AJ looking towards a lucrative if mysterious future, post fighting

UFC light heavyweight Anthony Johnson spoke recently with Mark La Monica for NewsDay, ahead of his fight with Glover Teixeira at UFC 202 on Saturday night. Johnson has plans for his life post fighting.

Big money,” said ‘Rumble’. “Big money, way more money than what I’m making now. And I’ll be making it every two weeks.

If I can make what I’m making now every two weeks, what’s the point of getting punched in the face? I’ve been in sports since I was 8. I’m 32 years old. I’m tired of being in the gym.

Johnson’s last win, over Ryan Bader, made him $299,000 ($117,000 in show money, $117,000 in win money, $50,000 Performance bonus, $15,000 Reebok money). That was Johnson’s first fight in 2016; Saturday will be his second.

The fight before that, a win over Jimi Manuwa at UFC 191, made him $295,000 ($115,000 in win money, $115,000 in show money, $50,000 Performance bonus, $15,000 Reebok money). That was just one of three fights he had in 2015.

So whatever he plans, it is big. Johnson declined to go into details, as no announcement has been made yet.

If Johnson wins on Saturday, he looks at a lucrative immediate future in the form of a title shot. It will likely be against Daniel Cormier, although interim champion Jon Jones recently indicated he may come back rapidly from a failed USADA test.

I feel like I should be fighting for the title next, but Glover called me out so we have to fight, said Johnson. Let’s do it.

This sport is weird because one second, you can be getting ready for a title shot, then they scratch you and say somebody else gets it just because that person has more power, more of a fan base, more popular. That’s just how the game works now. It’s a business.

Overall, rankings mean nothing. If you’re not the champion, you’re just a guy that’s good in the weight class. That’s it. That’s the way I see it. No. 1 is the only thing that matters, being the champion. If you’re the No. 1 contender, meh. If you’re just a contender, meh. If you’re the champion, you’re the man, period. No questions asked.

I dont want any more questions asked. I just want everyone to say he’s the man.

When it comes to the most powerful guys in the light heavyweight division, it’s me. I think I hit harder than 99 percent of fighters, period. Two, I would say Glover, and three, Ilir Latifi. That guy hits like a ton of bricks.

Not being hit like a ton of bricks is one of Johnson’s main goals on Saturday. If he can do that, if he can keep conscious for all three rounds, the odds are in his favor to win. And if he can do that, even without the mysterious post fight plan, he is looking at making some big money.