Anthony Johnson is back.
Well, sort of.
“Rumble” is returning to UFC Fight Pass, but not as an MMA fighter. And, though he is competing against a Jones, it’s not Jon. Rather, the former two-time UFC title challenger is set to meet Australian grappling sensation Craig Jones at Submission Underground 9.
The match is set to headline the July 7 installment of Chael Sonnen’s grappling event, which takes place at Roseland Theater in Portland, Ore., and streams on UFC Fight Pass at 6 p.m. ET (via Twitter):
Johnson (22-6 MMA, 13-6 UFC) hasn’t taken part in combat sports competition since April 2017, when he abruptly announced his MMA retirement following a loss to Daniel Cormier at UFC 210.
The subject of an eventual comeback has come up a few times, but Johnson told MMA Junkie in April, while fulfilling an ambassador role for Bare Knuckle FC, that he hadn’t had the itch to return and in fact hadn’t trained MMA since the Cormier fight.
Johnson has also made the news for less positive reasons, after yet another round of outside-the-cage issues. He was arrested earlier this month on a single count of misdemeanor domestic battery in Florida, after his ex-girlfriend accused him of picking her up using a “football hold.” Johnson pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Jones, in turn, has most recently been seen in action at Polaris 10, on May 25, where he beat Matheus Lutes. He’s no stranger to facing off against UFC alumni, having scored a first-round submission over Dennis Hallman at Submission Underground 8 earlier this month.
