Former UFC title challenger Anthony Johnson impresses in his Bellator debut.
Anthony Johnson got off to a rough start in his Bellator debut but made up for it by finishing Jose Augusto with yet another highlight reel KO in last night’s Bellator 258 co-main event.
Johnson took on Augusto in the quarterfinal matchup of Bellator’s light heavyweight grand prix, finishing ‘Gugu’ with a one-punch knockout after almost being finished in the first round.
How close was @joseaugustomma to shocking the world in Round 1?
But it wasn’t meant to be… #Bellator258 rolls on live on @SHOsports pic.twitter.com/HRWkLk4EQz
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) May 8, 2021
.@Anthony_Rumble had a few words to follow this KO at #Bellator258.#MMA #BellatorOnShowtime pic.twitter.com/srsYmhB6Dy
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) May 8, 2021
This marks a rare come-from-behind win for Johnson, who returned to the cage after a four-year retirement to pick up his first victory since 2016, when he demolished Glover Teixeira in the first round of the UFC 202 co-main event.
Johnson will advance to the semi-finals of Bellator’s light heavyweight grand prix where he will take on reigning champ Vadim Nemkov, who holds impressive victories over Phil Davis, Ryan Bader, and Rafael Carvalho.
“[Nemkov] is going to be a hell of a fight. I like Nemkov, he’s the total package. He can do it all,” Johnson said in the post-fight interview (h/t CBS MMA). “I look forward to testing him with my old skills. We are still in with the old and not in with the new. It is what it is.”