Anthony Johnson is edging closer to his octagon return.
During BKFC 9 fight week, Johnson told Mac Life while he’s not back in the USADA testing pool just yet, he just needs to sit down and further discuss things with the UFC. But he thinks things are moving in the right direction.
“I was trying to shoot for April, May but maybe June, July – we’ll see,” Johnson said. “But whenever I come back, I’m going to make sure it’s going to be known, you know what I mean? I want to come back and showcase everything and just fight – and just hurt people.”
Johnson (22-6 MMA, 12-6 UFC) has proven power with 16 knockouts in his 22 career wins. Currently walking around at 240 pounds, he is confident ahead of his heavyweight debut.
The two-time UFC light heavyweight title challenger thinks he will have a speed advantage in the division.
“I’ve dropped (and) knocked out two people already in training on the first two days of sparring, so I feel like everything is clicking,” Johnson said. “My advantage would probably be speed over the majority of those guys because everybody in heavyweight for the most part has power, but I think I’m much faster than those guys and I probably have a little bit more knockout power. Don’t take that from me – just check my record.”
Johnson hasn’t fought since a second-round submission loss to Daniel Cormier at UFC 210 in 2017, where he failed to capture the 205-pound title. If he returns in the summer of 2020, he will be coming back from a hiatus of more than three-years for his run in the heavyweight division.
