UFC 187: Anthony Johnson Responds To Daniel Cormier — ‘I’m A Different Kind Of Animal Now!’
UFC 187 is turning out to be one of the most interesting pay-per-views UFC has for 2015, and the funny thing is that it hasn’t even aired yet. What makes UFC 187 quite peculiar are all the circumstances happening prior to its airing. Due to a hit-and-run situation, Jon Jones was suspended indefinitely from UFC and stripped of his title. However, Jones was supposed to fight Anthony Johnson at UFC 187. Ergo, UFC found another opponent for Johnson in Daniel Cormier, and their fight is now for the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
Now with just a little over two weeks until UFC 187, Anthony Johnson had some choice words to say about Daniel Cormier, warning him that he is “a different kind of animal now.”
According to MMA Mania, Anthony said choice words and statements to his new opponent at UFC 187, Daniel Cormier, during an appearance on The MMA Hour.
“I’m going to still be who I am. I’m nowhere close to the fighter I used to be. A lot of people still think that I am that same fighter that fought at 170, but I’m a different kind of animal right now. Everybody can think and say whatever they want. I know who I am, and we’ll see. Personally, I don’t care what he thinks, he’s entitled to his own opinion. I just have to focus on me and do me.”
The statement was a response to words Daniel Cormier said earlier, where he plans to “find” and “exploit” Anthony Johnson’s weaknesses. The weakness Cormier is talking about is the one that caused Johnson to tap out to Josh Koscheck and Vitor Belfort.
However, Daniel Cormier is going to have a hard time exploiting such a weakness, given the fact Anthony Johnson has been undefeated since his submission loss at the hands of Belfort, according to MMA Frenzy. Since that fight back in 2012, Johnson has won nine straight victories. Not only that, though Johnson shows poise, he is disappointed over the fact that he might win the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship by beating the third best contender in his division instead of beating Jon Jones, a fighter the MMA community says pound-for-pound is the best fighter in the world.
“Yeah, everybody wants to be the guy to beat the guy, know what I mean? I was disappointed, know what I mean? Because I worked so hard to fight the best and I can’t fight the champion, so now I’m focused on the next best in Daniel Cormier.”
In the end, Anthony Johnson says no one will convince him that he is not the true ruler at 205 pounds if he proves victorious, despite not fighting Jon Jones. The reason why is because everything that happened to Jones falls on him. Also, Johnson states he’s worked real hard to get to where he is now presently.
UFC 187 will take place on Saturday, May 23, 2015, in Las Vegas, Nevada. It starts at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST. Also, the pay-per-view’s card features Donald Cerrone vs. John Makdessi, a fight that is also peculiar since Makdessi had to replace Khabib Nurmagomedov due to injury, the same injury that took him out in his first scheduled fight against Cerrone back in 2014.
[Image via UFC]
