Bellator President Scott Coker has spoken with excitement about signing Anthony Johnson and began to plan out ‘Rumbles’ first few fights with the promotion.
On Wednesday Ariel Helwani reported Johnson had mutually agreed to part with the UFC and was in the final stages of completing a shock move to Bellator. In an interview with MMA Junkie, Coker confirmed the signing and expressed excitement about adding another contender to his already stacked 205lb division.
“I’m very excited to have him on board here,” Coker said after Bellator 254 weigh-ins. “Here’s this guy that always will bring it. I’ve never seen him in a boring fight. It’s been, what? Two or three years since he’s fought? I think we’re going to get a brand new A.J., but his fighting style is something I’ve always respected and really enjoyed watching.
“When you get a fighter like that, of that quality, with a lot of upside, (and) you put him in our 205-pound weight class, it’s the best 205-pound weight class on the planet,” Coker added. To me, he’s just going to add a lot of great fights in that division. I’m looking forward to getting him in there and just start mixing it up and let these guys fight it out.”
“I think if you see pictures of him recently, they said he’s going to be comfortable at 205,” Coker said. “If he wants to fight at heavyweight, we’ll give him that opportunity as well. I think at 205, we have some great matchups for him. We’re going to let them all ‘rumble’ it out.”
After several years in retirement Coker expects Johnson to have a couple of warm-up fight before mixing it with the best Bellator’s light-heavyweight division has to offer.
“He’s probably going to want to fight a couple of fights because he hasn’t been fighting,” Coker said. “To me, I think that (first there will be) a couple of fights. Then, the sky is the limit.”
Do you think Scott Coker now has the best light-heavyweight division in MMA?