Anthony Johnson knows he is in for a challenge this Saturday night when he meets Glover Teixeira at UFC 202 in a light heavyweight title-eliminator.
“Rumble” was on the cusp of winning UFC gold last year, but lost via submission to Daniel Cormier in a bout to crown a new champion after Jon Jones was stripped of the belt.
With the top contenders having studied one another, Johnson sees only little spots to attack the Brazilian come this weekend.
“He’s got pretty tight boxing and his wrestling is solid,” said Johnson, during an interview on UFC Tonight. “I don’t see too many weaknesses.”
While many believe the winner will earn the next crack at Cormier, nothing is for certain in MMA, saying “We worked out butts off to get a crack at Cormier again. We all work hard. We don’t have time to sit back and wait on anyone. It’s a short career.”
Johnson has been working to become a more complete fighter, which includes improving his biggest weakness.
“I’ve been working hard,” he said. “I’m working on my wrestling, grappling more and I’m always working on my cardio. I hold my breath with my punches in the fight and you know how that catches up with you. But I’m ready for anything.”