Tag: UFC

Anthony Johnson Hits The Scales At 197 Pounds For Middleweight Bout, Dana White Clearly Not Happy

(Hi folks, most of you know that the news comes a little later as my day job keeps me busy, but I’m a little behind due to a few late meetings. I just want to thank you all for coming to us for the news.) I don’t think anyone in the world of mixed martial […]

Anthony Johnson (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

(Hi folks, most of you know that the news comes a little later as my day job keeps me busy, but I’m a little behind due to a few late meetings. I just want to thank you all for coming to us for the news.)

I don’t think anyone in the world of mixed martial arts would have seen this one coming, even from a mile away.

At the Friday weigh-ins for UFC 142, co-main event fighter Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson, who normally competes at welterweight and was making his middleweight debut against opponent Vitor Belfort, hit the scales at an amazing weight of 197-lbs for the bout. A full eleven pounds over the 186-lbs allowable limit.

The anger on the face of Zuffa CEO Lorenzo Fertitta (on the right side of the attached photo) pretty much says it all.

Johnson has had a history of missing weight as a welterweight fighter, with many critics calling for ‘Rumble’ to move up to the middleweight division. He’s come in overweight twice as a welterweight weighing 177.5 pounds at UFC 76 and 176 pounds at UFC 104.

Well he hasn’t impressed anyone in his middleweight debut by coming in at 197-lbs.

Belfort, who has expressed his excitement at competing in front of his fellow countrymen numerous times, did agree to contend the fight at light heavyweight but with one stipulation. Johnson would have to weigh-in again on fight day at 2pm in the afternoon and would have to come in at no more than 205-lbs, or the fight was off.

UFC president Dana White commented on the situation on FUEL TV, expressing his displeasure at Johnson’s “unprofessional” behaviour.

“Rumble Johnson is not on weight today, and when I say he’s not on weight he’s way off weight. This is not the first time this has happened with Johnson. He moved up to 185-pounds so this wouldn’t happen to him at 170 pounds, and here we are in the same position. Belfort came in like a professional on weight, and Anthony Johnson comes in as a total unprofessional, way overweight. The stipulation is, Vitor does not want him to weigh more than 205 pounds by tomorrow. So we will see how this plays out. He’ll weigh in today and have to weigh in tomorrow. As a fighter, you are a professional. You are contracted to come in at a certain weight.”

“His job is on the line. His job is absolutely on the line, win or lose.”

Johnson has been fined 20% of his fight purse and will be fighting for his job “wins or lose.”

UFC 142: ‘Unprofessional’ Anthony Johnson Should Be Cut from the UFC

Anthony “Rumble” Johnson just can’t cut it. Sure, he’s a great fighter in the Octagon, but it’s his body of work before the fight where the real hard work comes into play. That’s where Johnson can’t cut it. A move up to middleweight was seen as a new b…

Anthony “Rumble” Johnson just can’t cut it. Sure, he’s a great fighter in the Octagon, but it’s his body of work before the fight where the real hard work comes into play. That’s where Johnson can’t cut it.

A move up to middleweight was seen as a new beginning for the Georgia native. Johnson has had a history of missing weight at 170 pounds and was supposed to make his middleweight debut at UFC 142.

Instead, Johnson failed to make weight. It’s not like Johnson missed it by one or two pounds. “Rumble” came in a whopping 12 pounds over the 185-pound weight limit.

Johnson missing weight has led his boss, Dana White, to call into question Johnson’s professionalism.

As a fighter, you are a professional. You are contracted to come in at a certain weight. This is not the first time this has happened with Johnson. He moved up to 185 pounds so this wouldn’t happen to him at 170 pounds, and here we are in the same position again. [Belfort] came in like a professional on weight, and Anthony Johnson comes in as a total unprofessional, way overweight. (MMAFighting.com)

“Rumble” came into UFC 142 unprofessionally. He should leave as a non-professional.

The move to 185 pounds was supposed to solve Johnson’s weight cut issues and be a fresh start for him. Instead it’s only made it worse.

It’s clear that the cut to 170 pounds wasn’t the issue. The issue is with Johnson not having any self-discipline.

He may be a source of excitement once the cage door closes, but if he’s not willing to put in the work it takes to get to that point, he shouldn’t be fighting in the UFC.

The fight is the reward for all the hard work and dedication that’s shown in the weeks of training leading up to a fight.

For Johnson, it’s a simple case of no pain, no gain.

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Junior Dos Santos Wants Title Bout with Alistair Overeem to Be Held in Brazil

Junior dos Santos’ recovery process is going better than expected and he is eyeing a return date later this summer. The UFC heavyweight champion is prepared to make his first title defense against Alistair Overeem. The Dutchman earned the opportu…

Junior dos Santos’ recovery process is going better than expected and he is eyeing a return date later this summer. The UFC heavyweight champion is prepared to make his first title defense against Alistair Overeem. The Dutchman earned the opportunity to challenge dos Santos after he defeated former champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 141.  “Cigano” […]

Vitor Belfort: Looking at the Legacy ‘The Phenom’ Will Leave Behind

Vitor Belfort can see the light at the end of the tunnel. No, Belfort isn’t dying, but his MMA career might be coming to an end in the near future. Belfor spoke with Ben Fowlkes of MMAFighting.com about his career coming to an end and “enjoying th…

Vitor Belfort can see the light at the end of the tunnel. No, Belfort isn’t dying, but his MMA career might be coming to an end in the near future.

Belfor spoke with Ben Fowlkes of MMAFighting.com about his career coming to an end and “enjoying the moment:”

I’m enjoying every time I can enjoy, all of this. Right now I’m enjoying everything as it comes…I want to finish the best I can finish. We’ll see when God’s going to decide to speak to my heart and tell me that it’s the moment to finish. I know that the time is coming, so I’m preparing to finish the best I can finish. (MMAFighting.com)

The end is coming soon, but “The Phenom” has had a great run in the sport.

Belfort broke onto the scene as a phenom and was thus dubbed with the nickname, “The Phenom.” His early bouts in the UFC are highlighted by a 44-second KO of Wanderlei Silva at UFC Brazil.

After a stint in Pride that saw the Brazilian go 4-1, Belfort returned to the UFC to face off against Chuck Liddell. Belfort would lose to “The Iceman” but rebounded by using an axe to defeat Marvin Eastman at UFC 43.

Belfort would go on to rematch Randy Couture and win the light heavyweight title. His run at the top would be short lived however, as Couture bested “The Phenom” in their rubber match at UFC 49.

The loss to Couture, coupled with the problems surrounding the kidnapping of his sister sent Belfort into a downward spiral that lasted nearly three years. Following the loss to Couture, Belfort went on to go a combined 2-4 in his next six fights.

“The Phenom” got his career back on track in England and began the talk of “Vitor is back!” when he made his debut for the Affliction promotion. Belfort’s stint in Affliction was highlighted by a 37 second KO of Matt Lindland.

In 2009, Belfort returned to the UFC again to fight Rich Franklin. He defeated “Ace” in emphatic fashion by a KO in the first round.

Belfort used this win to catapult himself into a title shot against Anderson Silva. With the months of delays, the two finally met at UFC 126 with Belfort losing by a highlight reel front kick.

Rebounding from the Silva loss, Belfort blasted through Yoshihiro Akiyama and looks to do the same to Anthony Johnson at UFC 142.

If Belfort can emerge victorious, I could see the former champion retiring inside the Octagon. The man will have nothing left to accomplish in MMA.

He rose to the top of the sport seemingly overnight and competed at a high level for the entire length of his career. He may not look it, but Belfort is an older fighter at 34.

The bout with Johnson will be Belfort’s 30th professional fight in MMA and while his face and body has managed to escape the battle scars that a 15-year veteran should have. It’s not like Belfort padded his record against scrubs either.

If you look at his record, Belfort has fought against the best and beaten some of the best.

But will “The Phenom” be remembered as one of the best?

The answer to that question has to be an emphatic “yes.”

Belfort’s losses have come against names like Couture, Sakuraba,  Liddell, Ortiz (controversial), Overeem, Henderson and Silva. Quite a credentialed list of losses for a 15-year career.

“The Phenom” will always be a case of “what if” for me. How many times have we heard the words, “Vitor is back!” only to see him “back” for one or two fights?

He had the world at his feet at 19 and could’ve been one of the top pound-for-pound fighters of all time. Instead, he will just be remembered as one of the greatest middleweights and owner of some of the most explosive hands in MMA.

Still, Belfort shouldn’t hold his head in shame after he calls it quits. He’s reached the top of the mountain multiple times and has a long and storied career.

“The Phenom” has fought at an elite-level and fought top level talent for the past 15 years. But fans have to be left with a taste for more as Belfort could’ve and should’ve been so much more.

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Junior Dos Santos Wants Title Bout with Alistair Overeem to Be Held in Brazil

Junior dos Santos’ recovery process is going better than expected and he is eyeing a return date later this summer.The UFC heavyweight champion is prepared to make his first title defense against Alistair Overeem. The Dutchman earned the opportunity to…

Junior dos Santos’ recovery process is going better than expected and he is eyeing a return date later this summer.

The UFC heavyweight champion is prepared to make his first title defense against Alistair Overeem. The Dutchman earned the opportunity to challenge dos Santos after he defeated former champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 141. 

“Cigano” spoke with MMAJunkie Radio to give an update on his current status and is confident he will be able to make a full recovery.

“In another 20 days, I’ll be feeling 100 percent again. Then I need two-and-a-half (months) to do my camp, and then I’m ready to do,” dos Santos said.

Dos Santos is recuperating from knee surgery after he tore his meniscus 10 days prior to his bout against Cain Velasquez on UFC on FOX. The Brazilian knee injury did not hinder his performance at all, as he knocked out Velasquez in just 67 seconds to become UFC heavyweight champion.

When asked about a specific date, dos Santos didn’t specify, however he said an ideal setting would be in Brazil. The UFC is tentatively planning to hold an event in Sao Paulo. The champion said hosting the title bout in his homeland is a chance to showcase his skills for the fans.

“MMA is very popular here in Brazil now. I would love to fight here,” he said. “But the important thing is I want to make all my fans around the world watch good fights when I get in that octagon. So I will try to do my best.”

Both dos Santos and Overeem are renowned for their world-class striking ability, however dos Santos hinted at utilizing more than just his boxing skills.

“I think for sure the fight between me and Alistair is going to be a standup fight,” he said. “But if I feel I have to take him down and use my jiu-jitsu to beat him, I will do that,” he said. 

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Dana White Says Anthony Johnson Is ‘Unprofessional’ for Missing Weight

Anthony Johnson’s weight issues continue to follow him. During the UFC 142 weigh-in, UFC president Dana White announced that Johnson had failed to make weight and it has potentially put his bout with Vitor Belfort in jeopardy.Johnson weighed in at…

Anthony Johnson’s weight issues continue to follow him. 

During the UFC 142 weigh-in, UFC president Dana White announced that Johnson had failed to make weight and it has potentially put his bout with Vitor Belfort in jeopardy.

Johnson weighed in at 197 pounds, and as a result, “Rumble” will be forced to forfeit 20 percent of his fight purse to Belfort. 

White wasn’t too pleased with Johnson, but he said Belfort has agreed to still fight on Saturday night.

“Rumble Johnson is not on weight today. And when I say he’s not on weight he’s way off weight.” he said.

“The stipulation is, Vitor does not want him to weigh more than 205 pounds by tomorrow at like 2 o’clock in the afternoon. So we’ll see how this thing plays out,” he added.

Johnson has already missed weight on two previous occasions while competing at welterweight. The former 170-pounder had decided to make the transition to middleweight, in hopes of competing at a more comfortable weight.

White was unhappy with Johnson’s actions and his inability to properly make weight.

“As a fighter, you are a professional,” he said.

He moved up to 185 pounds so this wouldn’t happen to him at 170 pounds, and here we are in the same position again. [Belfort] came in like a professional on weight, and Anthony Johnson comes in as a total unprofessional, way overweight.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com