Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson recently spent some time in the UK to do some promotional work for his sponsors at BSN, a leading nutritional supplement company. Fighters Only caught up with him to find out what he has been up to since his fight with Josh Koscheck at UFC…


FO: Hey Anthony, thanks for talking to us. What’s been going on?

I’ve been chilling at the BodyPower Expo in Birmingham, England man, hanging out at the BSN stand and meeting the UK fans. They’re cool man. This is my first time in the UK - this is my first time outside the US actually. I was always afraid to leave the US after all that war started, too many terrorist acts going on. I am the one that always wants to stay at home so if something happens I can get away!

FO: Really? I can’t imagine a big fella like you being scared of anything. Was it your first time flying as well?

Hell yeah! I’m scarred of terrorists and my momma, that’s it. I’m not scared of flying, I fly all the time.

FO: looking back at your last fight, a loss to top welterweight contender Josh Koscheck, do you feel like you just made a mistake and got caught there or was it a case of coming second on the night?

Well, I did make a mistake and get caught but at the end of it all he was the better man on the night and he beat me. But I will get my rematch and when I do I will knock his head off. I am gonna get it no matter what, I will get it whenever I want.

FO: Did you watch his fight with Paul Daley at UFC 113?

Yeah it was boring, all he did was lay on top of dude so he wouldn’t get knocked out because he was scared to strike with him. The part that Daley punched him [after the bell] and at the beginning where Koscheck picked him up and slammed him, they were the only two good points of the fight.

FO: What did you think of the ‘grounded knee’ incident in that fight?

He is an actor, he needs an award for his acting! But its funny how it has finally caught up to him and he cant do it anymore. Next time somebody is going to catch him with something for real and it will be an injury so bad he can’t continue so he needs to stop playing around.

FO: Do you think Koscheck was acting in your fight when he complained of a poke in the eye?

Yeah definitely he was playing around the whole time. He was playing that I poked him in the eye and that I kneed him in the eye. Koscheck don’t know what he wants to be, a fighter or an actor. How do you even knee somebody in the eye? Hell if I know.

FO: Koscheck is going to fight Georges St. Pierre later this year after they finish a stint as rival coaches on The Ultimate Fighter 12. St. Pierre has also been accused of being a boring fighter recently - is there a danger that this fight could be a blanket match?

Well the thing is, GSP is a more technical fighter and a better fighter overall than anyone else in the welterweight division so he can get away with that stuff, he causes damage whenever he is on top of someone. Koscheck doesn’t do damage, he just lays and prays. GSP will work for a submission or he will posture up and start raining down punches on you, Koscheck just lays there until you give him something.

FO: You think the fight will go GSP’s way then?

Its gonna be an easy win, its gonna be an easier win than the first time they fought

FO: As a UFC welterweight yourself, what do you think it takes to beat GSP?

(pauses for a good while, laughs) Jesus

FO: (laughing) Does that not stifle the division, if its champion can only be troubled by the hand of the Almighty?

Well he is a good athlete too, there is nothing bad you can say about the man. He has made the sport look so good with the way he carries himself and the way he fights. And he is a good looking guy, he does what he has to do and he stays out of trouble. GSP is making MMA what it is right now.

FO: Is that squeaky-clean image something you try to emulate?

I try to - if people leave me alone!

FO: So when can we expect to see you back in the Octagon?

I don’t know, I just had knee surgery about a month and a half ago and I am still doing physiotherapy on my knee. Hopefully by September or October I will be fighting again. Hopefully I can get two fights in by the end of the year. It was a meniscus (MCL) tear. It was bad enough that I needed surgery but nothing that I can’t come back from.

FO: Alright, Anthony thanks for talking to us. Any shout outs before we go?

I would like to thank TapouT, KNOXX Fight Gear and everyone that has ever supported me!