Anthony Johnson released from UFC by John Morgan on Jan 15, 2012 at 2:30 am ET RIO DE JANEIRO – Anthony Johnson's third weighcutting mistake will be his last in the UFC, at least for now. Following Saturday night's UFC 142 event at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, UFC president Dana White terminated Johnson's contract. "This is his third time," White said of Johnson's failure to make weight for the third time in his octagon career. "Three strikes and you're gone." Johnson (10-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC), of course, missed weight for his co-feature fight with Vitor Belfort (21-9 MMA, 10-5 UFC). The UFC president said Johnson came within a pound-and-a-half of the 186-pound limit allowed for non-title middleweight fights but was forced by a doctor to rehydrate because the former welterweight contender "couldn't make it." "That was one of the most unprofessional things I've ever seen," White said. "The guy was at 170 pounds. He moved up to 185 pounds so this wouldn't happen anymore, and this is the worst weightcutting disaster he's ever had. He almost ruined the co-main event here in Brazil. I don't know what else to say about that one. I'm not happy about it." On Friday, White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Johnson's job would be on the line, regardless of the result of his fight. While his words made it seem as if Johnson could potentially keep his spot in the promotion, the UFC boss said his decision was already made. "I knew what the decision was when I talked to you on Friday," White told MMAjunkie.com. "This is his third time. Listen, the guy was having problems making 170 pounds. He wanted to stay at 170 or whatever his deal was. You go to 185, and you blow it as bad as he blew it? That's bad, man." Johnson previously missed weight in welterweight contests with Yoshiyuki Yoshida and Rich Clementi. With this weekend's infraction, in which Johnson ultimately weighed 197 pounds for a 185-pound fight, White said he simply couldn't allow the fighter's actions to go unchecked. That said, White said he's not forever ruling out the potential for Johnson to return to the promotion at some point. "I don't dislike the guy," White. "I like him very much actually. When you talk to Anthony Johnson, he's a good guy. "I don't know who you blame in this one. Do you blame him? Do you blame his team? Do you blame his camp? I mean who takes the blame in this one? Ultimately, you're a grown man. You're responsible for your own actions."
johnson performance was pathetic tonight, after the recurent weight cut disaster, he deserved to be cut. Not forever but at least for a couple of fights where he has to show professionalism inside and outside of the cage.
You could see Johnson fading by the second in this fight, he had nothing. He was so fucked from the weright cut he really had no chance.
The only reason I am glad Johnson lost was so that Dana White could cut his ass. But as I said in the other thread, Johnson will make a great addition to Bellator's 185 pound tournament.
To anyone who thinks cutting weight is solely a manner of professionalism and discipline, I suggest you do it. I don't blame Dana for his 'no excuses' position because it makes things easier to manage as the boss of the UFC, but it is not a position based in reality.
You say you are going to fight at a weight, you fucking come in at that weight. If you can't make it, don't say you can. It's that simple and it is a matter of professionalism.
You really live with your head in the sand. What you completely disregard is the fact that the UFC is selling a PPV card with scheduled bouts. If a fighter fails to make weight and the bout is scratched, it completely changes the product that the UFC has sold to fans. The weigh-ins are a single day before the fight. There is no time to make a legitimate change especially in a bout considered the co-main event. Johnson's lack of ability to make weight has resulted in 3 'catch-weight' bouts in his very short 4 year UFC career. Cutting weight isn't an exact science to be sure, but guess what? If you can't do it consistently, maybe you shouldn't be a professional fighter. And that is 100% reality. The thing that is fantasy is to believe that Anthony Johnson is some victim that is being treated unfairly. He had almost 6 months notice of this fight and couldn't hit 185 pounds. Again, maybe he should choose another profession or fight at HW.
because he was cutting a dangerous amount of weight. There is nothing to discuss about Johnson. He moved up becuase he was having trouble making 170 and he couldn't make weight 15 damn pounds north of that? There is no excuse for that.
Probably because he didn't maintain his weight between cuts because he was thinking 185 would be easy to hit. Oh well.
I've cut over 20 in less than a month. If a guy knows he is way too heavy, he needs to keep a closer eye on his weight in between fights. Johnson fought Charlie Brenneman at 170 in October. That was three months ago. He had three months from being 170 to make sure that he weighed in at 185. The guy cuts weight every single time to make weight, so either he was too lazy or his body has had enough of the yo-yo weight gain and loss. It IS a matter of professionalism and discipline! This is his chosen profession!!! If he can make 170, he sure as fuck better make 185. Coming in at 197lbs is crazy.
And, as usual, Buddy makes a great point. The dude was at 170 for a fight just slightly over 3 months ago.
It's not easy to constantly be starving. He didn't really come in at 197...he got down to 187 and they forced him to put on weight, right? You've cut 20 lbs so you have a sense of what I'm saying. Now be Johnson and cut 30 more. It's not just 'professionalism' and 'hard work'. The grind of cutting weight is all consuming, and I only did it for wrestling and at a far easier range than what you are talking about and what Johnson did, but I know better than just to say it's all about professionalism.
OK, so lets look at it the other way. Lets say it's not his fault, he tried his hardest he just can't cut weight. If that's the case, he's not cut out to be a prize fighter and should be cut anyway.
Sure, I don't mind Dana taking that position. If you don't or can't make weight, we will cut you for all of the reasons that back that up. That was my first post of this thread "To anyone who thinks cutting weight is solely a manner of professionalism and discipline, I suggest you do it. I don't blame Dana for his 'no excuses' position because it makes things easier to manage as the boss of the UFC, but it is not a position based in reality." It's the arrogance and ignorance that makes it sound like any weight class is within the reach of any fighter who is enough of a professional that annoys me. Johnson's body isn't supposed to weigh 170 lbs and apparently it's not supposed to weigh 185 lbs, either. He said he could make those weights and Dana takes him at his word. He can't, so Dana cuts him. That's all perfectly fine. It's fathead Dana's smarmy arrogance about it that is wrong. I run a business. When a fighter tells me he can make a weight class, I take him at his word. When he fails to make that weight, I don't care if he has good excuses, bad excuses, or no excuses, I have to consider whether or not letting the guy fight in the UFC is in the UFC's best interests. constrasted with I like him, but he was really unprofessional so i'm going to cut him.
Mike's problem, as always, is with the monster that is Dana White and the UFC. Mike doesn't really have an issue with Johnson getting cut but he's sure he SHOULD be mad at Dana White because of it. "I'm angry but I don't know why!!!!" Funny.
The guy has made 170, there is no excuse to not make 185. I don't care what happened. It's a pattern with this guy, he can't make weight so now he's fired. He can go to Burger King and spend his life there getting fat.
I'm not mad at the UFC at all. Dana, otoh, just needs to use different phrasing and quit being a douche. I have no problem with getting rid of any fighter who doesn't make weight, I said that. I like Dana, I respect what he has done for mma, and I respect the success he's had at the UFC. Absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely and so far Dana has avoided this. It's impressive. The matchmaking is superb, the marketing is superb, the quality control is superb. The difference between you and me, however, is that I realize that he has reached this position of absolute power in a bullshit, unfair manner by raping his employees, getting windfall profits, and locking down a monopoly whereas nobody involved in boxing could do this even if they wanted to. It's illegal.
All speculation unless you can share the UFC's financials with me. And they are doing NOTHING illegal. Period.
Dude, the only reason he had to cut that weight is because he went up to it. It's not like he had to be 220lbs. He went up to that weight, benefited from it, and then expected to get down to the weight cut he wanted. 23lbs in 1 month was tough for me, but I KNOW I could drop another 15-20lbs 2-3 months afterwards---particularly when I knew I'd get paid.
