Both within and beyond the ring, Jon Jones and Anthony Johnson were close friends. The “Bones” championship would have been on the line in their main event matchup at UFC 187. The arranged battle, though, was never held because Jones was engaged in a hit-and-run. Because of this, the organisation made the decision to remove his belt right away and remove him from the occasion.
Instead, Anthony Johnson fought Daniel Cormier, who agreed to the fight on short notice with the light heavyweight championship at stake. Early on, Cormier used his ground and pound tactics and gained a lot of ground dominance with almost little opposition from “Rumble.” He won the fight by rear-naked choking Johnson little over two minutes into the third round.
The explosive knockout power of “Rumble” and “Bones'” striking and grappling skills made the bout between Jon Jones and Anthony Johnson look like it would be a fantastic one. Throughout the conflict’s build-up, the two remained close friends and had no resentment against one another.
In their argument that ensued right after the press conference, they even played a practical joke on UFC president Dana White. As the two approached from opposite sides to engage in combat, White stood in the middle. The helpless president then attempted to separate them as they pretended to push one another and made threats to fight on stage. Then the two started laughing, and the UFC president joined in.
After learning of Anthony Johnson’s passing, Jon Jones pays tribute to him.
Even when they were about to engage in combat, Jon Jones insisted that he and Anthony Johnson were close friends. In fact, after losing to Cormier, Johnson acknowledged “Bones” in the audience and thanked him for his support. The former UFC light heavyweight champion posted a video montage in remembrance of “Rumble” after his passing.
The video was a compilation of their trick on Dana White and Anthony Johnson’s yell at Jones following his defeat by Daniel Cormier. In the comments section, fighters and fans paid tribute to the late great.
The calibre of Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, exactly.
Anthony “Rumble” Johnson left the UFC after trying out several weight classes and failing to find a place for himself in either the welterweight or middleweight divisions. Johnson eventually settled on 205 pounds as his preferred weight.
The rugged Phil Davis was defeated by decision by the NJCAA wrestler, who had just returned to the octagon after six consecutive victories. After that, he defeated Alexander Gustafsson and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira twice in a row to win a crack at the championship.
He won all three of his remaining fights in the UFC—against Jimi Manuwa, Ryan Bader, and Glover Teixeira—by knockout. Johnson’s only two defeats since settling in the light heavyweight category were at the hands of MMA Hall-of-Famer Daniel Cormier, which should be regarded as an outstanding run in the organisation.