After an impressive performance in his return to the UFC last month, Anthony Johnson will now take on Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC On FOX 12 in San Jose on July 26th.
Johnson was an underdog heading into his fight with Phil Davis at UFC 172, but the former welterweight proved that he’s acclimatized well to life in the light-heavyweight division by giving Davis a torrid time over the course of three rounds before claiming a unanimous decision victory.
That was enough to shoot ‘Rumble’ nine places up the official rankings to land at No.5 and guaranteed him another big fight next time out as he looks to solidify his spot as a leading contender in the division.
That’s where Nogueira steps in, though despite having been featured not so long ago in the top 10 rankings himself, ‘Lil Nog’ had recently vanished from it due to inactivity after having not fought for over a year due to persistent injuries.
Prior to that Nogueira had been on a two-fight winning streak after defeating Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans, and with that in mind, a win over Johnson could put him right back into the thick of things at the top end of the 205lb table.
Johnson Vs Nogueira is the first fight confirmed for the UFC On FOX 12 event and is certain to feature on the main card (assuming the injury-prone ‘Lil Nog’ can stay healthy), but there’s no suggestion at this stage that it’s being considered as the main event.
