Anthony Johnson announced his retirement from MMA competition after a loss to UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier at UFC 210.
However, the fighter is potentially interested in a return to action and his manager says he’s going to talk to the UFC about that.
“We’re meeting with UFC this week to see what he wants to do,” Ali Abdel-Aziz said on The MMA Hour. “Dana White really loves Anthony Johnson. How can you not love Anthony Johnson? He’s terrifying.”
Johnson stated in the past that he retired from competition to work on a new business venture involving medical marijuana.
The retired fighter’s manager also says that if Johnson were to return to the UFC, then it would be happening in the heavyweight division.
“He’ll come back as a heavyweight,” Abdel-Aziz said. “We want him to come back as a heavyweight.”
If the fighter did come back from retirement and did compete at heavyweight, then he would be competing in his fourth different weight class in the UFC. Previously, a potentially returning Johnson had competed in the welterweight, middleweight (even though he missed weight) and light heavyweight division.
Even though Johnson would be competing for the first time as a heavyweight in the UFC if he returns, the fighter did fight once as a heavyweight in the World Series Of Fighting.
