Once upon a time, Anthony Johnson was a welterweight.
Newer fans of mixed martial arts (MMA) may not be privy to the fact that “Rumble” was a fearsome striker in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) 170-pound division. While Johnson had issues cutting weight, he still put the division on notice with his power.
Back in July 2008, Johnson took on Kevin Burns in his seventh professional MMA bout. “Rumble” lost the fight in controversial fashion. He had been poked in the eye more than once and couldn’t continue. Rather than earning a disqualification win, Johnson was handed a TKO loss. His appeal of the defeat was denied.
The UFC took matters in their own hands and booked a rematch between Johnson and Burns. This time, the outcome was clear. In the third round, “Rumble” landed a head kick that put Burns to sleep.
The official YouTube channel of the UFC posted the full fight for free in anticipation of UFC 210. The event takes place inside the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY on April 8. In the main event, Daniel Cormier will defend his light heavyweight championship against Johnson in a rematch from UFC 187. The main card airs live on pay-per-view (PPV) at 10 p.m. ET.
