UFC 104 Preview: Anthony "Rumble" Johnson Is One Big Welterweight
by Kid Nate on Oct 16, 2009 9:41 AM EDT
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From Kevin Iole:
The first obstacle is getting down to the welterweight division’s 170-pound weight limit. Johnson, who is a broad-shouldered 6-foot-2, weighed 220 pounds when he began training for Yoshida.
He’s down to 190 now and plans to take advantage of the extra pound allowance fighters are given in non-title bouts and come in at 171 pounds.
"The only pressure I feel, honestly, is the pressure to make the weight," Johnson said. "Once I’m on weight, I know everything else will take care of itself."
Johnson has failed to make weight once before in his UFC career, coming in at 177.5lbs for his UFC 76 loss to Rich Clementi. He took the fight on short notice and one can only imagine how brutal that weight cut was. He lost to Clementi in a lackluster performance that showed clear signs of early fatigue and dehydration.
One also has to wonder how long Johnson will be able to remain a welterweight. He's 25 and should continue to fill out his frame with muscle for the next few years. I expect Johnson to move up to middleweight at some point.
This also begs the question of whether his UFC 104 opponent, Yoshiyuki Yoshida, cuts any significant amount of weight at all and how big a size disadvantage he will have against Johnson come fight time.
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You’re just trying to piss me off aren’t you.
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
by ufc4 on Oct 16, 2009 9:50 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I think you’ll come around when Yoshida goes down in the 2nd.
Keep firing Assholes!
Never trust a man with no shirt on.
Because Yoshida is anywhere near as good as GSP?
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
by ufc4 on Oct 16, 2009 10:24 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Beating Yoshida will show us very little. This is a match up made fore Johnson to showcase his skills. A fighter with poor striking and lacks the takedown offense to get the fight to the mat. Fight will not leave the first round because the UFC wants to build Johnson. Unless Yoshida pulls a Paulo Thiago.
"That's an Awfully Big Mustache"-Frank Drebin
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by Zach Krantz on Oct 16, 2009 11:30 AM EDT up reply actions
He still needs to sharpen some skills to match up against GSP.
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by VeeisAnimated on Oct 16, 2009 10:23 AM EDT up reply actions
Sounds like he can barely walk after the cut. Jesus, if you’re walking around at 220 go up to 85 already. That’s like Rich Franklin size.
Although detractors decry (MMA) as a brutal, bloody form of human cockfighting, aficionados know it is a brutal, bloody, totally fucking awesome form of human cockfighting. -The Onion
by The Kittitas Kid on Oct 16, 2009 10:25 AM EDT up reply actions
Good lord, 220? I know some guys cut a lot of weight, but that’s absurd.
"That feeling after you win and they raise your hand... it's like you have this energy that releases from your body, and it's like you mingle with the cosmos, and you feel omnipotent"
sounds like he cuts down from 190
so he must not train as hard between camps and has to diet to lose the 30(!) pounds.
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Sounds like a pretty dumb thing to do for a pro athlete. Just like every year there are 2 or 3 guys on your favorite football team who just sit on their ass playing video games during the offseason and come into camp 30 pounds overweight and end up in the coach’s doghouse for the first month of the year.
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
by ufc4 on Oct 16, 2009 10:26 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Lol, my god he’s horrible.
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
by ufc4 on Oct 16, 2009 11:14 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
At least Johnson cuts down. Russel stays up there and he is horrible. I honestly believe he can throw a football through a concrete wall and I honestly believe he has no idea where the ball is going when it leaves his hand.
"That's an Awfully Big Mustache"-Frank Drebin
watchkalibrun.com
by Zach Krantz on Oct 16, 2009 11:32 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
JaMarcus has been dealt a raw deal though.
He has rookie WR’s, a makeshift Offensive line, 2 headcase coaches in a row, multiple different offensive coaches taking the job away from each other and a running game that is suddenly horrible. All that and having to play in the bizarro world of Oakland.
He’s not doing well, but they guy hasn’t exactly got it easy.
Thiago also cuts from 200+
I can only imagine how cutting from 220lbs. will slowly cause some wear and tear on his organs. 185lbs is definitely in his future.
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Tamden McCrory, also a very big Welterweight, said that he is still growing and will most likely fight at Middleweight. I can imagine Johnson doing the same thing, and he wouldn’t even be undersized as a Middleweight either.
by chrisbboy82 on Oct 16, 2009 11:03 AM EDT up reply actions
I would think it’s a strong possibility his camp is just releasing inflated numbers to mess with his opponents.
by Simco on Oct 16, 2009 10:40 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
holy shit
ive been around weight cutting for a fucking decade i dont thinkk i have heard of 50 pounds off season to on season in person once in college.
I've never heard of a LHW cutting 50 pounds!
Let alone a welterweight! This is truly insane. He cuts nearly 23% of his body weight!
He doesn’t actually cut 50 pounds, he might be 50 pounds over when he starts training two months out but it’s not like he’s at 220 the week before the fight.
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
by ufc4 on Oct 16, 2009 11:16 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
True
Yeah, I understand he isn’t in any kind of shape at 220. I just think it’s amazing that he balloons up bigger than Anderson Silva. They are both 6’2" and Anderson has stated in interviews that he walks around at about 214. I’m sure Rumble’s wrestling background gives him plenty of experience with the cut. Still, I can’t picture Johnson staying at 170 for more than another year or so.
I don’t know if that’s such a good idea Rumble… If you make a habit of taking advantage of that extra pound allowance, what’s going to happen when you fight for the title and you have to make the EXACT weight?
for all intents and purposes, just consider all my posts as works of satire.
Not that Johnson is actually going to get to fight for the title but Alves didn’t seem to have a problem and he always came in at 171 before.
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
by ufc4 on Oct 16, 2009 1:33 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
“A fighter with poor striking and lacks the takedown offense to get the fight to the mat. "
You mean other than his winning the triple crown of high school Judo in Japan, his tossing Kopenhaver in less than a minute…? those takedown offense skills he doesn’t have?
what are you talking about? if you’re willing to cut 50 lbs to fight….that’s just absurd. he might pull that kinda cut when doing 3 rds, but if he fought for the title, there’s no way you’re body can cut that kinda weight and fight a 5 rd. fight.
Gatti. Dekkers. Pele. Aoki. Kang. Vanderlei.
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by theworldsoldestsport on Oct 16, 2009 12:08 PM EDT reply actions
I know it’s not quite the same, but doesn’t Anderson Silva walk around somewhere around heavyweight?
by Monday Morning Martial Artist on Oct 16, 2009 1:22 PM EDT reply actions
A couple more cheeseburgers and Johnson would be there too.
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
by ufc4 on Oct 16, 2009 1:32 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
210-220 lbs with a lot of food on the plate. Jake Rossen mentioned that before ufc 101 he saw Spider with A LOT of stuff on his plate and with a big smile. He supposedly likes to eat…
by dancingChicken on Oct 16, 2009 2:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Gleison Tibau
Apparently Gleison Tibau cuts from 185 down to 155. That is kind of nuts too.
He says ehydration makes him stronger…
mark my word.. unless he literally starves himself AJ will not make weight!! Last week he was walking at 195, don’t let him fool you.. he has SOOOO much personal drama he created for himself, beginnning with his arrest, continued infidelity on his wife etc that he will not lose the weight. He lives on Dominoes pizza and burger king, only takes a class with others at Cung Les and has NO REAL CAMP!!! Completely unprofessional as an athlete, not a nice guy at all!!
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