Anthony Johnson Rumbling His Way Toward Contendership

Originally posted on BleacherReport.com

The 24 year old Anthony Johnson entered the octagon for the first time since his comeback victory following the "eye poking" incident. With his rising star back on track he was given a fight with a low level welterweight gate keeper Luigi Fioravanti.

Fioravanti has been used to measure the talents of several premier names, including Chris Leben, Jon Fitch, and Diego Sanchez. And now Anthony Johnson.

Johnson dispatched Fioravanti in impressive fashion, controlling the fight well and scoring a first round TKO. Afterwards Johnson, ever the perfectionist, stated how unhappy he was with his performance despite the KO.

Johnson also commented on his work with Cung Le, a kickboxing master, and the progress he has made with his standup to complement his wrestling base. His progress has been truely amazing, any fans who have just notice Johnson in his last three fights would easily fall under the impression that he is a natural striker.

Le has proved the perfect coach for Johnson. Le combined San Shou, Muay Thai, Taekwondo, and European Kickboxing into a unique striking system that allowed him to become a K-1 legend. His strong base in wrestling allowed him to move into the MMA field and post an undefeated record. But age likely limits Cung's MMA future, he is pursuing a future in movies and coaching.

Johnson appears to be a carbon copy of Le in terms of physical gifts and determination, and he is quickly looking like a Cung Le creation unleashed on an unsuspecting world. Johnson has shown a few of the straight kicks that Le prefers and shows off the powerful body and head kicks Le has put many foes away with.


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