Don’t expect to see Anthony Johnson on the gridiron.
Last night (April 8), Johnson stunned mixed martial arts (MMA) fans when he announced his retirement from the sport. “Rumble” was submitted by Daniel Cormier inside the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. It was the second time Cormier choked Johnson in an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight title fight.
Speculation ran wild after “Rumble” thanked his fans and used a picture of a Los Angeles Rams helmet and referenced the team. Johnson put an end to the speculation in the UFC 210 post-fight presser (via MMAFighting.com):
“It’s just business. I want to do something besides going to the gym everyday punching and kicking and rolling around with another dude. That sh*t gets old. I’ve been doing this for so long, I’ve been in sports since I was 8, it’s just time to move on to something different. I won’t say better, but just different. And no, I am not about to play football for the (Los Angeles) Rams. Because everybody’s hitting me up and saying some crazy stuff about (how) I’m about to play for the Rams. Why would I go into another sport that’s the same thing as this, and you take all this impact and stuff? That’s absolutely insane.”