Anthony Johnson's UFN 24 game plan: "I took one of out of Josh Koscheck's book"
Anthony Johnson knew what he was doing.
Johnson (9-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) promised a slugfest with fellow welterweight striker Dan Hardy (23-9 MMA, 4-3 UFC). He said their UFC Fight Night 24 co-headliner would be a standup affair. He predicted he'd put Hardy asleep.
But, as he today told MMAjunkie Radio, he simply took a page out of Josh Koscheck's playbook when he called an audible.
Johnson, a former JUCO national wrestling champion, floored Hardy with a head kick early in the Spike TV-televised bout. But after that, he ditched the standup and scored takedown and takedown while mixing in 15 minutes of ground and pound
That was the plan all along.
"I knew what I was going to do," Johnson said. "I learned that from Josh Koscheck. I took one of out of his book. He did the same thing with Paul Daley (at UFC 113).
"Daley fell for it. What did Koscheck do? He took him down every time."
As Johnson, who was fighting for the first time since a November 2009 loss to Koscheck, said after the fight, a win was more important than a flashy performance. He admits, though, that some fans may have been disappointed.
He just doesn't care.
"It wasn't my best performance, but as I said in my interviews, I just needed to win," he said. "I could have stood and banged with him. No problem. But why would I stand and bang when I know his absolute weakness is takedown defense and being on his back?
"I don't care what people think. ... My performance wasn't what I wanted it to be, but I'll take it."
Still, Johnson thinks Hardy should be commended for the performance. He heard Hardy "gurgling" during an arm-triangle choke but knew he'd "have to shoot him" to get him to quit in the fight.
He expected that kind of toughness.
"He won't give up," Johnson said. "I respect that. He's the toughest guy in the division. I don't doubt that at all."
So what's next for Johnson? He plans to be back in the gym today. While he confessed he weighed 231 pounds in December and didn't really start his weight cut until Jan. 1, he made the 171-pound limit for his fight. Johnson, though, said he won't get that heavy again, and he'd like to get back in the cage sooner rather than later.
With four wins in his past five fights, Johnson is on the verge of title contention. So his desire for a fight with rival John Howard, who's lost two straight, may seem peculiar. But he said Howard is still a dangerous opponent and a fight he wants.
"I for sure want to fight Jon Howard," he said. "That's the guy I want to fight the most.
"To me, I don't think about his losses. I just think about what's going doing between us. He's a very tough guy. He's a tough fighter for sure."
