Dana White made the announcement via Twitter that Anthony Johnson would be returning to the UFC. He is scheduled to take on No. 4 ranked Phil Davis at UFC 172 in Baltimore.
Riding a six fight win streak, Anthony Johnson will make his UFC return against #4 ranked light heavyweight Phil Davis at UFC 172
— Dana White (@danawhite) February 4, 2014
Johnson returns to the UFC for the first time since January 2012 when he missed weight for a middleweight scrap against Vitor Belfort. After losing the fight via submission, he was cut from the roster. Since that time, he has gone 6-0 outside of the UFC to earn his way back into the organization.
Johnson made the move to light heavyweight and is 4-0 in the division. He is also 1-0 in the heavyweight division with a decision win over former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski.
Davis will return to the cage for the first time since a contentious decision win over Lyoto Machida at UFC 163. The contender will try to improve his stock in the division and prove himself to be a potential title challenger on the same card that the UFC light heavyweight championship will be defended.
This is an interesting light heavyweight tilt that could generate a lot of excitement. Here is an early breakdown of the Johnson-Davis fight before the two tangle in Baltimore.