Ready to Rumble: Anthony Johnson UFC 106 interview exclusive with MMAmania
by Derek Bolender on Nov 17, 2009 11:40 PM EST
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Anthony Johnson is a bad man.
The kind of man you don’t want creeping up the UFC welterweight ladder if you’re a top contender. After all, he’s just 25 years old and appears to be improving with each passing fight.
He’s also a physical specimen with incredible strength and power. He may very well be the best striker in the division already. All five of his UFC victories have come by way of a vicious, spectacular knockout.
Most recently, he finished off Yoshiyuki Yoshida at UFC 104 after weighing in a full five pounds over the limit the day before, which sparked a lot of controversy while leading many to question his professionalism. He was also docked 20 percent of his compensation as a penalty and missed out on a potential $60,000 bonus for "Knockout of the Night."
The good news coming out of the Yoshida fight was that he took virtually no damage after his easy win.
The UFC needed a high profile matchup on the main card at UFC 106 after Brock Lesnar pulled out against Shane Carwin because of illness and they gave Johnson a call.
The offer was to face top ten welterweight Josh Koscheck and Johnson jumped at the chance even though it would be less than a month since he last fought at UFC 104.
November 21 marks the date of the first true test in Johnson’s young career. It’s a chance for him to show he belongs in the upper echelon of the division that is currently ruled by champion Georges St. Pierre.
A win would move him one step closer towards a potential title shot.
"Rumble" took some time out of his busy fight week schedule to discuss his weight issue, the weight class he’ll fight in moving forward, Koscheck, and a potential future showdown with Georges St. Pierre.
Check it out:
Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): You just fought Yoshiyuki Yoshida at UFC 104 about a month ago. Why did you decide to take another fight so soon?
Anthony Johnson: I knew it was time for me to step up my game and fight some guys that are straight up, hardcore fighters. Why not? If I want to get to the top I have to fight the best, and he’s one of the best so I’m taking that step.
Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): With regards to your weight, what have you been doing this time around to ensure that you won’t miss the 171 pound mark?
Anthony Johnson: I’m still doing the same thing I did for my last fight, just kind of without hindrance. I got time to make the weight and I feel healthy so there won’t be any excuses.
Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): What is your weight at right now, roughly four days from the weigh-ins?
Anthony Johnson: 185 pounds.
Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Does that mean you are on target then? You’re good to go?
Anthony Johnson: Oh yeah. Fighters usually lose ten pounds the day before and then the last four or five the day of the weigh-ins. I feel great.
Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Has the UFC ever said anything to you about making you fight at middleweight in the future?
Anthony Johnson: No, never that.
Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Will you still continue to compete in the welterweight division moving forward?
Anthony Johnson: Exactly.
Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Back to Koscheck. Have you even had any time to watch tape on him?
Anthony Johnson: Yes, I’ve watched tape on him and I’ve been doing my homework. He’s a good fighter. He has holes in his game, but who doesn’t?
Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Do you expect Koscheck to come out and be active looking for takedowns or do you expect him to stand and trade with you?
Anthony Johnson: I am expecting everything. I just have to be on my toes.
Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Was it difficult to find training partners to simulate a guy with the wrestling ability of Koscheck?
Anthony Johnson: My team is a standup team but it is essential to mix the wrestling with the kickboxing. Yeah, it was tough on my guys. They did the best they could. They actually did really good fighting his style. My training camp was great. Nobody is going to fight like the guy that you actually fight, you know what I mean? They gave me a really good look.
Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Do you feel like your kicks could be more important than usual in this fight in order to try to deter the takedowns, much like Thiago Alves did against Koscheck?
Anthony Johnson: Everything is going to count in this fight. Not just kicks, but punches and everything.
Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): We haven’t seen much of your ground game in your UFC career because you haven’t really needed it. How good are you off your back if it comes to that?
Anthony Johnson: I can do enough to survive. I’m not a black belt or anything like that. I don’t want to submit you. I know how to hold on to you and have the ref stand us up, let’s put it that way.
Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): When you envision how the fight will play out in your head what do you see?
Anthony Johnson: This fight is such a good fight with two great fighters. It’s really hard to envision what this fight is going to be like. All I know is that my hand going to be raised at the end of the night. I don’t know how but it will be.
I’m just really looking forward to it. Josh Koscheck can come up with many different tricks and I can come up many different tricks. If this is going to be a chess match let’s see who makes the first mistake.
Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Where would a win put you in terms of the welterweight title picture?
Anthony Johnson: It will prove to everybody that I’m serious. That’s all I know. I don’t know. I don’t care where it puts me but people will know I’m serious when I beat him.
Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): How do you think you would matchup with Georges St. Pierre?
Anthony Johnson: I think I matchup good with him but I still have a long ways to go to catch up to his level.
Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Would you like to pass along a message to your fans at this time or thank any sponsors?
Anthony Johnson: I want to thank my fans for sticking by me and believing in me. I’m very excited for my fans to watch this fight with two explosive fighters like me and Koscheck. I want to thank Knoxx, Tapout, BSN, my team, and my agent Ken Pavia at MMAAgents.
Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): I appreciate you taking the time during your fight week and on short notice. Best of luck to you in a few days.
Anthony Johnson: Thank you.
Derek Bolender is a contributor to MMAmania.com, CBSSports.com, FoxSports.com, and BleacherReport.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/DerekMMAwriter and Facebook.com/Derek.Bolender.
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AJ is going to give Kos a worse beating than he gave his girl.
by BNF on Nov 17, 2009 11:09 PM EST via mobile reply actions
I agree
I think he’s going to put Kos to sleep. Kos will be stupid enough to try to stand with AJ and throw haymakers, and he’ll get caught. I really like AJ, outside of the beatings he lays on women. He’s confident, but he doesn’t go too far with it. As a huge GSP fan, I think he poses the biggest challenge to GSP because of his wrestling base combo’d w/ devastating strikes/power.
-_-
I honestly think that Rumble has the best chance at beating GSP (after beating Koscheck of course).
"I know how to hold on to you and have the ref stand us up, let’s put it that way."
If this is rumble’s plan WHEN OR IF he comes to fight GSP then he will get taken apart like lego!!! I’ve got Rumble beating Kos easy, because Rumble is huge, will be hard for Kos to control, and Kos isn’t that good on his feet and will probably get knocked out.
BUT GSP is a different story all together! GSP is also huge and probably every bit as strong as Johnson, plus he is a good technical striker and will be hard to hit!!
In the name of the Fedor, the Anderson and the GSP, Amen.
by Spinning Fat Kick on Nov 18, 2009 5:38 AM EST up reply actions
I'm actually a fan of Johnson
But I can’t help but feel that maybe he’s like the UFC WW equivelant of Brett Rogers. Just a really big guy with heavy hands, who gets exposed against a good fighter when the knock out doesn’t happen and he runs out of ideas!!! and it will happen sooner or later.
I appreciate that he has gone the distance a couple of times in the past, but that was against a couple of nobodies, if he ever takes his current skill set against someone at the level of GSP then he will get completely schooled. I mean Rich Clementi Choked him out, imagine what GSP would do to him!!
In the name of the Fedor, the Anderson and the GSP, Amen.
by Spinning Fat Kick on Nov 18, 2009 6:13 AM EST up reply actions
nah this guy is much more talented in equivilant to Brett Rogers. he’s young and learning and strong and athletic enough to stomp a take down from anyone at WW whose name isnt GSP. let him improve and become more well rounded and i think he has the best chance at beating GSP
by irishlilpete on Nov 18, 2009 1:49 PM EST up reply actions
Is Kos going to make a return to wrestling for this one
After getting KO’d, and now facing a powerful striker, I wonder if Kos will return to wrestling his opponents. I don’t get it if he chooses to keep it standing. Maybe he’s a fighter who actually chose to be exciting over the safe win. But it might be time to go for the constant take down approach. Anyway, hope Rumble wins and shows even more improvement so that we can have some kind of interesting matchup for GSP.
by Punch You In the Ovaries on Nov 18, 2009 7:29 AM EST up reply actions
Hard to say
If Kos wants the win at all costs then his best bet will be to get Rumble on his back where he admits he isn’t going to do much other than try and survive. I hope he doesn’t pull a Jorge Gurgel and insist on ignoring his greatest strength and try and bang with a monster like Johnson. I like both fighters but after seeing Kos get his lights turned out against Paulo Thiago…I think Rumble is going to catch him a few times before Kos gets a chance to take this to the ground.
"Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, you'll be a mile from them, and you'll have their shoes."
by Buster Bluth on Nov 18, 2009 10:47 AM EST up reply actions
i agree and in reno/tahoe area johnson is only a -125 moneyline bet
i’ve got 200 dollars on that
yes i am obsessive, obnoxious, in your face and all about covering the spread. those are my good qualities.
by wolfmanshowlforever on Nov 19, 2009 12:05 AM EST up reply actions
Johnson got to be an underdog..right?
Anyone know what the betting line is on Kos vs Johnson? Haven’t heard anything about his domestic violence charge, but he seems like a gud guy that has a good enough head on his shoulders not to hit a women… maybe shake the sh*t outta’ her, but not hit her.
Nice Chris Rock reference...
Johnson will have Kos on queer street. Kos has great recovery time but I don’t see him surviving it. Oddly enough I think he’ll be too stubborn to take him down right away.
The one and only Smitty...
betting line
Diamond Sportsbook has it dead even, both at -115
Johnson’s good but I’d be worried about Kos wearing him down then out wrestling him when he’s tired. Rumble is 6’2" and heavily muscled, he might be a bit big for welter weight. I think the cut might leave him weaker in the later rounds which is not good against Kos especially when your ground game is a bit sketchy. He seemed to have gas for 3 rounds against Burns though as I recall so … I’m staying away from this one.
by H.I. McDunnough on Nov 18, 2009 12:14 AM EST up reply actions
+110 SportsBet, only dog lines out there
Great value stylistically, AJ has reach, power, diverse striking, inside leg kicks, beast sprawl, short well timed hooks against everyone who shoots off the fence. That with the holes in Kos’ standup, his new love for “banging” and hte fact that he has to shoot from farther away against a guy as athletic as him. Also AJ showed an interesting and moreso surprising bottom game against Clementi. He stiffled him and showed that had he had the gas, he could have easily had that fight. However, i am not a big fan of his work from top position. Very weak business.
by NNR (formerly NameNotRequired) on Nov 18, 2009 1:14 AM EST up reply actions
thanks for the betting lines
I thought Johnson might be more of an underdog in which case I would definitely bet on him. Some guys on here forget about Johnsons wrestling, he began at 8yrs old and went on to win a national junior college championship and then quit wrestling, he doesnt have Ko’s level of accomplishment, but he’s definitely no slouch and my guess is he can defend against Ko’s takedowns.
Don't think Rumble will gas out
I’m sure Johnson will hit the IV to rehydrate after his cut. It’s a 3 rndr so I don’t think he’s going to gas. If it stays on the feet I think Johnson will get the KO
I really like Kos as a fighter, and realllllllllly dont like Rumble, so naturally, Rumble will win. My fighters always lose.
Bet the house on Rumble just for that reason.
But also, I dont see how Kos could beat him. A LW in Clementi fought him at 175 lbs and was able to take him down and choke him out, but AJ has grown alot since then. His wrestling is good, an has powerful kicks. Bad match up for Kos if you ask me.
WAR KOS!!! But bring a M-240 with you.
Just actually read the interview
Kind of bland. AJ just answered the questions with no real revealing answers.
I also find it shocking that he said
“Anthony Johnson: I can do enough to survive. I’m not a black belt or anything like that. I don’t want to submit you. I know how to hold on to you and have the ref stand us up, let’s put it that way.”
He should be training in ways to end the fight from any position. Seeing as he could potentially be on his back for extended period of time vs Kos, all he just knows how to hold on and get stood up???? Thats asking to lose a LnP decision. I would have thought he say something along the lines of “I want the KO, but I know how to submit or get to my feet”. Very strange.
Kos should log onto Mania, read this, and just takedown, stand up, takedown,x3 rounds and win a decision. Maybe then Rumble will try to become a complete fighter and learn a submission or two, or how to get to his feet instead of holding on.
He gave a simple honest assessment of his skills without any exaggeration. He’s not a black belt or anything.
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by VeeisAnimated on Nov 18, 2009 8:48 AM EST up reply actions
ok but...
when do you have to be a black belt to know more than just how to hang on?
Blue Belt Kevin Burns submitted Black Belt Roan Carniero. You dont have to be a BB to submit dudes.
by Synyster_08 on Nov 18, 2009 10:47 AM EST up reply actions
U don't have to be a black belt!
That’s right, the late Evan Tanner learned BJJ from reading a book and practicing on friends and he submitted a lot of guys.
Calu
We do not know AJ's ground game yet so let us not be excited
In all of his fights we have not seen him put to the ground. I wonder how he will react to being taken down by a world class wrestler in Koscheck. There’s no doubt about his power but the true test for a mixed martial artist is to be able to survive in a strinking, wrestling, and jiu jiutsu game. We’ll see that on Sunday for Johnson.
Microcephaly
Does he really suffer from it?
by Lester The Pimp on Nov 18, 2009 6:33 AM EST reply actions
Koscheck is too stubborn to do what will ultimately decide the fight
I remember thinking Houston Alexander was a total beast until he got taken down and dominated by Thaigo Silva. It’s really easy to get complacent the believe that a guy is indestructible after he wrecks somebody on the feet, but until he’s been on his back and still looked dangerous, its hard to put him up in the top tier. Having said that Koscheck is so determined to prove himself as a dangerous striker that he probably stand and throw his trademark “bombs” all night long. If he does the stupid thing and strike then Rumble will catch him and put him to sleep. If he does what any other top caliber wrestler would do (take him down) then he’ll embarrass AJ and coast to an easy victory.
Rumble has a decent wrestling base.
During his first fight against Kevin Burns, he was a bit gassed and relied on taking Burns down throughout Round 2 and 3. We haven’t really seen him work off his back so that will be interesting to see what happens if Koscheck is able to take him down.
Note, Johnson accepted the fight against Rich Clementi on short notice. I don’t know how his preparation was for that fight but that’s the fight game.
I would be surprised if Josh Koscheck defeats Anthony Johnson. I don’t necessarily think Johnson is a great welterweight fighter but he presents a number of problems for Koscheck.
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Rumble wins the striking match
Hey aj comes off sounding honest
a bit humble and confident in his ability.
He has th right mindset to make it to the top.
AJ by UD
by Dball on Nov 18, 2009 12:24 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Rumble is one scary dude
I simply cannot wait for this fight, I want to see the best johnson and the best koscheck, no stupid mistakes, I would like to see this atleast go past the first round. I want rumble to win as I think gsp/rumble is a much much more marketable/exciting fight than gsp/kos 2. To be honest I really can’t get too excited about hardy/gsp, gsp’s last 3 fights were easy to hype, that one not so much. I almost laughed out loud when I heard them asking hardy if he wanted to fight in feb and he said he would like more time to prepare…not so confident I guess. Anyway anything can happen in a fight, so not too much would surprise me in the johnson/koscheck fight, suprises seem to be part of MMA.
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