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Anthony Johnson has teased a return to mixed martial arts (MMA) in the past, but now it seems to be official. According to a report by ESPN, Johnson’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, revealed that “Rumble” will return in 2020 and he intends to fight at Heavyweight.

Furthermore, Ali says Johnson will soon start the process of getting back into United States Anti Drug Testing (USADA) pool in anticipation of a return in March of 2020. Once all of that is out of the way, Anthony hopes to lock down fights against ranked big men, including the likes of Alistair Overeem and Junior dos Santos.

Johnson last competed back in 2017, losing to Daniel Cormier for the second time at UFC 210. Prior to that, “Rumble” had won three straight after losing to “DC” the first time at UFC 187. Johnson was initially linked up to fight Jon Jones at that event, but “Bones” was yanked and stripped of his title after his hit-and-run incident in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

After leaving the fighting arena, Johnson went on to open a medical cannabis facility. He also found a new hobby in pumping iron, as “Rumble” got super swole from hours and hours in the gym.

Anthony did express his interest in a 265-pound matchup against Jon Jones, but that is unlikely to happen as “Bones” is content with staying the ruler of the Light Heavyweight division.

Unless, of course, UFC comes correct with the cash.

Johnson is no stranger to the Heavyweight division, having faced — and defeated — Andrei Arlovski under the now-defunct World Series of Fighting (WSOF) umbrella in 2013, knocking out “The Pitbull,” rearranging his jaw in the process.

Discuss the tenth episode of season three of Dana White’s Contender Series, which features a middleweight fight between Dusko Todorovic and Teddy Ash on top.

Tonight (August 27th) is the tenth and final week of season three of Dana White’s Contender Series, which highlights up-and-coming talent as well as some former UFC fighters looking for a second crack at the big time. Winners aren’t guaranteed a UFC contract, but it certainly helps to both win and impress at the same time.

Bloody Elbow is your place for live discussion of this five-fight event at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event is a middleweight fight between Dusko Todorovic and Teddy Ash.

As is the case throughout the summer, Dana White’s Contender Series streams live on ESPN+. For those outside of the USA, you can still watch it on UFC Fight Pass, starting at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT. The full fight card is as follows:

Dusko Todorovic (185.5) vs. Teddy Ash (185.5) – Middleweight

Kailan Hill (185.5) vs. Impa Kasan (185) – Middleweight

Sang Hoon Yoo (156) vs. Peter Barrett (154.5) – Lightweight

Ben Sosoli (265.5) vs. Dustin Joynson (241.5) – Heavyweight

T.J. Brown (146) vs. Dylan Lockard (145.5) – Featherweight

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

“Masvidal vs. Diaz, I get way more excited for that fight then Usman vs. Covington.”

Could a non-title bout between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz possibly be bigger than a welterweight title bout between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington?

Now-retired UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping certainly seems to think so, and he’s probably not alone.

Speaking on a recent edition of Believe You Me, podcast host Bisping said he is ‘way more excited’ to see Diaz vs. Masvidal than Usman vs. Covington.

“Yeah for sure,” Bisping said when co-host Luis Gomez expressed his excitement for Diaz vs. Masvidal. “No disrespect. I’m not trying to s**t on Colby Covington. I actually do find myself somewhat entertained by his antics and what he says to be honest, once I got past the initial disdain for him. If you just look at it as a gimmick and bit of schtick — which is what it is by all accounts — then good for him, he’s making headlines.”

“In the Octagon he’s a hell of a fighter, he really is,” he continued. “But I’ve got to say — and that’s why I clarify that point, that it’s not because of any bias — Masvidal vs. Diaz, I get way more excited for that fight then Usman vs. Covington.”

Although there’s a lot of talk and buzz about both fights, neither matchup has been booked. Covington beat former welterweight champ Robbie Lawler earlier this month to solidify his position as the top contender but, according to ‘Chaos’, Usman is stalling negotiations.

As for Diaz vs. Masvidal, it’s still early days. Diaz got the ball rolling when he called out ‘Gamebred’ in his UFC 241 post-fight interview after beating Anthony Pettis via unanimous decision in the co-main event. Masvidal who, along with Diaz is currently one of the most talked about fighters in the division, claims to be in negotiations for the matchup but UFC president Dana White says ‘no progress’ has been made.

With a ton of hype behind both fights, expect the UFC to officially book Diaz vs. Masvidal and Usman vs. Covington in the coming weeks.