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By Hunter Homistek

You didn’t have to do it, Anthony, but you did. And we thank you.

Recently, news surfaced that UFC light heavyweight Anthony “Rumble” Johnson would face Glover Teixeira in the co-main event slot at July 23’s UFC on Fox 20 event in Chicago. It’s a fantastic matchup, one that carries obvious title implications.

It’s also a dangerous fight Johnson didn’t need to accept.

“Rumble” is riding back-to- back knockouts of Jimi Manuwa and Ryan Bader, and he’s 11-1 in his last 12. His power is immense. Eight of those 11 victories came via knockout. The lone slip-up during that run came against Daniel Cormier at UFC 187, where he fought for the light heavyweight title.

By all accounts, Johnson’s got dibs on the winner of UFC 200’s main event between Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones. His recent record supports it. His fighting style supports it. The thought of a matchup opposite Jones—finally—supports it.


Johnson was once slated to fight Jones at UFC 187. Leading up to the show, however, Jones was involved in a now-infamous hit-and- run incident, losing his title and sparking a 15-month absence from the sport. That left Johnson to face Cormier—an entirely different opponent—on short notice. While Johnson rocked Cormier early, the former Olympian proved too much as the fight wore on, eventually submitting Johnson via rear-naked choke in Round 3.

The circumstances changed, but the path to victory against Johnson remained: Survive his stand-up attack early, allow him to tire, then take him down and submit him. Four of Johnson’s five career losses occurred in precisely that manner. The fifth was a fluke TKO loss to Kevin Burns in 2008 that resulted from an eye injury suffered by Johnson during the fight.

Because of Johnson’s early dominance against Cormier and the shifting pre-fight storylines, however, many fans and critics remain interested in a Johnson vs. Jones showdown. Johnson only needs to connect once to rewrite history. That alone gives him a better chance than most against “Bones.”

With Jones and Cormier set to fight in July, it seemed Johnson could kick back, get ready, and call next. Nobody would’ve been upset with Cormier vs. Johnson II or with Jones vs. Johnson. But in came Glover Teixeira, hell-bent on ruining everything.

The 36-year- old Brazilian is on quite a run of his own, posting back-to- back-to- back victories over Ovince Saint Preux, Patrick Cummins, and Rashad Evans. All three wins came via stoppage—two knockouts and one submission.

It’s that submission that should’ve given Johnson pause. Against Saint Preux, Teixeira executed a game plan that sounds familiar: He avoided OSP’s power, tired him out, took him down, then submitted him.

This is the guy Johnson doesn’t want to face—not when a title shot is on the line. Teixeira is well-rounded, experienced, and motivated by a potential title shot of his own. His ground game is crafty and powerful, and his hands are loaded with stopping power. Johnson signed on the dotted line anyway. It’s an enormous risk—the type a man who believes he’s the future champion would make.

The thing about being the best fighter on earth is that, well, you’re the best fighter on earth. You can beat anybody. When the goal is to win—and to keep—the title, no challenger is too risky, no opponent too dangerous.

It’s part confidence and part logic: If Johnson is the best light heavyweight on earth, if he truly deserves the title shot in the first place, he should be able to defeat Teixeira. Holding out for a shot at Cormier or Jones doesn’t change this.

This way, Johnson stays active, he makes some money, and he gets his face back in front of fans before the biggest fight of his life. UFC on Fox 20 looks a whole lot tastier with Johnson vs. Texieira on tap, and Rumble has the chance to elevate his stock to new heights.

It was unnecessary, but Johnson’s willingness to face Texeira at UFC on Fox 20 is pretty damn cool.