Las Vegas- Well, it seems as if Anthony Johnson doesn’t have to worry about being so ‘puffy’ in his downtime.
After years of baffling viewers with the largest body the welterweight division has ever seen, Johnson is finally moving up in weight, as he ventures into the middleweight division.
There’s only one small problem with all that--he’s drawn top-ten middleweight and UFC legend, “The Phenom” Vitor Belfort for his debut.
Belfort is not only one of the most dangerous strikers in the history of MMA, he’s also one of the longest tenured fighters in the organization--and one of the most beloved.
To make matters worse for Johnson, the fight takes place January 14th at UFC 142 in Belfort’s home country of Brazil.
“The Phenom” has only fought one other time in Brazil, and that was back in 1998, at UFC: Brazil. His opponent that night was MMA legend, Wanderlei Silva. For Silva, the night only last 44 seconds, as Belfort destroyed Silva with a legendary flurry of punches that can still be seen on various UFC highlight reels to this day.
Couple all of this with the fact that Vitor has clamored for a return fight in his home country, and the fact he was denied earlier this year when the company returned to Rio De Janiero, and Anthony Johnson is in for the fight of his life.
Lucky for Johnson, he’s all about the fight. After suffering a debilitating knee injury that kept him out for close to a year, Johnson is coming off back to back wins over Dan Hardy and Charlie Brenneman, respectively.
Not only will this be new ground for Johnson, fighting at middleweight, but it will also be the first time he has ever fought outside the United States. And if this years return to Brazil is any indication, to say he will be entering a hostile environment is an understatement.
January’s UFC card has yet to be full announced, and it’s still unsure as to where this fight will sit on the card, but we do know it will be a main card fight. More information will be sure to come in, so keep it locked to Examiner.com for all the updates.
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