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“It don’t matter if it’s heavyweight or light heavyweight. I knock them all out, it don’t matter.”
Fight fans will be pleased to hear Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson is still coming out of retirement, but it will be at least another six months before the heavy hitting knockout artist returns to the Octagon.
Speaking at a recent media day in Las Vegas, Johnson said he plans to re-enter USADA’s six-month drug testing program next month but hasn’t decided whether he’ll return to the UFC as a heavyweight or light heavyweight.
Whatever his decision, Rumble plans to do what he does best: Kick ass and take names.
“I mean everything’s going smooth,” Johnson said about his return during the Dominance Media day in Las Vegas, per MMA Fighting. “No date set yet. I just plan on catching a lot of bodies when I come back. That’s all I know.
“It don’t matter if it’s heavyweight or light heavyweight. I knock them all out, it don’t matter.”
“Probably next month, something like that,” Johnson replied when asked about joining USADA’s drug-testing pool.
Johnson retired three years ago when he lost to then-light heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier at UFC 210. But, unlike other fighters who hang up the gloves only to come out of retirement, the 36-year-old still feels he has what it takes to compete at the highest level.
“For me, I didn’t have to retire,” he said. “I retired on my own. Other ones that retired and came back, they needed to retire and stay retired the first time. I guess they thought they had a little bit left in the tank. Hopefully that’s not me whenever I come back. I don’t know.”
Before retiring in 2017, Johnson was the #1 ranked light heavyweight contender in the UFC.