Bellator MMA is adding a heavy hitter to its 205-pound
division.
It appears that Anthony
Johnson (22-6) will eventually make his long-awaited return to
MMA, but not in the promotion everyone was expecting. On Wednesday
morning, ESPN
reported that the former two-time UFC light heavyweight
championship contender has signed with Bellator. “Rumble” will most
likely compete at 205 pounds, but other
reports indicate that he might test himself in the heavyweight
division, as well. Johnson is expected to compete in the first half
of 2021.
The 36-year old fighter hadn’t stepped inside the cage since April
2017, when he lost to Daniel
Cormier in a title clash at UFC 210. Shortly after tapping to a
second-round rear-naked choke, “Rumble” announced his retirement
from the sport. The first title encounter between Johnson and “DC” also ended in a submission loss for “Rumble” when they locked
horns for the interim championship at UFC 187. Johnson
finished his UFC tenure with a 13-6 record.
Johnson has voiced the idea of his return for a while now. In
October 2019, he announced his intention to compete again
after watching the rematch between Daniel
Cormier and Stipe
Miocic at UFC 241, crediting that match for providing him with
the motivation to return. “Rumble” planned to make his debut in the
heavyweight division, years after fighting in the welterweight,
middleweight, and light heavyweight divisions. Even though he never
again made that walk to the Octagon, he entered the USADA testing
pool in late August 2020. He would have become eligible to compete
in the UFC starting February.