The 36-year-old veteran plans to compete at 205 pounds where a brand-new champion will be crowned at UFC 253 after Jon Jones left the belt to pursue fights in the heavyweight division. Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz will fight it out to determine a brand-new champion on Sept. 26.
A screening update published on Sept. 10 revealed that Johnson took his first test after formerly announcing strategies to return to UFCs anti-doping program as required for fighters coming out of retirement. Johnson initially called it a career following a UFC light heavyweight title fight loss to Daniel Cormier in 2017.
The former light heavyweight title contender has actually officially returned to the promos anti-doping program through the United States Anti-Doping Agency.
Johnson came up short in 2 previous bids to end up being champ with a set of losses to Cormier. Now he goes back to a much different division with Cormier retired and Jones no longer working as champion.
Johnson still needs to go through at least six-months of consistent testing before he can complete again unless the UFC and the USADA issue a waiver.
That implies based upon a current timeline along with all of his drug tests returning tidy, Johnson would be eligible to combat once again in February 2021.
The relentless knockout artist then announced strategies to go back to action in 2019 however he never ever really re-entered the drug screening program. Now that hes officially back in the UFCs anti-doping program, one significant hurdle has been cleared before he can schedule his very first battle in over 3 years.
Anthony Johnson is one action better to his UFC return.
