Photo by Jeff Gross/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC
Anthony Johnson recently reiterated his desire to face current Light Heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, going as far to say that he’d delay his desired Heavyweight run to get his hands on “Bones.” That’s assuming, of course, that he can get his weight down that low again.
Upon catching wind of “Rumble’s” comments, Jones took to social media to respond to the latest callout from a man he’s had no real beef with in the past.
”We’ve always been cool, but I’ll be more than happy to choke you out if that’s what you’re looking for @Anthony_Rumble,” he posted on Twitter, before advising Johnson to get his cardio game up before stepping into the Octagon with him.
”You better make sure you have that cardio together big fella.”
The two men were set to throw down at UFC 187 way back in 2015 for Jones’ 205-pound title, but after “Bones” was involved in a hit-and-run, he was subsequently stripped of the strap and suspended indefinitely.
As a result, Daniel Cormier stepped in to face Johnson for the vacant title, and then proceeded to defeat “Rumble” via submission (see it here). After three title defenses — including another win over Johnson — Cormier eventually lost the title to Jones.
Meanwhile, after his second loss to Cormier, Johnson retired from the fight game. But after two years away, the hard-hitting big man is ready to come back and make an impact on more than one weight class.
And if the stars align, we fight fans might actually be able to finally see “Rumble” battle the 205-pound G.O.A.T. And since Jones is pretty much running through the division, Johnson might be able to slip into a title fight if he can rack up several impressive wins in a hurry.