Ever since coming into the UFC in 2007, Anthony "Rumble" Johnson has struggled to make weight.
The 27-year-old has been through demanding training camps that required him to shed a considerable amount of weight—to the point where he's had to be carried up to the scale at weigh-ins, almost passing out at times.
On more than one occasion, Johnson has missed weight and forced the UFC to make fights at catchweight.
President Dana White has suggested several times that Johnson should move up in weight class to make his training camps easier on his body—but Johnson has refused.
When Johnson does make weight, he enters the octagon as one of the strongest welterweights in the division. He uses his incredible strength and wrestling skills to dominate fighters on the ground—like he did to Dan Hardy back in March of this year.
However, it was announced today by UFC.com that after careful consideration, Johnson has agreed to move up to the middleweight division and to face former champion Vitor Belfort at UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in his first fight.
This is a very intriguing matchup, as both fighters are known for their knockout power.
In Johnson's last fight, he controlled underdog Charlie Brenneman before ending the fight with a head kick. Brenneman argued that the fight was called early, but the referee actually helped Brenneman, who might have soon been unconscious.
Johnson is currently on a two-fight win streak after losing to Josh Koscheck back in 2009.
2011 has had its ups and downs for Vitor Belfort, as he challenged for the title against Anderson Silva back on Super Bowl Weekend last February, but lost via a brutal front kick from Silva.
The Brazilian returned against Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133 in Philadelphia. It didn't take long to rebound from the title loss, as Belfort ended the fight less than two minutes into the first round.
After the fight, Belfort challenged middleweight contender Chael Sonnen to a fight. Earlier this week, it was thought that fight might happen, as Sonnen accepted the challenge.
However, now Belfort has a much different opponent who is looking to quickly throw himself into the title picture. Luckily for "The Phenom," he will have his fellow countrymen behind him, cheering him on.
This will no doubt be an exciting matchup—and could likely end in spectacular fashion.
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