The main event of UFC Fight Night New Jersey featured a light heavyweight bout that could have determined the next title contender between Ryan Bader and Anthony Johnson.
If you make a mistake against Anthony Johnson, he’s going to make you pay.
Many fighters have learned this lesson in the past, and Saturday night, Ryan Bader became the latest to discover the havoc “Rumble” can unleash.
Bader shot for a takedown at the outset of their UFC on FOX 18 light heavyweight main event in Newark, missed badly, and then Johnson went to work, earning a knockout in just 1:26.
Official Result: Anthony Johnson defeated Ryan Bader by KO (Punches, Round 1, 1:26)
About Anthony Johnson
Anthony Rumble Johnson packs a punch. Anyone who has ever climbed into the Octagon with him – including UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier – will attest to that.
Johnson is arguably the hardest puncher in the UFC, and his record proves it. Of his 19 career victories, 13 have come via knockout. In the UFC, eight of his 10 wins are via KO, with seven coming in the first round.
A former junior college national wrestling champion, Johnson is in his second turn in the UFC after struggling to make weight as a middleweight and finally being released by the organization in2012.
Since his return in April 2014, Johnson has become one of the top fighters in the light heavyweight division. He scored wins over Phil Davis and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira before his scintillating first-round KO of Alexander Gustafsson at UFC Fight Night Stockholm earned him a title shot.
That victory was impossible to ignore. As UFC president Dana White said later, I never in a million years would believe that a guy who fought at 170 pounds could knock out 205-pounders. No way.
site: ufc.com
