Is Anthony Johnson too small for middleweight?

A 15-pound jump is huge in the fight world, unless you're a guy who walks around 40 pounds heavier than your weight class.

This weekend at UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro, Anthony Johnson is moving from 170 pounds to middleweight against veteran Vitor Belfort.

Belfort is no small 185 pounder. He spent most of his career at light heavyweight before the drop down. Watching the UFC 142 prefight conference today and judging by some photos it was hard to tell if Johnson is making a mistake from a size standpoint.

George Garcia from MMAjunkie radio thought Johnson looked undersized.

Looking at the photo above, he might be right, but then in the photo below Johnson looks like the bigger fighter.

In the end, it probably won't matter unless the fight features plenty of clinch work. Johnson says Belfort won't be able to handle his onslaught on the feet.

"Versatility will be a key in this fight," Johnson told HeavyMMA. "I have punches, kicks, takedowns, and he still has a long way to go. But I'm not looking past his abilities or anything like that. I just don't see anything Vitor can do to me that I can't do to him and then some.

Watch UFC 142 right here on Yahoo! Sports

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/anthony-johnson-too-small-middleweight-185326862.html

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Strikeforce postfight: ?King Mo? rips Mousasi, Rockhold still irked, Cormier?s future and Columbus in March is official

LAS VEGAS - The Strikeforce postfight presser was unlike any we've seen in recent memory. The wins either came too easy or Scott Coker needs to bring in some new challenges.

Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal, Luke Rockhold and Tyron Woodley all sounded bored and uninterested about their future with the promotion. That's bizarre, since one of them has successfully defended his title just one time and the other two are without titles.

Lawal hammered on Gegard Mousasi, his possible challenger for the vacant 205-pound title. He was also asked about a crossover fight with UFC and PRIDE legend Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. King Mo responded by calling him a bum, washed up and a B-level actor.

At least King Mo got his dander up a bit. Rockhold couldn't get past the fact that he fought a guy in Jardine, who'd never fought for the promotion before, or down at middleweight.

"He was pretty tough. He was stronger than I thought he'd be in the clinch. I thought I could dominate a little more in the clinch," shrugged Rockhold. "It was somewhat of a test. A lot of guys couldn't finish him and I told you guys I was going to do what nobody else had done."

Rockhold also gave a half-hearted endorsement of Tim Kennedy being a worthy opponent suggesting he wasn't a very good stand-up fighter.

- Coker seemed to the suggest that the Strikeforce to UFC crossovers will no longer happen.

"The crossovers happened when there was a gray area over whether the Showtime contract was going to be renewed," Coker said. "Now that that's out of the way we're committed to building this league. We're going to continue to do that. That means bringing great fighters here. I think that's what you're going to see all year."

- Woodley vehemently defended his winning fight approach. A media member asked the welterweight contender why he was "reluctant" to stand with Jordan Mein. 

"When you coming forward especially with that kind of range you just don't want to engage in crazy combinations. So when he got within my range, I thought I did what I needed to do, take him down, ground and pound him," Woodley said. "I got the Compustrike [numbers] in my pocket if you want to check it out. I don't think I was reluctant to strike with him."

- Lawal and Rockhold, training partners at AKA, have quickly become pals. King Mo warned that if they're fighting on the same card again in the future, it's an automatic two wins. King Mo threw out nicknames like "Cookies and Cream" or "Domino."

- Strikeforce announced it'll be returning on Mar. 3 in Columbus, Oh. Four fights are officially booked for the Nationwide Arena. Ronda Rousey will challenge Miesha Tate for her 135-pound women's title. KJ Noons will battle Josh Thomson while Paul Daley faces Kazuo Misaki. Sarah Kaufman, another 135-pound contender will face Alexis Davis.

- Coker said the female title fight will not be the main event. The hope was that Strikeforce could finish off its heavyweight Grand Prix that night. Coker didn't sound optimistic about Daniel Cormier's broken hand being ready in time.

"We're waiting to see what happens with DC's hand. We can only wait a couple more days and then we have to make a move one way or the other," Coker said. "I saw an X-ray. And from I what I saw in the X-ray, it's definitely starting to heal, but  will he be ready by March 3rd? I'm not sure. I'm not a doctor. The fighter, once they hit something, they're going to know."

Coker stressed the point that he'd like to get the tournament finished now that it looks like it's going to extend beyond 12 months.

- Some in the media were surprised that Daley was still fighting under Zuffa management. Coker simply said sometimes fighters lose their cool in the heat of the moment, referencing the sucker punch that Daley landed on Josh Koscheck at UFC 113.

"Fighters become emotional sometimes and they say things. You know what? To me, this is a business. I think he's still under contract and they offered him to fight Misaki," Coker said. "You know fighters are emotional. Sometimes promoters are emotional and they come out and say some things they don't mean."

Daley was cut by Dana White, who said he'd never fight for the UFC again.

- Coker was asked about what's next for his lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez. He'd like to see Melendez face Thomson for a third time.

"They should have a trilogy fight. Josh is a tough guy. Gilbert, to me, is the best fighter in the world in the lightweight division and he's gonna fight for Strikeforce," said Coker.

Thomson won the first meeting back in 2008 and Melendez took the second fight in 2009 via five-round unanimous decision.

Thomson didn't fight in 2011. His last bout in Dec. of 2010 resulted in a loss to Tatsuya Kawajiri. Kawajiri followed that win with a lopsided loss to Melendez. He's since dropped to 145 pounds where's he won two straight.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/strikeforce-postfight-king-mo-rips-mousasi-rampage-rockhold-194142709.html

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Is Anthony Johnson too small for middleweight?

A 15-pound jump is huge in the fight world, unless you're a guy who walks around 40 pounds heavier than your weight class.

This weekend at UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro, Anthony Johnson is moving from 170 pounds to middleweight against veteran Vitor Belfort.

Belfort is no small 185 pounder. He spent most of his career at light heavyweight before the drop down. Watching the UFC 142 prefight conference today and judging by some photos it was hard to tell if Johnson is making a mistake from a size standpoint.

George Garcia from MMAjunkie radio thought Johnson looked undersized.

Looking at the photo above, he might be right, but then in the photo below Johnson looks like the bigger fighter.

In the end, it probably won't matter unless the fight features plenty of clinch work. Johnson says Belfort won't be able to handle his onslaught on the feet.

"Versatility will be a key in this fight," Johnson told HeavyMMA. "I have punches, kicks, takedowns, and he still has a long way to go. But I'm not looking past his abilities or anything like that. I just don't see anything Vitor can do to me that I can't do to him and then some.

Watch UFC 142 right here on Yahoo! Sports

Other popular content on the Y! network:
? ThePostGame: Big-time sports agent details his downfall
? New Jacksonville Jaguars owner takes shot at poor NFL fans
? Tight NBA schedule causing injuries; just ask Dwyane Wade
? Shine: How well behaved are your kids?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/anthony-johnson-too-small-middleweight-185326862.html

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UFC 142 Weigh-In Results: Anthony Johnson Misses Weight, Aldo vs. Mendes Set

Former welterweight Anthony Johnson missed weight by 11 pounds at the UFC 142 weigh-ins on Friday for what was to be his middleweight debut against Vitor Belfort in the co-main event of UFC 142 on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. UFC 142's headliners didn't have trouble making weight, as UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo weighed in at 145 and challenger Chad Mendes tipped the scale at 144 to make the main event official.

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/27186/ufc-142-weigh-in-results-for-aldo-vs-mendes-in-rio/

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How to?build a home gym

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After rough night for Nevada officials, ?King Mo? offers to give Kim Winslow reffing lessons

Landing 15 unanswered shots, Muhammed Lawal nearly beat Lorenz Larkin into oblivion to pick up his ninth career win. "King Mo" was far from jubilant. In fact, he was angry following the victory. Lawal lashed out at the referee Kim Winslow for not protecting his opponent.

In the ring, Lawal screamed out a suggestion that Winslow shouldn't be reffing fights. In the postfight press conference, he brought it even stronger.

"The commission, they need to like to do something with her ... let her take a fight or something and give her a bad ref. Let her fight [Cristiane] "Cyborg" Santos and let's do a late stoppage with her," said Lawal."The tables need to be turned. Put me in there as a ref and I'll do a terrible job like her."

Winslow's decision to allow a limp Larkin to absorb 6-8 extra punches was shaky, but her explanation to Lawal was even worse.

"She said 'well, I wanted to give him every opportunity to bounce back. If it takes for him to be asleep, that's what it is,'" said Lawal. "She's never taken a punch before, so it's easy for her to say that."

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker suggested that it been rough night overall for the Nevada State Athletic Commission appointed referees and judges.

In an earlier fight, Winslow also allowed Gian Villante to finish off Trevor Smith with two illegal shots to the back of the head. Smith spoke to Aaron Tru about the end of the fight and said Winslow "has no business in the sport." Smith said Winslow tried to make up for a poor early stoppage in his fight by allowing Larkin to take an extra beating.

The scoring in two other fights confused cageside observers. Most onlookers thought Tyron Woodley rolled to a 30-27 decision over Jordan Mein, but one judge gave it 29-28 to Mein, who spent most of the fight on his back. The same goes for James Terry's loss to Nah-Shon Burrell got the nod 29-28 on two scorecards and looked completely shocked when he was announced as the winner.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/rough-night-nevada-officials-king-mo-offers-kim-221006705.html

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Dennis Siver vs. Ross Pearson Rematch Set for UFC on Fuel TV 2 in Sweden

Former lightweight contender Dennis Siver will make his featherweight debut in a rematch against Ross Pearson at UFC on Fuel TV 2 on April 14 in Stockholm, Sweden. UFC on Fuel TV 2 is headlined by light heavyweight contenders Alexander Gustafsson vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/27151/dennis-siver-vs-ross-pearson-rematch-set-for-ufc-on-fuel-tv-2-in-sweden/

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Anthony Johnson Weighs In at 204.2, Vitor Belfort Fight Is On at UFC 142

Filed under:

Anthony Johnson vs. Vitor Belfort is on at UFC 142.

Johnson, who weighed in at an absurd 197 pounds on Friday, showed up to his unusual second weigh-in on Saturday at 204.2 pounds -- way over the contracted weight of 186 pounds, but low enough that Belfort is willing to take the fight. Belfort, who came in at 186 pounds on Friday, had said he would refuse to fight Johnson if Johnson couldn't weigh in below 205 pounds on fight day.

UFC President Dana White was furious at Johnson for missing weight, but Johnson didn't seem to care. Johnson posted a statement on his Facebook page saying he's "laughing at" the people who have criticized him and adding, "I don't give a f--k." Johnson claims he has a medical issue that required him to get intravenous fluids, and that's why he couldn't cut weight on Friday.

But while Johnson may not care, it's clear that White does. If Johnson loses to Belfort on Saturday night, it wouldn't be at all surprising to see the UFC release him.




So the fight is a must-win situation for Johnson in a hostile environment against Belfort, who's one of the most popular fighters in Brazil. But at least the fight is on: Johnson is overweight, but he's close enough that Belfort is willing to fight him.

 

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Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2012/01/14/anthony-johnson-weighs-in-at-204-2-vitor-belfort-fight-is-on-at/

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Newcomers Buddy Roberts, Sean Loeffler Meet at UFC on Fuel TV 1

Middleweight newcomers Buddy Roberts and Sean Loeffler are set to meet in their Octagon debuts at UFC on Fuel TV 1 on February 15 in Omaha, Nebraska. UFC on Fuel TV 1 is headlined by welterweight contenders Jake Ellenberger and Diego Sanchez.

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/27157/newcomers-buddy-roberts-sean-loeffler-meet-at-ufc-on-fuel-tv-1/

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