAA wrestling champion Phil Davis before scoring consecutive first-round knockouts over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Alexander Gustafsson.
If that wasn't proof enough that Johnson has been reborn as a light heavyweight, he's not sure what else Cormier is looking for, but he'll find out when they meet in the Octagon in just a couple of weeks.
"Why dig in the past? We're talking about the future. He knows I'm not that same guy that (Josh) Koscheck fought. He knows I'm not the same guy that Vitor (Belfort) fought. He knows I'm another type of beast. He knows what he's getting himself into," Johnson said.
"He'll be ready and I'll be ready. So I'm looking forward to it."
The entire journey for Johnson has been rather unreal over the course of the past few years.
He was released from the UFC in 2012 after multiple failed weight cutting attempts to either fight at welterweight or middleweight. Johnson missed weight again in his first fight after leaving the UFC.
He eventually moved to light heavyweight and even dabbled as a heavyweight for a single fight when he defeated former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski.
It was a turbulent ride for Johnson, to say the least, but now he's just thankful for every opportunity he gets. Whether it's facing Jones, Cormier or some other fighter -- the fact that Johnson is about to compete for the UFC light heavyweight title is enough for him to get up and train that much harder knowing that May 23 is just around the corner.
"It's still pretty unbelievable what happened along the way," Johnson said. "From being at the bottom, being unranked to three fights later I'm fighting for a title. I'm fortunate to be in this situation."
