Ahead of his UFC 210 scrap with Daniel Cormier this weekend, UFC light heavyweight #1 contender Anthony Johnson attended the UFC 210 open workouts, where he showcased his power.
In the eyes of fight fans, that power may very well lead Johnson to victory in his rematch against Cormier Saturday night, where he hopes to avenge his 2016 loss to Cormier. In addition, Cormier has made clear that he has no intentions of using his wrestling to take the fight to the ground like he did in the pair’s first fight.
See the video of Johnson throwing bombs at open workouts above!
Leading up to UFC 210, Johnson’s teammate Rashad Evans spoke to UFC.com in an attempt to help fans understand the power possessed by Johnson:
“He hits ridiculously hard, and the thing about it that makes his punching power so unique is that it’s effortless,” Evans said. “He’s not trying to hit hard, he’s just swinging and that’s the crazy thing about it. Sometimes we’re just going light and he’ll throw a punch and I’ll go, ‘Yo, we’re going light.’ And he’ll say, ‘I wasn’t trying to hit hard, I was just swinging.’ And he really was. But he’s got these heavy, dense bones. And when he hits you, it’s not a pain. Usually it’s like a thud, and maybe your lights will flash for a little bit. He caught me with a couple of those and I’m like, ‘Woo, we’re sparring right now, huh?’
“He’s the hardest puncher I’ve ever experienced, for sure. No doubt about it.”
Johnson of course is one of the most dominant knockout artists in the UFC’s light heavyweight division, racking up 16 knockout wins in his 22 professional wins. That power also led Johnson to being crowned the light heavyweight #1 contender as he knocked out three straight opponents to earn another crack at Daniel Cormier.
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 4/6/2017.