Why Anthony Johnson Needs to Be Fired Even If He Beats Vitor Belfort

One of the major stories coming out yesterday at the UFC 142 weigh-ins was Anthony Johnson missing weight and missing weight badly.

Johnson came in at about 11 pounds over the 186-pound weight limit for his scheduled fight with UFC veteran Vitor Belfort, and cited health issues as the reason why.

UFC President Dana White was quick to point out that Johnson’s job would be on the line (win or lose) for coming in so overweight, while Johnson himself seemed unapologetic in a Facebook post and in fact laughed at the people talking badly about him.

With all these factors combined, I think the logical choice to make is to fire Anthony Johnson immediately after his fight with Vitor Belfort.

I don’t make that decision lightly, let me be clear. I think Anthony Johnson is an incredible athlete and a great fighter. Johnson is currently 10-3, having spent most of his career inside the Octagon.

Johnson has a majority of his wins by (T)KO, is on a two-fight win streak, and in his most recent fight, scored perhaps the biggest highlight-reel moment of his career when he viciously head-kicked Charlie Brenneman into unconsciousness.

But now that he’s missed weight again, you can seriously make the case that Anthony Johnson’s toughest opponent in the UFC is the scale.

This is the third time Johnson has missed the mark, and we’re not talking a few ounces here. This is pounds and pounds overweight, and if you believe what’s been released just today, Johnson will step into the Octagon at about 204 pounds.

Enough is enough.

This extends beyond my feelings for Anthony Johnson, although in Johnson’s case in particular, I feel especially angry at him. In general, I just can’t stand when fighters miss weight.

I don’t agree with and probably will never agree with fighters cutting down huge amounts of weight because they think it gives them an advantage.

You’ve got people starving themselves, dehydrating themselves, damn near killing themselves, just because they think the drop down in weight will allow them to get a leg-up on the competition.

The severe, drastic weight cut has got to go, and Anthony Johnson is a prime example why. And the best way to start setting an example is to not put up with this crap anymore.

So I say fire Anthony Johnson, regardless if he wins or not. Let him go back to the regional promotions, and let him fight in those regional promotions as a Light Heavyweight since he’s obviously gotten to the point where he can’t even make Middleweight now.

To those that say that Johnson should get at least one more chance to make Middleweight, I say: valid point. I’m willing to give Johnson another opportunity to make 185, despite my hesitations.

But not in the UFC.

As a realist, I know that it’s unlikely that Johnson will be fired if he dramatically finishes Vitor Belfort. But I think that Johnson should be and probably will be cut if he loses to Belfort or wins in a boring fashion.

And while I would think it unfortunate that such a talented prospect got the boot out of the UFC for his actions outside of the cage, I wouldn’t really call foul. In cases like these, sometimes tough love isn’t just an option, it’s a necessity.

Oliver Saenz, also known as PdW2kX, is a freelance journalist, opinion columnist, hardcore MMA fan, and lifelong video game nerd. For more news, views, previews, and reviews on all things Mixed Martial Arts as well as video games, be sure to visit FightGamesBlog.net.