INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Anthony Johnson may be facing the champion in the grand prix semifinals, but it’s a matchup he’s always wanted.
Johnson (23-6 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), who knocked out Jose Augusto in the quarterfinals of the light heavyweight grand prix, will face reigning champion Vadim Nemkov in the next round of the eight-man tournament at Bellator 268 on Oct. 16.
“Since I signed with Bellator, I’ve wanted to compete against Nemkov,” Johnson told reporters, including MMA Junkie this past Saturday at Bellator 263. “He’s an animal, and now I have the opportunity, so I have to just shoot for the stars and see what happens.”
The knockout artist has plenty of respect for Nemkov (13-2 MMA, 6-0 BMMA), touting him as one of the toughest challenges of his career.
“He’s an athlete, he’s a fighter,” Johnson said. “I don’t see any holes in his game. He’s a complete standup fighter. He’s a great grappler. I’ve faced the best of the best, and I feel like this is going to be one of those fights, too. So I take nothing away from Nemkov.
“I just look forward to fighting him. He comes from a phenomenal team. He’s got ‘The Last Emperor’ Fedor (Emelianenko) in his corner, so that alone is a danger – just having that guy in your corner. But my corner is legit, too, so I just look forward to testing my skills against him.”
Johnson faced some adversity in his opening-round matchup with Augusto, in which he was able to rally after getting rocked early in a wild back-and-forth brawl. But after having gone through that unfamiliar experience, Johnson is ready for the heat he expects Nemkov to bring.
“That was the first time I had ever been wobbled, dropped – period,” Johnson said. “And I’ve been hit by Alistair (Overeem), Tyrone Spong and Rashad (Evans), and just the who’s-who in combat sports. I’ve never been dropped, and this man dropped me. (He) had me nervous for a second, but thank God he didn’t hit me too hard and I had enough time to collect my thoughts and get back in it. But yeah, I don’t want to get hit like that. But I have a feeling this next fight, it’s going to be a war. So I’m mentally prepared for it.”