Anthony Johnson | Fights & Film

Since I posted my last UFC Rankings in September there have been only 2 UFC events, and 22 fights (including 1 title fight).

In the past month we saw an epic battle between two of the best Light-heavyweights of all time. Champion Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson put on one of the best championship fights of all time back in UFC 192. There was also a small show in Dublin on October 24th, and while the fights were fun to watch, the card was so injury plagued that there weren’t really any big ranked fighters who fought that night. October was a bit of a slow month for the UFC, but that’s okay because there are 4 shows scheduled for November and 4 shows scheduled for December so we should see a lot of movement in the rankings in the upcoming months.

I’ve added a new feature this month. From now on fighters in the top 16 that are fighting each other will have their names highlighted in the same color in the matrices.

Here are my UFC Rankings Matrices for October 2015:

(Click on Images to see them Full Size) (Champions in bold):

Past Rankings: (May 2015 – June 2015 – July 2015 – August 2015 – September 2015 )

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Women’s Strawweight (115lbs)

* I included the fights from the 20th Season of the The Ultimate Fighter even though they were technically “Exhibition” matches because they were part of the tournament that crowned the inaugural champ. The fighters TUF records are in parentheses next to their MMA Records.

Biggest Move

None (This division hasn’t changed much since last month)

Upcoming Fights

#1 Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs #11 Valerie Letourneau on on November 15th @UFC193

#5 Michelle Waterson vs #7 Tecia Torres on December 12th @UFC194

#8 Rose Namajuanas vs #10 Paige VanZant on December 10th @UFN80

#9 Randa Markos vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz on December 19h @UFConFOX17

#18 Nina Ansaroff vs Justine Kish on January 2nd @UFC195

#21 Seohee Ham vs #24 Cortney Casey on November 28th @UFN79

#26 Kailin Curran vs #29 Emiliy Kagan on December 10th @UFN80

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Women’s Bantamweight (135lbs)

Biggest Move

#8 Juliana Peña up 3 spots from #11

#10 Holly Holm up 2 spots from #12

Upcoming Fights

#1 Ronda Rousey vs #10 Holly Holm on November 15th @UFC193

#6 Sarah Kaufman vs #17 Germaine de Randamie on December 19th @UFConFOX17

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Flyweight (125lbs)

Biggest Move

#15 Sergio Pettis up 8 spots from #23

#16 Chris Cariaso down 4 spots from #12

Upcoming Fights

#5 Jussier Formiga vs #9 Henry Cejudo on November 21st @UFN78

#13 Justin Scoggins vs #27 Joby Sanchez on December 11th @TUF22Finale

#22 Ryan Benoit vs #26 Ben Nguyen on November 15th @UFC193

#24 Richie Vaculik vs Ryan Martinez on November 15th @UFC193

#29 Fredy Serano vs Zhikui Yao on November 21st @UFN78

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Bantamweight (135lbs)

Biggest Move

None (This division hasn’t changed much since last month)

Upcoming Fights

#1 TJ Dillashaw vs #3 Dominick Cruz on January 17th @UFN81

#4 Urijah Faber vs #14 Frankie Saenz on December 12th @UFC194

#6 Aljamain Sterling vs #12 Johny Eduardo on December 10th @UFN80

#8 Thomas Almeida vs #28 Anthony Birchak on November 7th @UFN77

#19 Erik Perez vs Damian Stasiak on November 21st @UFN78

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Featherweight (145lbs)

Biggest Move

None (This division hasn’t changed much since last month)

Upcoming Fights

#1 Jose Aldo vs #2 Conor McGregor on December 12th @UFC194

#3 Chad Mendes vs #4 Frankie Edgar on December 11th @TUF22Finale

#5 Ricardo Lamas vs Diego Sanchez on November 21st @UFN78

#6 Max Holloway vs #9 Jeremy Stephens on December 12th @UFC194

#8 Charles Oliveira vs #12 (155lbs) Myles Jury on December 19th @UFConFOX17

#11 Nik Lentz vs #29 (155lbs) Danny Castillo on December 19th @UFConFOX17

#12 Clay Guida vs #19 Thiago Tavares on November 7th @UFN77

#22 Chas Skelly vs Edimilson Souza on November 7th @UFN77

#27 Cole Miller vs Jim Alers on December 19th @UFConFOX17

#29 Sam Sicilia vs Doo Ho Choi on November 28th @UFN79

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Lightweight (155lbs)

Biggest Move

None (This division hasn’t changed much since last month)

Upcoming Fights

#1 Rafael Dos Anjos vs #3 Donald Cerrone on December 19th @UFConFOX17

#2 Anthony Pettis vs #6 Eddie Alvarez on January 17th @UFN81

#5 Ben Henderson vs #9 (170lbs) Thiago Alves on November 28th @UFN79

#8 Michael Johnson vs #15 Nate Diaz on December 19th @UFConFOX17

#9 Edson Barboza vs #10 Tony Ferguson on December 11th @TUF22Finale

#16 Jim Miller vs #25 Michael Chiesa on December 10th @UFN80

#17 Evan Dunham vs #20 Joe Lauzon on December 11th @TUF22Finale

#18 Gleison Tibau vs #28 Abel Trujillo on November 7th @UFN77

#21 Dustin Porier vs #26 Joseph Duffy on January 2nd @UFC195

#22 Paul Felder vs Darren Cruickshank on January 17th @UFN81

#30 Kevin Lee vs Leonardo Santos on December 12th @UFC194

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Welterweight (170lbs)

Biggest Move

None (This division hasn’t changed much since last month)

Upcoming Fights

#1 Robbie Lawler vs #5 Carlos Condit on January 2nd @UFC195

#7 Damian Maia vs #13 Gunnar Nelson on December 12th @UFC194

#9 Thiago Alves vs #5 (155lbs) Ben Henderson on November 28th @UFN79

#10 Don Hyung Kim vs #15 Jorge Masvidal on November 28th @UFN79

#12 Jake Ellenberger vs #14 Tarec Saffiedine on January 30th @UFConFOX18

#16 Ryan LaFlare vs Mike Pierce on December 11th @TUF22Finale

#17 Neil Magny vs #15 (185lbs) Kelvin Gastelum on November 21st @UFN78

#18 Lorenz Larkin vs #25 Albert Tumenov on January 2nd @UFC195

#21 Tim Means vs John Howard on December 10th @UFN80

#23 Patrick Cote vs #28 Ben Saunders on January 17th @UFN81

#26 Warlley Alves vs #29 Colby Covington on December 12th @UFC194

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Middleweight (185lbs)

Biggest Move

None (This division hasn’t changed much since last month)

Upcoming Fights

#1 Chris Weidman vs #2 Luke Rockhold on December 12th @UFC194

#3 Jacare Souza vs #4 Yoel Romero on December 12th @UFC194

#6 Uriah Hall vs #16 Robert Whittaker on November 15th @UFC193

#9 Vitor Belfort vs #15 Dan Henderson on November 7th @UFN77

#12 CB Dolloway vs #25 Nate Marquardt on December 19th @UFConFOX17

#17 Tim Boetch vs #20 Ed Herman on January 17th @UFN81

#19 Antonio Carlos Jr vs Kevin Casey on December 10th @UFN80

#22 Thiago Santos vs #23 Elias Theodorou on December 10th @UFN80

#24 Josh Samman vs Tamdam McCory on December 19th @UFConFOX17

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Lightheavyweight (205lbs)

* Even though #1 Jon Jones is technically not the champion anymore, I still have him ranked as #1 since he was stripped of the title and didn’t actually lose the belt to another fighter.

Biggest Move

#7 Rashad Evans down 2 spots from #5

Upcoming Fights

#2 Daniel Cormier vs #1 Jon Jones on TBA

#3 Anthony Johnson vs #5 Ryan Bader on January 30th @UFConFOX18

#7 Glover Teixeira vs #11 Pat Cummins on November 7th @UFN77

#15 Fabio Maldonado vs #18 Corey Anderson on November 7th @UFN77

#17 Gian Villante vs #24 Anthony Perosh on November 15th @UFC193

#20 Illir Latifi vs #23 Sean O’Connell on January 17th @UFN81

#22 Francimar Barroso vs Abdul-Kerim Edilov on January 17th @UFN81

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Heavyweight (265lbs)

Biggest Move

None (This division hasn’t changed much since last month)

Upcoming Fights

#1 Fabricio Werdum vs #2 Cain Velasquez on TBA

#3 Junior Dos Santos vs #9 Alistair Overeem on December 19th @UFConFOX17

#4 Stipe Miocic vs #5 Andrei Arlovski on January 2nd @UFC195

#6 Travis Browne vs #13 Matt Mitrione on January 17th @UFN81

#8 Mark Hunt vs #14 Antonio Silva on November 15th @UFC193

#15 Stefan Struve vs #22 Jared Rosholt on November 15th @UFC193

#17 Mirko Flipovic vs #25 Anthony Hamilton on November 28th @UFN79

#18 Gabriel Gonzaga vs #30 Konstantin Erokhin on December 11th @TUF22Finale

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Thanks for reading! Let me know if you have any questions, comments or criticisms. Any feedback is appreciated.

Main Event:

#2 Alexander Gustafsson (16-2) vs. #5 Anthony Johnson (18-4)

Age: 28 30

Height: 6ft 5in 6ft 2in

Weight: 205lbs 205lbs

Reach: 79in 78in

UFC Record: 8-2 (6 finishes) 9-4 (7 finishes)

#2 Alexander Gustafsson is without a doubt the 2nd best 205lb fighter in the world. In UFC165 he gave Jon Jones the most difficult fight of his career, it was unmistakeably the fight of the year and most people were split on who had won the battle. The judges gave the decision to #1 Jon Jones who has since then defended his belt 2 more times. Gustafsson on the other hand has only beat #14 Jimi Manuwa since his loss to Jones. He has been patiently waiting for a rematch against the champ and was even scheduled to fight him at UFC178 but Gustafsson got injured and was replaced by #3 Daniel Cormier. Now Gustafsson must defeat the beast that is Anthony Johnson in order to earn another title shot.

#5 Anthony Johnson has had an up and down career in the UFC. He used to fight at 170lbs and was accustomed to cutting ridiculous amounts of weight. He was always known as a talented fighter with serious power, but he had consistency issues, especially with making weight. In 2012 after a failed attempt to make weight at 185lbs, coupled with a loss to #5(MW) Vitor Belfort Johnson was released by the UFC. After his release from the organization, Johnson decided to move up to 205lbs and went on an absolute tear picking up 6 wins in a row and 4 KO’s (including a win at heavyweight over former UFC HW champion #8 Andrei Arlovski). The UFC re-signed Anthony Johnson in 2014 and he’s quickly established himself as a legitimate title contender with frightening knockout power. He dominated #6 Phil Davis in his first fight back in the UFC and he scored a vicious KO over #13 Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (For a GIF of the KO click HERE). Now in his 2nd stint in the UFC Johnson seems to have finally fulfilled his potential and is 1 win away from a title shot at 205lbs.

Main Card (My picks in Bold):

205lbs: #2 Alexander Gustafsson (16-2) vs. #5 Anthony Johnson (18-4)

185lbs: #7 Gegard Mousasi (35-5-2) vs. #11(LHW) Dan Henderson (30-12)

205lbs: #6 Phil Davis (13-2-1) vs. #8 Ryan Bader (18-4)

145lbs: Akira Corassani (12-5-1) vs. Sam Sicilia (13-5)

FULL FIGHT CARD

Fight I’m Most Looking Forward To:

#2 Alexander Gustafsson vs. #5 Anthony Johnson – This is easily the most important and interesting fight of the evening. This fight will decide who the next man to face Jon Jones will be.This is a showcase of 2 of the best fighters in the world fighting each other in their prime. Both men prefer to strike which should lead to a stand-up battle. Gustafsson is known for his great footwork and striking at range while Johnson is known for his scary KO power and strike versatility. I just can’t see how this ends up a boring fight, plus the title implications make it that much more exciting.

Fighter Most Likely to Win:

#7 Gegard Mousasi – This might be a surprise pick to some since he is facing an MMA legend in #11(LHW) Dan Henderson, but I really see Mousasi winning this fight with ease. Dan Henderson has only won 1 fight in the last 3 years (a fight he was loosing up until the KO by the way). Henderson hasn’t fought at 185lbs since 2010 and hasn’t had a win in the division since his legendary KO of #10 Michael Bisping @UFC100 back in 2009. Dan Henderson is 44 years old, and he isn’t allowed to use Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) anymore, which hurt his chances even more. Simply put Dan Henderson is past his prime and just doesn’t have what it takes to beat elite competition anymore. Unfortunately for Henderson that’s just what Mousasi is, elite. Gegar Mousasi is a very underrated fighter with a very impressive record. He only has 2 losses in the UFC, and they are against elite fighters in #3 Jacare Souza & #4 Lyoto Machida. Mousasi is a special talent and he’s still only 29 years old. He might never have what it takes to become a champion in the UFC but he’s definitely one of the best fighters in MMA. I just don’t think Henderson has anything to threaten Mousasi with except maybe a lucky punch.

Most Underrated Fight:

#22 Neil Seery vs Chris Beal – The first fight of the night should be an exciting one. These two flyweights (125lbs) are sure to put up a great fight. The Irishman Seery is 1-1 in the UFC and has yet to be in a boring fight. Chris Beal is a former Team Rousey member from the Ultimate Fighter Season 18. He didn’t win the show, but he has been undefeated so far in the UFC. Beal had arguably the greatest KO of the year in 2014 when he landed a sweet flying knee against Patrick WIlliams and knocked him out cold (For a GIF of the KO click HERE). The lower weight fighters are always more active and put on more exciting fights so I see no reason why this fight should be the exception.