MMA Reporter

Anthony Johnson's dynamic UFC 104 victory over Yoshiyuki Yoshida cemented what many insiders and hardcore fans of mixed martial arts already knew: Johnson is a fast-rising star in the UFC's welterweight division.

The charismatic knockout artist has a knack for finishing his opponents in electric fashion, a trait that will serve him well in the entertainer-friendly confines of the UFC.

I met with Johnson at the Wilshire Grand just hours before he would step in the cage with Yoshida. He looked markedly improved from the day before, and was fully recuperated from a grueling weight cut that left him nearly unable to walk without assistance.

He stepped into the cage that night and utterly destroyed the overmatched Yoshida in under one minute.

But Johnson's victory wasn't without cost. An injury suffered while preparing for a bout with Matt Brown hampered Johnson's ability to train correctly, and he swelled up to 220 pounds, nearly 50 pounds over the welterweight limit. Many large light heavyweights cut from the same weight.

Johnson soldiered on. While preparing for the Yoshida bout, Johnson's agent referred him to a personal trainer friend. The trainer suggested that Johnson try a new method of weight cutting, one that relied less on shedding water weight. Johnson stopped eating in the week leading up to the bout and increased his water intake.

The new method didn't work.*

"I was 192 on Monday, and I should have been less than 185 on Wednesday. That's where I usually am, and that's an easy cut," Johnson told me on Saturday morning. "The trainer told me to drink a lot of water and to not eat very much, and that's what I did.

"On Thursday, I did a three-hour workout and dropped from 198 to 183. But then I drank all the water he wanted me to drink for the day, and I went back up to 198."

With Johnson 27 pounds over the welterweight limit on the day before he was scheduled to weigh-in, the cutting efforts went into overtime. Johnson stepped into the sauna on Friday morning in an attempt to shed water weight the traditional way.

He spent an hour in the sauna and lost four pounds, giving him confidence that he'd be able to make the limit. But when he stepped out of the sauna for a break, the worst happened: he stopped sweating.

"I got out of the sauna, and I think I was out too long because my sweating stopped," said Johnson. "When I got back in the sauna I couldn't get anything else off. That's what broke me."

Johnson's energy reserves were depleted, and he knew that with hours to go and many pounds left to lose, there would be no way for him to make weight.

His camp contacted the California State Athletic Commission and Yoshida's camp, and a deal was struck: Johnson could miss the weight limit, but the fight would go on.

In exchange for staying in the fight, however, Yoshida would receive 10 percent of Johnson's contracted purse. Another 10 percent would go to the CSAC.

Johnson weighed in at 176lbs, five pounds over the limit. It was a dramatic miss for a fighter who hadn't missed weight in over two years and someone considered to be a rising star in the welterweight division.

Johnson did just that on Saturday night against Yoshida. But the missed weight didn't just embarrass Johnson...it also cost him the Knockout of the Night, an extra $60,000 bonus that would have been added to his purse.

That kind of money is crucial for a fighter like Johnson, a prospect on the rise who hasn't quite gotten to the point where he's making plenty of money.

A move to the middleweight division would seem to be the logical next step. Johnson is a huge man. Standing next to him, it's impossible to believe that he ever gets down to 170 pounds. Johnson isn't prepared for the move, however. "I will eventually move to middleweight, but right now I like 170," said Johnson.*

Johnson is adamant that the events of last weekend won't happen again.

"I just don't take pride in what happened yesterday. Even if I win, I don't know what kind of emotions I'll have," says Johnson with a shrug. "I've gone through a lot of emotions already. I've got a lot of stuff built up on the inside and hopefully I can let it all out in the cage."

ODH

"I was 192 on Monday, and I should have been less than 185 on Wednesday. That's where I usually am, and that's an easy cut," Johnson told me on Saturday morning. "The trainer told me to drink a lot of water and to not eat very much, and that's what I did."On Thursday, I did a three-hour workout and dropped from 198 to 183. But then I drank all the water he wanted me to drink for the day, and I went back up to 198."

With Johnson 27 pounds over the welterweight limit on the day before he was scheduled to weigh-in, the cutting efforts went into overtime. Johnson stepped into the sauna on Friday morning in an attempt to shed water weight the traditional way

So he lost 17 pounds of water during a three hour workout and drank it all back on, because his trainer said it would be OK?
He thought he would be able to lose it in a day by not eating and he is blaming his trainer?
Pretty lame.

He is cutting way too much.
With this type of thinking, it won't be long before we have a fighter die from cutting weight.

UGLY

This is why they need to weigh in the day of the fight. IF they did Johnson would not be walking around at 200 pounds. He would maintain around 185 then make an easy 15lb cut in the day leading up to the fight. I think we would see better fights and fighter staying closer to their natural weight, nearly eliminating any size advantage for fighters that cut a lot. If they did this they should raise the HWT limit to 275 or 285.

grecowrestler13

How the hell is this guy naturally 220!?! Pierre is like naturally 185. They defintely shouldn't let him fight in 170 again if he can't cut.

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Adolf Oliverbush

First of all I don't believe the specifics being given by Johnson. 2nd of all, if we are to believe Johnson, we must conclude that he is a complete idiot. At this point Ill give him the benefit of the doubt that he's a reasonably bright guy but is lying in an a damage control effort.

I like Johnson and I believe he has a bright future in the middle weight division. I'd love to see him put this silly weight cutting practice behind him and focus on technique and conditioning instead.

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Lets go Brent!

ODH

No way is he "naturally" 220 lbs. Maybe he blew up to 220 between fights.
But how out of shape do these guys get between fights. I heard stories that Forrest was walking around at 240 lb. Don't they still workout between fights? Losing 20+ lbs of water weight seems extremely dangerous to me.

I agree with day of weigh-ins.
should be the same for international wrestling as well.

Adolf Oliverbush

First of all I don't believe the specifics being given by Johnson. 2nd of all, if we are to believe Johnson, we must conclude that he is a complete idiot. At this point Ill give him the benefit of the doubt that he's a reasonably bright guy but is lying in an a damage control effort.

I like Johnson and I believe he has a bright future in the middle weight division. I'd love to see him put this silly weight cutting practice behind him and focus on technique and conditioning instead.

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Lets go Brent!

gjfovf

220 to 170? No way.. 192 is even brutal. Think about it percentage-wise. 10% is 19 pounds. So he is make roughly a 25-27% cut in a week.. Give me a break

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grecowrestler13

I have to agree with you on this one. They probaly do get out of shape between fights. Some of these guys, no matter what weight class, talk about being 20-40lbs heavier than their actual weight class between fights. You're definetly not training if that's the case. Half of that is probably fat and some water weight. These guys talk about training "year-round". If that's the case, then why do some fighters need to cut insane amounts of weight weeks before a fight. I've never gone a pound above my regular weight when not wrestling.

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clmetal

GSP is more than 185 naturally.

Isn't this is a sign of steroid use? (water retention) Same reason Alves missed weight by so much when he lost to Hughes?

It's his fault he didn't make weight and the win has an * next to it. Fight at 185 if you weight 220. Cain was only like 15 pounds more than that at weigh ins

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