DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. – Though he’s never gone past the third round, Anthony Johnson faces a potentially tough 25 minutes in his first fight back from retirement.
Johnson (22-6 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) returns from an over four-year layoff to fight Yoel Romero in the light heavyweight grand prix quarterfinals, which will serve as the co-main event of Bellator 258 on May 7.
In a battle of two of the most powerful light heavyweights, the judges’ scorecards might not be needed in this one. Throughout his UFC tenure, which included two failed attempts at capturing the 205-pound title, Johnson has been booked for several five-round fights. However, Johnson never has gone past the third round and could find himself in unfamiliar territory.
But “Rumble,” who looks in peak shape, says he’s prepared himself to go the distance.
“Everybody wants three rounds. Who wants five rounds?” Johnson told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. “That’s 25 minutes of fighting. I’d take 15 over 25 any day, but I’m ready for it. My fights don’t usually last five rounds. It’s either me or them, and that’s fine with me. I don’t like leaving anything to the judges at all. But five rounds, if that’s what it has to be, that’s what it has to be.
“I’ve heard that number so many times during my fights for main events and stuff like that. I trained for five rounds. If it doesn’t go five rounds, perfect. Win or lose, perfect, but if it goes five rounds, I’m not worried about it. I have been training hard for this whole entire situation that I’m about to be in May 7.”
Romero (13-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), on the other hand, has not only been the much more active fighter in recent years, but he’s gone the distance in three of his past five fights. But if Romero isn’t displaying a patient approach, he’s usually knocking guys’ heads off, which Johnson admits makes him difficult to figure out.
“Yoel is very tricky,” Johnson said. “He’s an explosive fighter, one of the most explosive fighters I’ve seen. He can wrestle his butt off and can knock you out, too. We’ve seen it in a couple of different fights, so I have to be very aware of whatever he presents to me. So I just gotta do me. I’m not really worried about what he can do. I focus on myself and sharpening my tools, and they have to adjust.
“You have to adjust regardless in a fight because everybody does something different and just because it looks similar in practice does not necessarily mean it’s gonna be like that during the fight. I’m just looking forward to the challenge. I’m ready to go out there and see what happens, see if the 37-year-old still got it. Even though he’s older than me, he still has it. I think he’s a superior athlete. I have nothing bad to say about him because he is a great athlete, and he’s a fighter, and I respect all fighters.”
Anthony Johnson ready for five rounds with ‘superior athlete’ Yoel Romero at Bellator 258
