Former UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Johnson has now been retired from MMA for more than a year, and he has definitely been missed.
From the sounds of it, however, he could soon end his retirement — to the elation of his many fans.
Earlier this week, manager Ali Abdelaziz divulged that Anthony Johnson would be willing to end his retirement for a heavyweight battle with Jon Jones.
“I talked to Rumble last week, right? And he said if Jon Jones fought DC (Daniel Cormier) as a heavyweight, and if Jon wins, he wants to come back and this is the only fight he thinks he’d come back to fight, Jon Jones,” Abdelaziz said on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show.
“Anthony Johnson is 285-pounds [right now]. He wants to come back as a heavyweight. But I think it [will] have to be something different. He can’t just come back. He misses the sport and says he will come back to fight someone like Jon Jones.
“He’s just having fun [with the bodybuilding]. He’s been in the sport for a long time, he’s resting his body, he’s having fun. He will fight again for sure. For sure, 100 percent.”
Shortly thereafter, Anthony Johnson clarified on these comments, confirming that he is willing to return to the cage — but only for a heavyweight title fight with Jon Jones or Daniel Cormier.
“Yes, it’s true that I’ll come back at heavyweight, but only if Jon fights DC for the title,” Anthony Johnson said in his Instagram story (via MMA Fighting). “It’s a personal goal of mine to fight the very best of the best before I truly stop fighting. Jon was always my motivation once I went to 205. Heavyweight would be insane if the three of us were at it again!”
Do you think Anthony Johnson will end up fighting again?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 11/7/2018.