UFC 187: Anthony Johnson taps GLORY champ Rico Verhoeven to train for Jon Jones fight

Anthony Johnson will be importing some help from Halsteren, Netherlands, for his UFC 187 fight camp.

Rico Verhoeven, the GLORY heavyweight champion, will be heading to Boca Raton, Florida, to train with the power-punching UFC light heavyweight contender. According to Round1Network.com, the announcement comes by way of Verhoeven's manager, Dennis Krauweel.

"The Prince of Kickboxing," last fought at GLORY 19, where he defeated Errol Zimmerman by technical knockout due to a knee injury suffered by his opponent. At 25-years-old, Verhoeven has become one of the best heavyweights in the world. He defeated Daniel Ghita at GLORY: "Last Man Standing" to become the GLORY heavyweight champion. Prior to that, he defeated Gokhan Saki and Ghita in the same night at GLORY 11 to win the one-night tournament on that card.

Johnson is coming off the biggest win of his career, a one-round thrashing of Alexander Gustafsson at UFC on FOX 14 last January. That victory propelled "Rumble" to the No.1 spot in the UFC light heavyweight rankings, and into the title fight against Jon Jones on May 23, 2015 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The Georgia native already possesses fight-altering power and works with a renowned striking coach in Henri Hooft, who comes from a Dutch kickboxing background having trained Johnson's Blackzilian teammate Tyrone Spong, as well as Peter Aerts, among others.

Training with the 6' 5" 250-pound Verhoeven should only help Johnson sharpen his stand-up skills in preparation for the division champion, who has defended his title eight straight times.

For more on that fight click here.