It looks like Anthony Johnson is on his way back to the Octagon.
Johnson hasn’t competed since retiring from mixed martial arts back in July 2017. “Rumble” never shut the door on a return and has always said that he’d be a heavyweight if he decided to come back. Well it appears Johnson has made his decision and it involves putting the gloves back on.
Ali Abdelaziz Says Anthony Johnson Is Planning UFC Return
Johnson’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto that “Rumble” will be completing the necessary paperwork to reenter the USADA testing pool. Johnson will be subjected to a six-month testing window before being eligible to return to action. That is a requirement for any athlete coming out of retirement who has exited the pool.
Abdelaziz mentioned that the time period for Johnson’s return to action is March 2020. He even went as far as to say that his fighter is intrigued by potential match-ups with Alistair Overeem and Junior dos Santos.
“Rumble” has teased a return to action in the past on social media.
“Yes it’s true that I’ll come back to MMA at heavyweight, but only if Jones fights [Cormier] for the title!,” Johnson wrote on Instagram. “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 [light heavyweight]. Heavyweight would be insane if the 3 of us were at it again!”
What are your thoughts on Anthony Johnson’s planned 2020 UFC return at heavyweight?
