According to a March 20 report from MMA Mania, World Series of Fighting brawler Anthony Johnson said getting cut from the UFC was the best thing that ever happened to him.
Johnson, who fights Andrei Arlovski in the main event of World Series of Fighting 2 on March 23, said missing weight for a UFC fight helped him learn that MMA is a business. Most promoters aren't out to be your friend and be understanding.
They want you to make weight, or else risk facing the chopping block.
"I got sick before the weigh-ins and stuff," Johnson said of his UFC 142 fight, where he failed to fight weight. "I had to drink fluids to get my body back in order. I did what I was told to do. Next thing I know, I'm being told to step on a scale. I step on a scale and that's when I was weighing heavy, you know? It is what it is. I think my body was changing, know what I mean? It was trying to adapt. I started I guess getting my grown man body all of a sudden, know what I mean? I'm not trying to make excuses for anything, it just happened."
After failing to hit his contracted weight requirements, Johnson was released from the UFC.
"Honestly, that's the best thing that happened to me, with the weight stuff and then being cut from the UFC," Johnson said. "That's the best thing that ever happened to me since I started MMA. It just made me focus more. It made me more determined. It made me understand that in this business, with some people you got to have a straight business friendship, not think that this person a friend of yours or will try to understand your situation. I took it upon myself to learn the hard way. But, I don't regret anything. They are just lessons learned."
The 29-year-old has gone 4-0 since getting cut from the UFC. He is set to fight former UFC star Andrei Arlovski in the main event of World Series of Fighting 2, live in Atlantic City on March 23.
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