Anthony Johnson (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Former UFC welterweight, and one time middleweight, Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson was a guest on TapouT radio on Thursday with the fighter answering questions from a possible return to the UFC, fighting for another promotion, and his weight cut issues leading up to UFC 142.
Johnson was set to make his middleweight debut versus Vitor Belfort at the Rio de Janeiro event, but failed to make weight due to medical reasons. Because of the medical issues, a physician stepped in and ordered ‘Rumble’ to rehydrate, which by the time Johnson stepped on the scale, put him at 197-lbs for the fight.
Johnson would go on to lose via first round rear-naked choke and was subsequently released by the UFC.
‘Rumble’ recounted the incident to TapouT.
“It was crazy cause like I was losing weight, the weight was coming off fine. I would get breaks between my cutting sessions and stuff like that. I don’t know man, that last time my old man, his name is Marcus he helps me cut weight every time. He said ‘Alright kid get up lets go, lets cut some more weight.’ I tried to move and I just couldn’t feel my legs, I couldn’t move anything. And they looked at me, they thought I was playing around. Mike Van Arsdale was in the room with me and I was like ‘Mike I’m not fucking playing, I cannot move my legs I can’t even feel them. So everybody hopped up and helped me out and stuff. They moved my body around and stuff. They went and got Bert from the UFC and called the UFC doctor who told them what to do, who told me to drink fluids because I had electrolyte shock which stopped my legs from moving.”